Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach, ul. Bankowa 12, Katowice,

Transkrypt

1 Attachment no. 4 Załącznik nr 4 Detailed description of scope of subject matter and requirements for Contractee (Szczegółowy opis zakresu tematycznego zajęć oraz wymagania względem Wykonawcy) PART No. 1 (CZĘŚĆ NR 1) Biodiversity and species diversity The aim of the workshop is to introduce, through a virtual study of a fungal community, several bioinformatics tools commonly in use in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry and many other fields. In the workshop arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a main component of soil microbiota, should be considered as subject of the virtual study. Six main topics should be addressed in order to follow the experimental procedure taken as example. Beside the aspects concerning the study case a more general description of each topic should be provided. Main topics of workshop: a. General introduction of databases: the challenges of storing and organizing huge amounts of data; cross-interaction among databases for different types of data; querying databases using the NCBI website. In the study case a nucleotide database should be queried to retrieve the molecular data about AMF necessary to set up the virtual experiment. b. Nucleotide and protein alignment for identifying domains or motifs shared among a group of molecules. Webtools to study the homology between two sequences (pairwise alignment) or group of sequences (multiple alignment). Interpretation of alignment results. In the study case a multiple alignment of AMF ribosomal sequences should be performed to identify conserved regions for primers design. c. An introduction to some webtools to design primers to amplify DNA sequences and to test their efficiency and specificity. A couple of primers should be designed to amplify specifically an AMF ribosomal gene target. d. Processing sequences main steps to process a raw nucleotide sequence from a lab: checking chromatograms, editing sequences with MEGA software (proofreading, deleting vector parts), assembling, study of structural features (ORF, exons/introns). Sequences amplified virtually with the primers designed in the previous step should be used as example for the editing procedure. e. Using BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tools) to query a database using sequences (single or multiple, nucleotide or protein) as input. Different strategies for sequence blast: nucleotide sequence vs nucleotide database, nucleotide sequence vs protein database should be presented. Filters and parameters of a blast search. In the study case the putative AMF sequences should be tested to exclude contaminant sequences from aspecific amplification. Strona1

2 f. Inference of evolutionary relationships and the Molecular Clock Hypothesis. Phylogeny applications: study of the tree of life, prediction of gene functions, inferring the taxonomic position of unknown organisms. Phylogenetic trees: characteristics and tools to perform a phylogenetic analyses. The AMF sequences of the virtual experiment should be used to build a phylogenetic tree to infer a taxonomic assignment. holds at least a Master s degree in Plant Biotechnology has a scientific background including knowledge in genetics, molecular biology, agricultural microbiology and bioinformatics has at least 2 years of experience in teaching bioinformatics for Master s degree courses has at least 2 years of experience in using programs for analyses/editing/assembling of sequences, primer design, querying NCBI databases, multiple and pairwise alignments, phylogenetic analyses has at least 2 years of work experience in the field of agricultural and environmental microbiology supported by at least 2 scientific publications that involve the use of bioinformatics tools for the analyses of microbial communities Strona2

3 PART No. 2 (CZĘŚĆ NR 2) Woodland habitat creation and management The workshop should explain to students why introducing woodland field layer species into secondary woodlands may be necessary and why it can have multiple benefits. The workshop also should consider the arguments against such interventions. It should explain how an ethical approach to woodland habitat creation can improve the nature conservation value of the woodlands, create woodlands which people are more likely to enjoy and value, and provide a significantly more valuable ecological, cultural and social legacy for future generations. It also should enable the woodlands to make a more significant contribution to the wider ecological network, without compromising the integrity and significance of ancient forests. The workshop should guide students through the planning, implementation, monitoring and management of woodland habitat creation schemes and species introductions, using examples from foreign countries. Also, it should address ethical, ecological and practical issues both at the level of individual sites, and within the overall objective of achieving landscape integration and increased landscape connectivity. During the workshop, students should be guided through each stage of woodland field layer habitat creation: a. what needs to be known about the site, b. identifying the type of woodland scenario represented by the site, and from this, selecting appropriate methods to use, c. how to select the species to be introduced, d. how to prepare the site, e. how to transfer the plant species to the site, f. after-management and monitoring of outcomes. The workshop should include the following methods: implementing ecological interventions within an ethical framework, survey and evaluation of potential sites, techniques for species introductions based on the application of sound ecological principles, monitoring of habitat creation schemes. Strona3

4 holds at least a Master s degree in Environmental Sciences has a scientific background including knowledge in practical examples of consolidating the ecological network through habitat creation and woodland enhancement has at least 2 years of experience in research based on plant ecology and ecological survey, woodland and forest ecology and management and woodland habitat creation and enhancement has at least 2 years of experience in teaching environmental sciences for Master s degree courses Strona4

