Università Roma Tre

Basic notions of marine ecology: definition of ecosystem; structure and function of a marine ecosystem; definition of biodiversity; definition of community, species and population; interspecific interactions; definition of ecological niche; trophic chains; ecological pyramids; energy flows; notes on the cycles of oxygen and carbon; organisms adaptations to the marine environment; life cycles of marine organisms.
Animal and Plant biodiversity in marine and coastal environments in relation to the ecological category to which they belong (Plankton, Necton, Benthos), with particular focus on the Mediterranean Sea. Insights on Porifera, Cnidarians, Molluscs, Annelids, Crustaceans and Vertebrate Chordates.
Insights on: Coral reefs, Mangroves, Posidonia meadows, Polar seas.
Applied marine ecology and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems: plastic pollution; oil rigs; oil pollution; wind farms; coastal infrastructures (ports, bathhouses, piers, breakwaters etc.); maritime traffic; noise pollution; construction of transoceanic canals; alien species (eg Lessepsian elements, ballast water, etc.); pisciculture; overexploitation; eutrophication of waters; toxic algal blooms; biomagnification; climate changes; ocean acidification; meridionalization and tropicalization.
Conservation of marine ecosystems; bioremediation.

Danovaro (2019). Biologia marina. Biodiversità e funzionamento degli ecosistemi marini, UTET Università, Bologna

Castro and Huber (2019). Marine Biology. 11th Edition, McGraw Hill Education

Levinton (2021). Marine Biology. 6th Edition, Oxford University Press

Trainito and Baldacconi (2021). Atlante di Flora e Fauna del Mediterraneo - Guida alla biodiversità degli ambienti marini. Il Castello