Niklaus Zimmermann: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2021 |
| Name | Prof. Dr. Niklaus Zimmermann |
| Address | Ökosysteme u. Landschaftsevolution ETH Zürich, CHN F 77 Universitätstrasse 16 8092 Zürich SWITZERLAND |
| niklaus.zimmermann@usys.ethz.ch | |
| URL | http://www.wsl.ch/staff/niklaus.zimmermann |
| Department | Environmental Systems Science |
| Relationship | Adjunct Professor |
| Number | Title | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 701-1679-00L | Landscape Modelling of Biodiversity: From Global Changes to Conservation | 5 credits | 3G | L. Pellissier, C. Graham, N. Zimmermann | |
| Abstract | The course provides the student with the spatial tools to address societal challenges toward ensuring the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity. Students learn theory, tools and models during a few introductory sessions and apply this knowledge to solve a practical problem in groups related to climate change, land use change and biodiversity conservation. | ||||
| Learning objective | Students learn: - Theoretical foundations of the species ecological niche - Biodiversity concepts and global change impacts - Basic concepts of spatial (& macro-) ecology - Environmental impact assessment and planning - Advanced statistical methods (GLM, GAM, CART) and basic programming (loops, functions, advanced scripting) in the statistical environment R. - The use of GIS functionality in R | ||||
| Content | 1. The basics: Introduction to the concept of the ecological niche, and biodiversity theories. Overview of the knowledge on expected biodiversity response to global changes and conservation planning methods. Introduction to the statistical methods of Generalized Linear (GLM) and Generalized Additive models (GAM), and Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Introduction to basic GIS and programming elements in the statistical environment R. 2. The class project: Students form groups of two, and each group solves a series of applied questions independently in R using the techniques taught in the introductory classes. The students then prepare a presentation and report of the obtained results that will be discussed during a mini-symposium. Each team choses one of the following topics for the class project: a) Linking climate change velocities to species' migration capacities b) Explaining and modelling land use change in Switzerland c) Explaining and modelling biodiversity changes in Switzerland d) Designing biodiversity conservation strategies under global changes. | ||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Basic knowledge in statistics (OLS regression, test statistics), and basic knowledge in geographic information science. | ||||