5 PART No. 3 (CZĘŚĆ NR 3) Landscape management and environmental protection The workshop should focus on how to solve the problem of conserving and enhancing biodiversity where, as in urban areas and in heavily populated regions, it occurs in vulnerable isolated habitats. The method, which should be presented, involves the application of techniques of habitat creation and management to buffer and link existing sites so as to consolidate the whole into an ecological network and stabilise biodiversity in the whole landscape. During the workshop the principles and practices of habitat reconstruction should be explained to the students. It should be an opportunity to appraise an appropriate area of Polish post-industrial landscape and to plan the application to it of landscape conservation methods. Students should be guided through coincidence mapping and multivariate analysis of botanical records and shown how they can be used to describe the ecological network in a conurbation, using the case study. Also, students should be introduced to the principles of ecological restoration encompassing factors influencing site selection, choice and implementation of restoration techniques including site preparation, transfer of biota and site management, using the example of grassland restoration in foreign countries. holds at least a Master s degree in Environmental Sciences has a scientific background including knowledge in practical examples of the spatial analysis of regional flora data, describing urban ecological networks and enhancing them by habitat creation and restoration has at least 2 years of experience in research based on plant ecology and ecological survey, landscape ecology and management and environmental protection has at least 2 years of experience in applying principles of landscape conservation to produce a reconstruction plan for an area of post-industrial and afforested land adjacent to a small, isolated forest nature reserve has at least 2 years of experience in teaching environmental sciences for Master s degree courses Strona5

6 PART No. 4 (CZĘŚĆ NR 4) Flood risk management The workshop should be field-based and should consider which methods could be employed to alleviate flood risk for local communities and urban areas. The workshop should particularly aim to identify opportunities offered by working with natural processes and solutions to reduce flood risk. The students, working in small groups, should survey the site and interrogate maps to better understand the context of the site and purpose of flood risk management (FRM) in the area. The potential options, with their benefits and disadvantages, should be considered and discussed. The student groups should then annotate their maps and propose a management strategy, using natural solutions, for the site. On the workshop there should be explored methods for prioritizing site-specific flood risk management strategies. The students should be asked to consider any other environmental or socio-economic benefits from the natural processes approach. holds at least a Master s degree in Environmental Science, Geography or Water Resource Management has at least 2 years of experience in research based on flood risk management has at least 2 years of practical experience in the implementation of flood risk management solutions (ex. working with national environment agencies responsible for FRM, local authorities and other stakeholders and project monitoring) has at least 2 years of experience in teaching environmental sciences for Master s degree courses Strona6

7 PART No. 5 (CZĘŚĆ NR 5) Ecosystem services The workshop should include a theoretical part and a field session. A theoretical part of the workshop should provide the background information on the principles and practice of grassland habitat creation and should offer an opportunity to plan and design a grassland planting scheme to maximise plant and animal biodiversity, and to consider the ecosystem services that such a scheme will provide. The field based workshop should include site survey methods, site choice and planning, site preparation and sourcing the right materials for the use in creation schemes. During the workshop there should be given details on the principles of the management of created grasslands following creation, which will need to be incorporated into a grassland creation scheme in order to maximise its chances of success and the best achievements in terms of ecosystem service. Also there should be given consideration to increasing the wildlife use of the site by increasing the animal biodiversity within the creation scheme. The workshop should also provide a brief insight into the likely ecosystem services offered by grassland creation. holds at least a Master s degree in Environmental Sciences has a scientific background including knowledge in management techniques used for the grasslands, botany, plant ecology and soil science has at least 2 years of experience in the creation of grassland habitats in a range of different site settings has at least 2 years of experience in research in the field of ecosystem services, especially grassland habitat creation has at least 2 years of experience in teaching botanical field techniques, soil sampling, invertebrate sampling and fieldwork risk assessment for Master s degree courses Strona7

8 PART No. 6 (CZĘŚĆ NR 6) Species (native and alien) distribution maps and monitoring During the workshop special attention to plant population studies as a basis for developing effective measures for the protection of species and monitoring should be paid. The short history of plant population studies in East Europe and main terminology should be presented. The principles, parameters, methods of population study and monitoring of plants should be given. These data are the basis for the formation of ecological action plans for conservation of plant populations. General and special scheme for developing of population monitoring should be proposed. During the workshop the results of special studies of the modern state of population of some chosen species should be analyzed. Also, the participation and role of the species in plant communities should be analyzed. The age states of different onthogenetic periods of the species (pregenerative, generative and postgenerative) should be described and characterized. The main ontogenetic state of the species individuals (juvenile, immature, generative, subsenile, and senile) should be determined and characterized in details. Influences of forestry management on the state of population of the species should be analyzed. The proposals for management and conservation of the species populations should be developed as example. holds at least a PhD degree in Environmental Sciences has at least 2 years of experience in editing the Red books of protected species and checklists of urban floras has an experience in critical systematic, biomorphological, and ecological chorological investigation and perspective of spread and development of chosen group of species has at least 2 years of experience in research based on expansion and distribution of native and alien plants has at least 2 years of experience in teaching in the field of native and alien species for Master s degree courses Strona8

