AEW-30806 Chemical Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

TOX-30806 Environmental Toxicology; AEW-31306 Water Quality or AEW-30306 Ecology: Classics and Trends.

Contents:

This course focuses on the fate of toxic compounds and their effects on populations and ecosystems. It deals with the assessment of both exposure and ecological effects, and their interconnection. Main subjects are exposure on higher biological organisation levels, ecological effects, bio-monitoring, risk assessment of anthropogenic stressors and natural stressors like cyanotoxins, and multiple stresses.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- perform exposure and bioaccumulation experiments;
- perform ecotoxicological experiments with non-standard test species;
- perform in vivo bioassays to assess effects on behaviour of organisms;
- perform experiments on the effects of chemicals on food-webs;
- interpret the results of chemical fate and ecological models;
- interpret data from microcosm and mesocosm experiments;
- perform an advanced data analysis on chemical and biological monitoring data;
- perform advanced exposure, effect and risk assessments of chemicals in ecosystems.

Activities:

- lecture attendance;
- experimentation in the lab;
- analysis, interpretation and presentation of results of lab experiments;
- reviewing literature; report writing.

Examination:

Lecture attendance; experimentation in the lab; analysis, interpretation and presentation of results of lab experiments; reviewing literature; report writing. Successful partial interim examinations remain valid for a period of three years.

Literature:

A manual and lecture notes will be distributed during the course.