SUBJECT

Human ecology I

lecture

master

Faculty of Science

Environmental Science MSc

2

Semester 3

Autumn semester

• Introduction to human ecology, characteristics of ecosystems. Definitions, biosphere, types of ecosystems, ecological systems, ecological disasters, dynamics and stability of ecosystems, productivity of ecosystems
• Ecological events in the populational levels, dynamics of human populations. Characteristics of populations: population density, birth rate, death rate, structure of populations, age-trees, sexual ration, expected life span
• Population genetics: Hardy-Weiberg rule, mutation, selection, evolution, population dynamics, migration
• Ecological and cultural adaptation, the relationships between man and his environment, human being sin the ecosystems, human adaptation, abiotic factors: light, temperature, air, water, soil, geophysical factors
• Biotic factors: inter- and intraspecies relationships, biorhythms, biological daily rhythm, annual rhythms, cultural adaptation: civilisation diseases, urbanisation
• The role of cultural factors in secular growth changes, cultural ecology and ecological anthropology, ecology of Steward, ethno-ecological aspects
• The human influences on biosphere: the changes of environment through utilizing the environmental sources, the changes of environment through environmental loading, changes of the ecosystem: changes of the micro-environment, changes of the soil, changes of the atmosphere
• Human origin agents: pesticides, waste, radioactive radiation, radiation load, bioindication, environmental conservation
• Methods of collection nutrition, human ecological aspects of human nutrition, vegetal production, animal production, biological production, alternative nutrient sources, biosynthesis
• Human nutrition: calorie needs, energy flow, basic metabolic rate, essential nutrients, pre- and postnatal development, physical activity, social aspects of nutrition: lifestyle, socio-economic factors
• Ecology of diseases: the influences of environmental factors on health, populational differences int he prevalence of infectious and non-infectious diseases, biological responses to infectious and non-infectious diseases
• Parasitism: epidemiology, infections, invasions, diseases, parasites
• Poisoning and allergiogenes, immunity, the groups of human diseases, prevention
• Human ecological aspects of energy supply in the world: problems and perspectives, the energy and substance flow of the biosphere, information flow, human energy needs, energy sources: types, traditional and alternative energy sources, advantages and disadvantages of energy sources, environmental conservation

• Dodd, J.R., Stanton, R.J. (1990) Paleoecology. Concepts and applications. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
• Freye, H-A. (1985) Humanökologie. Fischer Verlag, Jena.
• Marten, G.G. (2001) Human Ecology. Eartscan, London, UK. ISBN: 978-1853837142.
• Bates, D.G., Tucker, J. (2010) Human Ecology. Contemporary Research and Practice. Springer, Leipzig, Germany. ISBN: 978-1-4419-5700-9.
• Gates, G.B., Lees, S.H. (2015) Case Studies in Human Ecology. Springer, Leipzig, Germany. EBook.