Mironov S. Yu., Protasova M.V.

Kursk State University, Russia

THE COURSE “METHODS OF ECOLOGICFL RESEARCHES”, SPECIALITY “ECOLOGY”: THE BASIC APPROACHES

Since 2000 on the basis of the Natural-Geographical Department in Kursk State University the training of students studying at the speciality “Ecology” is carried out. The speciality “Ecological Assessment” is supposed to give students knowledge on traditional and modern methods of environmental researches and on its practical use. Realizing the basic demands to a professional specialist, we propose them to study a special course “Methods of Ecological Researches”. We have worked out an appropriate program for this course to be taught. It takes 36 academic hours for lectures and so for laboratory training in the educational plan. The form of final control is exam.

The course consists of several themes, which are presented in a logical order.

Part 1. Common biological and ecological methods of research. The tasks and objects of ecological researches are revealed in this part. The definition of methods, their classification and specificity (field, laboratory, observation, experiment etc.) are also surveyed. The questions devoted to the approaches which are used in ecological research are briefly covered. Modelling, forecasting of impact on the environment and system analysis are given a great importance.

Part 2. Habitat conditions methods of ecological researches. In the theoretical part, the students acquaints with rules and organisation techniques of field researches of abiotic habitat. The review of methods, which are used for environmental assessment (physical, chemical, biological, biophysical, test-methods), is given. General problems of methods, means and technology of ecological monitoring are given too. The questions of ecological evaluation and territory zonation are surveyed.

Part 3. The methods realized according to the approaches in researches of supraorganisms levels of living substance. Students receive information about research organization and carrying out researches of various alive natural objects, processes and phenomena: population properties, community organization, turnover and energy processes in the different biomes. In this part the way of reconstruction ancient ecosystems, the elements of modelling and assessment of agro-ecosystems stability are surveyed.

Part 4. Investigation in human ecology. The questions connected with analysis of human local populations and humanity in the whole are given in this theme. The levels of anthropocenology researches, the modelling in population science, the space monitoring of dimensional anthropogeocenosis, the mapping at the human’s environment assessment, the application of biochemical diagnostics and immunologic activity in research are particularly adduced.

Part 5. Data processing and representation. At lectures and practical lessons students study the methods of statistical data processing (verification, inter- and extrapolation etc.) The various kinds of result representation are given.

At the self-educational work, within the course, students deal with scientific mass-media (Ecology, Ecological Systems and Devices, Regional Ecology Issue and others) to insight with the different specifically policy of research, they organize long-term experiments (modelling of ecosystems, extraction of soils organisms, bioindication and bioassays, soils biological activity testing etc.), observe and describe the phenological changes of nature.

Specially equipped specialised training laboratories are necessary to realize the course. Cooperation with ecological control and sanitation services and research organisations could be maintained. On laboratory training and at the self-educational work the students deal with alive objects: yeast and green algas cultures, infusorians, water fleas, edaphic organisms, fruit flies, snails, brine worms, waterweed, duckweed, various plants etc.

The lack of textbooks and manuals containing the integrated theoretical and practical information on methods of ecological research is a great problem. This problem demands careful selection of materials for lectures and working out practical training course.

The students studying at the speciality “Ecology” study a number of courses including ecological information: Ecology of plants, animals, microorganisms, Biological Envelope Doctrine, Social Ecology, Hydrobiology, Geoinformation Systems, Environmental Chemistry, Ecological Assessment and others. Therefore, students have a chance to apply their knowledge taken from the courses during lectures, preparatory work and while carrying out practical and self-educational works. Close connection among the naturally scientific courses gives a chance to study separate methods less carefully, since they are viewed in details while studying other disciplines. At the same time, specific methods of ecological research are fully considered both in theoretical and practical levels.

Having studied the course students must know theoretical and practical methods of ecological research, they can use methods according to the objects being investigated and must be able to apply obtained knowledge in their professional activity.

The ecology is closely connected to the other branches of modern natural sciences. The general base theoretical and practical methods of environmental research are supplemented by specific methods, which are used for the decision of special ecological issue. In the sphere of ecology and ecological researches the following is revealed:

- the interrelation of physical, chemical, and biophysical phenomena in biological systems;

- problems connected to their qualitative and quantitative description, interpretation, estimation of prognostic and indicative importance of these events.

The primary intent of the course is acquaintance with the basic methods of study of fundamental ecological categories such as populations, communities and ecosystems, which is supported with wide use of alive organisms, data of their abundance and variety while training.

The main issues of the course are connected with measuring and estimating of the species richness; with use of biotic analysis data for an evaluation and environmental condition control as a possible alternative of methodology of admissible concentration limit; with use of alive organisms in environmental analysis.