5 ECTS credits
150 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4016028DNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (D) Master - preliminary level.
Selected contents on this introduction in freshwater ecology are about the distribution of water in the biosphere, the origin and age of lakes, the lake morphometry and catchment properties. The abiotic frame of standing or slow flowing aquatic systems is given by the characteristics of water, the salinity and ion composition, dissolved inorganic carbon, light under water, lake stratification and related oxygen conditions, redox reactions and nutrient cycling. The abiotic frame in rivers is given by the structural properties, catchment properties, physical characteristics, the chemical characteristics and daily and seasonal changes.
The considered biotics are the phytoplankton, bacteria and viruses, benthic algae, waterplants, zooplankton, zoobenthos, fish, water birds and other vertebrates. Their relationship with the abiotics, functional groups and biotic interactions are discussed in the context of food web interactions. Emphasis is on shallow lakes and on concepts of various interactions. Students should be able to apply these general principles to case studies of various groups of organisms.
The anthropogenic influences on biodiversity and on natural processes are worked out for effects of eutrophication, highly invasive exotic species and artificial water bodies. Current applied aspects of limnology deal with principles of biomonitoring ecological water quality, the restoration and rehabilitation of rivers and biomanipulation of shallow lakes. An overview of the governmental and administrative actors in the field of aquatic issues and policy is given.
All illustrations used and a relevant text will be made available and should be complemented with individual notes
After having successfully completed this course, you should :
- understand the physical-chemical properties of aquatic ecosystems in relation to their age, size, origin, location on earth and the chemical position of the water column and sediment
- explain the main processes of lake and river ecosystems in function of catchment properties, seasonal variations and horizontal and vertical gradients of biotic and abiotic components
- understand the way in which running and standing waters function as an ecosystem to organisms
- relate biotic interactions to natural, managed and man-made systems
- interpret and report field measurements in river and lake ecology
- situate these in a current relevance to the policy (standards, regulations, actions)
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Oral exam (after written preparation with open book) (60%)
Practicals and exercises (40%). The practicals are compulsory (100%) and absence is only justified by a medical attest.
Results for the oral exam and for the report must each separately reach at least half of the score
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biology: Education (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management: Standaard traject
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity
Master of Biology: AR Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, start at Brussels
Master of Biology: AR Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, start at Paris
Master of Biology: AR Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, start at Cayenne
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: biologie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)