TEMPUS Programme Problem oriented Ecology and Biodiversity

1. TEMPUS ProgrammeProblem oriented Ecology and Biodiversity Module B Forest Ecology Saint Petersburg State University Faculty of Biology and Soil Sciences

2. FOREST ECOLOGY • Participants: • Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology (*) • Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (#) • Department of Soil Sciences (**) • Department of Agrochemistry (@)

3. FOREST ECOLOGY Total: 30 credits (Including: Cultural Biotopes and Agroecology (@) – 2 cr.) Rest: 28 credits 22 cr. (lectures and seminars) + 6 cr. (field practice) Addition: 5 cr. (summer practice for thesis materials collection)

4. FOREST ECOLOGY Auditorium: 2 years (22 cr.; 11 cr. per year) ~ 330 hours : 30 weeks ~ 11 h. per week Field: 1 summer (6 cr.+ 5 cr.) ~ 330 hours : 8 weeks ~ 41 h. per week 1 credit ~ 30 hours (or 15 lectures)

5. FOREST ECOLOGY Who will be graduated from our Masters Programme?

6. FOREST ECOLOGY First step: Test in Vegetation Science and Chemistry for entering students

7. 1 year, the first semester 6 cr. (180 h.)

8. 1. FOREST ECOSYSTEMS (Introduction into the Problems)* – 1 cr. (30 h.) Lectures, consultations, essay 2. FOREST ENVIRONMENT – 2 cr. (60 h.) Soils (**); Microclimate (*); Hydrology(**) Lectures, seminars, practice 3. ECOLOGICAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY (#) – 3 cr. (90 h.) Lectures, seminars, practice

9. FOREST ECOSYSTEMS • General characteristics of forests • Role of forest in the Biosphere • Influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on forest ecosystem organization • Main trends in contemporary forest dynamics

10. FOREST ENVIRONMENT • Forest soil, microclimate, and hydrology • Main methods of soil analyses • Training in work with equipment for hydrology, microclimate, and soil study

11. ECOLOGICAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY • Environmental limitation to plant distributions. Plants adaptation • Influence of environment on photosynthesis, respiration, and utilization of mineral elements • Stress concept. Stress signal perception and transduction. Control of plant resistance by genetic engineering • Mechanisms of surviving different abiotic stresses. Mechanism of adaptation to anthropogenic pollution. Surviving radioactivity • Plant responses to biotic interactions. Hypersensitivity reaction. Systemic plant defense responses. Surviving predation. Secondary metabolites and plant defense. Allelopathy

12. 1 year, the second semester 5 cr. (150 h.)

13. 1. FOREST PLANTS INTERRACTIONS (*) – 4 cr. (120 h.) Lectures, seminars, essay 2. FOREST MONITORING (*) – 1 cr. (30 h.) Practice, lectures

14. FOREST PLANTS INTERRACTIONS • Diversity of forest plants interrelations types • Plants influence on the other organisms • Species-specific transformation of environment • Role of different interrelations in forest dynamics • Ecological groups of forest plants, and their anatomical and morphological adaptation to forest biotopes • Estimation of forest biotopes parameters via vegetation

15. FOREST MONITORING • Goals and methods of forest monitoring • Different scales of forest monitoring • Interpretation of results of long-term observations in forest ecosystems • Training in monitoring results interpretation

16. SUMMER FIELD PRACTICE • PLANT ECOPHYSIOLOGY, FOREST PLANTS INTERRACTIONS et al. (4 cr.:*,**, and 2 cr.: #) = 6 cr. • COLLECTION of MATHERIALS for THESIS - 5 cr.

17. 2 year, the first semester 8 cr. (240 h.)

18. 1. FOREST PLANT COMMUNITY: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY (*) – 2 cr. (60 h.) Lectures, seminars 2. NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC FOREST DYNAMICS (*) – 2 cr. (60 h.) Lectures, seminars, essay 3. FOREST BIOGEOCHEMISTRY (#) – 2 cr. (60 h.) Lectures, practice 4. GIS TECHNOLOGY (*) – 1 cr. (30 h.) Practice, lectures 5. ECOGRAPHY AND HABITATS FRAGMENTATION (*?) – 1 cr. (30 h.) Lectures, seminars

19. FOREST PLANT COMMUNITY: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY • Species diversity, structure, function, and dynamics of forests • System of plants interrelations in forest community • Life-strategy of forest plants • Structure of plant populations in different environmental conditions • Forest plant species populations sustainability • Factors of change in forest species interrelation system • Self-regulation of forest ecosystem and its sustainability

20. NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC FOREST DYNAMICS • Seasonal dynamics and fluctuations of forest communities • Forest successions • Effect of climate change on global and regional transformation of forests • Forest ecosystems change under human activity • Afforestation and reforestation in different conditions

21. FOREST BIOGEOCHEMISTRY • Main factors affecting productivity and chemical elements content in plants in forest ecosystems • Biogeochemical cycling of macro- and micronutrients in plant communities from different geographycal zones and landscapes • Mineral nutrition and plant biogeochemistry within diverse taxa • Heavy metals and biogeochemical phyto-indication in forest ecosystems

22. GIS TECHNOLOGY • Theory of Geographic Information System • Training in GIS - methods

23. ECOGRAPHY AND HABITATS FRAGMENTATION • Effect of the area dimension on the forest ecosystem parameters • Forest ecosystem sustainability and plant populations maintenance in small areas

24. 2 year, the second semester 3 cr. (90 h.)

25. 1. FOREST GEOGRAPHY OF NORTHERN EURASIA (*) – 2 cr. (60 h.) Lectures 2. NON-INDUSTRIAL FOREST RESOURCES (*) – 1 cr. (30 h.)

26. FOREST GEOGRAPHY OF NORTHERN EURASIA • Distribution of main types of forest in the Temperate Belt of Eurasia • Division of forest lands into geobotanical areas • Zones and provinces of forest vegetation

27. NON-INDUSTRIAL FOREST RESOURCES • Forest plants as officinal and food resources, their conservation, resumption, and reserve assessment • Recreation in forests • Aesthetic value of forests • Scientific value of forest ecosystems

28. Forest Ecology Who could be interested in our Masters Programme? (Potential students)

29. Forest Ecology - team Thank you for your attention !