Curricular Unit:			Code:
Notions of Ecophysiology			1055NECO
Year:	Level:	Course:	Credits:
1	Master	Specialized Laboratory Analyses (Alimentary and Environmental Analysis)	3 ects
Learning Period:		Language of Instruction:	Total Hours:
		Portuguese/English	39
Learning Outcomes of the Curricular Unit:
Goals (1) - Understand the main physiological processes that determine the growth and development of living beings (2) - Understand the effect of the various biotic and abiotic factors on the physiological processes and the strategies that the beings develop to counter these effects. Skills to develop (3) - Evaluate, monitor and present technical solutions for solving specific problems; (4) - Develop the capacity for research, initiative and analysis; (5) - Develop the capacity for synthesis and written and oral expression
Syllabus:
Biodiversity and its components. Functional diversity. Factors that affect gene balance. Importance of biodiversity and its occurrence. Darwin's postulates, Ecological niche and the principle of competitive exclusion. The living being and the environment. General lines of the variability of environmental factors in different areas of the biosphere. Adaptation, acclimatization and acclimatization. Compliance, compensation and regulation. Ecophysiology Physical and chemical variables that restrict and affect various physiological mechanisms. Liebig's law of minima. Temperature. Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic organisms and their adaptive strategies. Spore formation as an adaptive strategy. Wastewater treatment: Protozoa as indicators of the biological quality of activated sludge. Biotic sludge index. Bioremediation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa KUCD1, possible candidate for bioremediation processes. Potential use of GMOs in bioremediation processes.
Demonstration of the Syllabus Coherence with the Curricular Unit's Objectives:
The UC program will allow students to develop the knowledge and skills set out in the objectives, ensuring consistency between the syllabus. Objectives 1 to 3 will be fulfilled with the programmatic content presented, while objectives 4 and 5 will be achieved with the interconnection of the program with teaching methodologies, namely with the performance of the required works.
Teaching Methodologies (Including Evaluation):
The UC is taught in theoretical lectures and practical classes. In the theoretical classes, the fundamental concepts of the different physiological processes are introduced, stimulating the discussion about the potential effects of genetic, cultural and environmental factors in the good performance of these processes. In practical classes students perform practical work, whose procedures and analysis of results aim at consolidating the knowledge acquired in the theoretical component and creating a scientific spirit. The realization of 2 works, outside the classroom, and the respective presentation, orally, are important tools to stimulate the capacities of initiative, research, synthesis and knowledge transmission.
Demonstration of the Coherence between the Teaching Methodologies and the Learning Outcomes:
The teaching methodologies are consistent with the objectives of the UC. In effect, the exposure of the program associated with the presentation of practical cases, as well as the realization and presentation of works makes it possible to acquire the proposed objectives and skills. The stimulation of the dialogue process will lead to the sharing of knowledge, doubts and questions, in order to benefit the students' learning and provoke greater motivation. The assessment regime is designed to measure the extent to which competencies have been developed
Reading:
Singh,JS, 2012. Biodiversity: An Overview. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India - Section B: Biological Sciences 82(2):239-250 Bennett, A. F. 1997. Adaptation and the evolution of physiological characters, pp. 3-16. In: Handbook of Physiology, Sect. 13: Comparative Physiology. W. H. Dantzler, ed. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. Ainsworth et al., 2016. Focus on Ecophysiology. Plant Physiology, Vol. 172, pp. 619–621, Ecophysiology ULRICH LÜTTGE1,3 and FABIO R. SCARANO2 (received: July 26, 2003; accepted: November 27, 2003)