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PLANTS AND LIFE PROCESSES  
Alpine plant biodiversity

Learning Objectives

 

   You will ...

  

   You will learn ...

  • discover the environmental heterogeneity in mountainous areas on different spatial scales.
     
  • realise that the occurrence of plants within a landscape follows quite strict rules.
     
  • recognize the nature of a plant community.
     
  • participate at a (virtual) excursion in the Swiss Alps.
 

  • which are the main causes of environmental heterogeneity.
     
  • which processes lead to the formation of endemic species.
     
  • which factors menace plant diversity in the alpine life zone.

   You will understand ...

  

   You will be able to ...

  • the mechanisms leading to high species richness in mountainous areas.
     
  • why mountainous regions are rich in endemic species.
     
  • how plant communities are formed.
     
  

  • distinguish and name plant communities “in the field”.
     
  • assess the number of plant species of a community.
     
  • discuss the potential impacts of global climate warming on plant species richness in the alpine life zone.
     
  • determine plant communities using a dichotomous key.

 

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29 August 2011
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