9 PART No. 7 (CZĘŚĆ NR 7) Ecological network The workshop should include a theoretical part and a field session. The theoretical part should address the following topics: a. The need of a scientific approach to sustainability: components, connections, trade-offs. b. Building landscape scenarios. The nature of the relationships among components. c. Translating sustainability to the land. Mapping sustainability models and scenarios. d. The dependence between ecosystem services and landscapes. How can we advance to a target scenario? The field session should include the following activities: a. Defining a set of Silesian landscape, discussion in the group (or Katowice region landscapes, from an operative point of view and thinking in the objectives of the practicum session). b. Selection of indicators, criteria and dimensions for evaluating landscapes. c. Each group should work on a landscape type and propose an sustainability scenario based on the results. d. Comparing results, discussion and proposal of landscape planning at different scales. holds at least a Master s degree in Environmental Sciences has a scientific background including knowledge in applications of socio-ecosystems, agroecosystems and the sustainability of human uses has at least 2 years of experience in developing original methods for assessing sustainability, based in a comprehensive scientific based approach that has been applied to landscapes, agricultural uses, and municipalities has at least 2 years of experience in research in the field of communities ecology, landscape ecology has at least 2 years of experience in teaching environmental sciences for Master s degree courses Strona9

10 PART No. 8 (CZĘŚĆ NR 8) Renaturation of environment in industrialised and urbanised landscape The workshop should be held in three parts, concerning three innovation projects (for example Innovation City Ruhr, Renaturalization of Dutch Regge River) and their potential use in case of Upper Silesian conditions. a. In first part, students should try to transfer the main ideas of the innovation projects to Upper Silesia. A detailed assessment process should be performed in order to decide what should be modified in the management plans for Upper Silesia to enable the innovative projects to be implemented. b. In second part, students should try to implement the main ideas of renaturation project to river Kłodnica. c. The third part should be based on the already implemented development plan of the post coal and steel agglomeration (for example Ruhr), which should be compared with post coal and steel agglomeration of Upper Silesia. Students should discuss which of the ideas could be applied in Silesia. has at least 2 years of experience in post coal and iron agglomerations, planning in cities and metropolitan areas, urban design and planning, spatial socio-economic development planning in Upper Silesia and West Midlands has at least 2 years of an experience in Spatial Research and Planning, Urban Development and Regional Planning has at least 2 years of experience in teaching, concerning legitimacy for the design of public space, global spatial development and urbanization, European post coal and Iron agglomerations, planning in cities and metropolitan areas, urban design and planning, spatial socio-economic development planning Strona10

11 PART No. 9 (CZĘŚĆ NR 9) Environmental hazards identification The workshop should introduce to students the basic tools (equipment) which can be used to identify the environmental hazards. The workshop should focus on methods which can assess and predict the effects of the influence of different environmental factors on plants. Plants being under stress often suffer from a decrease of the intensity of photosynthesis process, thus a special attention should be given to this topic. During the workshop, the following methods should be presented: a. chlorophyll fluorescence and bioenergetics b. functioning of plant photosystem II (PSII) as affected by abiotic stresses c. carbon sequestration in plants d. carbon sequestration in soil The students should get instructions how to do the measurement of the physiological parameters of plants by using the presented equipment. The students should make the measurement on provided plant individuals obtained from sites of variety stress factors present. During the workshops students should conduct set of measurements on plants being exposed to different environmental stresses. Students should analyze the obtained results and should try to draw conclusions under the supervision of the workshop leader. holds at least a Master s degree in Environmental Sciences has a scientific background including knowledge in environmental hazards identification has at least 2 years of experience in performing noninvasive physiological measurements in plants has at least 2 years of experience in research using methods concerning photosynthetic productivity of plants (chlorophyll fluorescence and bioenergetics, functioning of plant photosystem II (PSII) as affected by abiotic stresses, carbon sequestration in plants, carbon sequestration in soil) has at least 2 years of experience in teaching environmental sciences for Master s degree courses Strona11

12 PART No. 10 (CZĘŚĆ NR 10) Climate change The workshop is intended to introduce students to techniques of field sampling and data analyses in forest Ecology. Theoretical sessions should be focused firstly on a thorough review of existing methodologies and datasets in Europe and secondly on suitable statistical methodologies to work with Forest data. During theoretical sessions the following topics should be presented and discussed: carbon stocks, forest productivity, climatic change and tree. Data analyses should be illustrated with examples to facilitate comprehension. Practical sessions should introduce students into field sampling and management of allometric equations to assess carbon stocks based on basic measurements such as Diameter at Breast Height (dbh) and Height. During practical sessions students should work outdoors taking measurements in forest plots in the surroundings of the University and indoor working with an excel tool created to assess, stand basal area, carbon stocks and forest structure. holds at least a PhD degree in Environmental Sciences has a scientific background including knowledge in tree growth and mortality, impacts on forest carbon cycle, functional significance of forest biodiversity integration and scientific synthesis and vulnerability of forests to climatic change has at least 2 years of practical experience in field work related to the study of forest ecology has at least 2 years of experience in teaching environmental sciences for Master s degree courses Strona12