Adaptations of organisms to aquatic habitats

Ecology of aquatic communities in lentic and lotic water. Adaptations and distribution patterns due to competition, predation and isolation. Applied case studies of different Swiss lakes and rivers.

This course combines Limnology (the study of inland waters in its broad sense) with ecological and evolutionary concepts. It deals with rivers, groundwater and lakes.This course contains a lecture part, an experimental part, two determination courses (aquatic invertebrates and algae) as well as excursions.

Students deepen their basic understanding of systematics and acquire exemplary knowledge of selected organism groups using online tutorials. They then carry out their own determinations on excursions to different habitats and apply methods of biodiversity detection. In workshops, the collected data are analyzed and discussed with a view to various ecological questions.

We give an overview of aquatic biodiversity at different levels of biological organization and introduce the conceptual ecological and evolutionary background that is necessary to understand the processes that shape aquatic biodiversity. We also introduce the basic conservation biology issues that relate to aquatic biodiversity.

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This course examines the ecology and evolution of macroparasites and their hosts. Students explore parasite diversity, life cycles, adaptations, and host–parasite interactions. Applied topics include the role of parasitoids in biocontrol and the relevance of macroparasites in human health.

Application of ecological theory is relevant especially for habitat and ecosystem restoration, for management of endangered species, and for pest control and harvest management. Ecological applications are central for sustainable ecosystem management and expertise in this field is needed in various professions. Purpose of this course is to give an overview of the common applications and methods.

The concept course 'Evolutionary Genetics' consists of two lectures that jointly provide an introduction to the fields of population and quantitative genetics (emphasis on basic concepts) and ecological genetics (more emphasis on evolutionary and ecological processes of adaptation and speciation).

The module 'Ecology and Evolution' consist of two lectures that provide an introduction to the fields of population biology, population and quantitative genetics.

The module 'Ecology and Evolution: Populations' provides an introduction to the fields of population biology, population and quantitative genetics.

The organization and functioning of academic research as well as academic publishing are introduced and applied: students critically review two term papers written by their student colleagues. Based on the reviews, the authors of the papers write reply letters and revise their own term papers. They finally present their topic during an in-house "mini-conference" with a talk.

Individual writing of an essay-type review paper about a specialized topic in the field of ecology and evolution, based on substantial reading of original literature and discussions with a senior scientist.

Students formulate and investigate a scientific question within a field-based research project. They collect, analyze, and interpret relevant data using appropriate scientific methods. Students communicate their findings in both an oral presentation and a written scientific report, demonstrating their ability to plan, conduct, and critically reflect on an independent research process.

Lab course:The lab course in evolutionary biology introduces students to key techniques and concepts in modern population genetics and phylogenetics. Students use molecular techniques to carry out lab projects in small teams and present their results and conclusions in a final talk.

This course introduces the students to interdisciplinary field work in aquatic systems. The aim is to learn modern sampling and analysis methods, to acquire informative data and to analyse the results to answer questions regarding the state and the relevant processes in a given river, lake or groudndwater system.

The course teaches the basics of diversity, identification, and ecological significance of aquatic microinvertebrates and freshwater algae in Switzerland. Participants will practice identifying the most common representatives based on distinctive characteristics and the use of identification keys. In an identification exercise, participants will also analyze samples they have collected themselves.

Practical fieldwork and applied research methods in aquatic ecology, with a focus on river and lake ecosystems. Students learn to formulate and investigate scientific questions, apply field and laboratory techniques, and interpret ecological data in real-world contexts.