EKO/EKŽO Animal Ecology

Lecturer: Ivan H. Tuf
Lecture: 2 hours/week
Credits: 3
Winter semester
Form of course completion: exam

Context  of the field of knowledge and key definitions, ecological characteristics of the Animals.  Factors, physiological as well as ecological effects of the factor influences, their timing and superpositions. Environment and its components, measurement and limiting factors for the surviving of the populations, ontogenesis and phylogenesis, domestication. Concept of adaptation, abaptation.
Radiation, sources, wave length and its impact on animals. Daily and artificial light, periodicity of light and animal answer, biological cycles.  IR radiation and temperature as an ecological factor. Hibernation. Allen, Gloger and Jordan formulas, Dehnell phenomenon.  Water as specify environment for animals, specific properties of the water and factors in these conditions. Types of the water habitats on the Earth.
Soil as an specific habitat, edafon its and typical properties and its importance for ecosystems.
Individuum, group and population. Isolation, territoriality and agglomeration of animals. Alle principles. 
Food as an ecological factor, lack of food adaptation, competition, food strategies, types of foraging, food structure and preferences. 
Intraspecies and interspecies  relations. Predation, competition, parasitism, protocooperation and  symbiosis.
Zoocenosis, characteristics, specify properties, qualitative and quantitative attributes.
Ecosystem – position of animals in ecosystem and its structure, ecological niche. Food pyramid and consumption and ecological energetical effectiveness, primary and secondary production and ecosystem productivity. Succession of the ecosystems, succession and position of the various animal live strategies in the succession. Biomes and their typical forms of animals.