After the successful completion of the course, the student has acquired a basic knowledge of ecology, has comprehended and is able to interpret the interdependence and interaction relations between the structural components of an ecosystem, has the ability to recognize Greek ecosystems and examine their characteristics. May consider ecosystem management cases in Greece through case studies, combine the acquired knowledge, assess conservation and management measures and judge their correctness, through developing appropriate arguments. Moreover, through their dissertation (although optional, it is selected by 90-95 % of the students), students demonstrate their ability to communicate information and ideas to the public.

Systems’ characteristics, negative and positive feedback, structure and function of ecosystems, environmental factors, organizing at the population level (interactions, natural selection and evolution, survival strategies, human population and its variations), organizing at the ecosystem level (energy flow, productivity, biogeochemical cycles and their disruptions, development and evolution of ecosystems in time), values-lesions and degradation of the natural environment, landscape protection, development and environment (ecological approaches to development dilemma between development and environment), main features of terrestrial ecosystems, mega-conformations, terrestrial natural ecosystems in Greece, examples of ecosystem management – commentary, criticism based on the already acquired knowledge .

Written examinations at the end of the semester.
working in groups with oral presentation

workshop and Practices exercises