Population Ecology 1400-216POP

Lecture 1. How to define a population - different points of view: population as ecological unit, population as evolutionary unit, population as a unit of studies. Brief history of population studies. Lecture Lecture 2. Mortality of individuals in a population; potential and actual mortality. Lecture 3. Seasonal and multi annual dynamics of animal and plant populations. Lecture 4. Population structure and organization. Lecture 5 and 6. The social and spatial organization of population – the types of distribution of organisms in space. Factors affecting the distribution of individuals. Lecture 7 and 8. Groups of organisms. Costs and benefits of living in groups. Lecture 9. An individual as a member of population – theoretical and practical point of view. Lecture 10. Ecological and evolutionary consequences of “settled” plants. Lecture 11. Natality in plant populations; the definition of potential and actual natality. Lecture 12. “Migrations” of plants in space – factors influencing genetic structure of population of settled organisms. Lecture 13. “Migrations” of plants in time. Seed dormancy as a stage of individual life cycle. Lecture 14. Population density – the definition. Undercrowding and overcrowding. Allee effects and compensation. Lecture 15. The distribution of body size of individuals within population. The importance of individual body size in plants.

Classes: part 1 - animal populations:
Part one – seminars
Based on literature reviews or provided research data, students prepare presentations for discussions about population structure and growth, life strategies and their consequences in various groups of animals, impact of environmental factors on populational phenomena as well as methodology of population research.
Part two - practice
Comparison of population structure and growth rate using a few groups of invertebrates presenting different life strategies and development types. The classes include determination of population structure based on estimations or direct counting of individuals from different age classes, morphometric measurements. Optionally, estimation of resource use by measurements of consumption rates of experimental populations, measurements of population parameters depending on temperature and food quality.
Classes: part 2 - Plant populations:
The scope of field practices in the Bielański Forest Nature Reserve and in the Kampinoski National Park will include learning about methods used in the species population research representing various plant life-forms (phanerophyte, geophyte, therophyte): common, invasive, rare and vulnerable species. During the classes students will conduct their own population research, which will include among others: assessment of frequency, number, density, spatial distribution, size structure, participation by age and development phases of individuals, as well as their variability of morphological features. On the basis of population characteristics and adaptation of individuals, students will learn about different life strategies of species which ensure the reproductive success in forest ecosystems, i.e. in competition conditions, such as light and space. Any doubts encountered during the exercises, such as: selection of the proper methods, size of the area, problem of the individual in plant populations, biology of development of clonal species, structure of polycormons will be discussed in the field.
Schedule of the field practices:
· adaptation of individuals and population structure of early-spring geophytes (Anemone nemorosa, A. ranunculoides, Ficaria verna, Adoxa moschatelina, Gagea lutea) in various habitat conditions in the Bielański Forest Nature Reserve; biology and ecology of the first harbingers of spring which flower and fruit before the full foliage of trees; life strategies of early-spring geophytes; functions of underground resting spores - rhizome, bulbous and tuberous geophytes;
· population structure of forest-forming tree species in the Bielański Forest Nature Reserve: Quercus robur, Q. petraea, Tilia cordata, Fraxinus excelsior, Carpinus betulus, Alnus glutinosa, Acer platanoides - spatial distribution and size structure (assessed on the basis of the height of individuals and their diameter at breast height); evaluation of the effectiveness of natural reproduction of tree populations (and renewal of the tree stand); tree population structure as a basis of a long-term forecast of the dynamics of forest populations in the reserve;
· density and population structure of alien species in forest ecosystems; life strategies of invasive species, sources of their reproductive success in competition with native species; causes and effects of Padus serotina, Robinia pseudacacia, Quercus rubra, Impatiens parviflora invasions in the Bielański Forest Nature Reserve and in the Kampinoski National Park; efficacy assessment of selected methods of elimination alien species populations from forest phytocenoses;
· monitoring methods in geodesic network of fixed points and characteristics of rare and vulnerable plant species populations in the Bielański Forest Nature Reserve on the example of Carex digitata, Carex remota, Paris quadrifolia and Asarum europaeum and others; population dynamics and structure of rare species - comparative analysis of selected population features after 20 years, risk assessment of selected groundcover species in the Bielański Forest Nature Reserve based on the analysis of long-term population dynamics and structure and identification of effective protection methods;
· population structure of forest phytocenoses; population characteristics of selected characteristic and differential species of forest communities, its inventory and the optimum of occurrence in the Bielański Forest Nature Reserve and/or in the Kampinoski National Park - i.a. on the basis of population abundance and density, size of individuals and effectiveness of generative and vegetative reproduction; dynamic types of populations: progressive, stable and regressive populations.
Students, basing on the literature, will characterize all species which were studied in the field in respect of species biology, ecology, potential threats and conservation recommendations.
The Base of completion of Plant Population Ecology classes: active participation in the field practices, own invention and presentation of obtained results in form of scientific paper including literature on the subject.