Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning








Biodiversity loss, climate change and the alteration of ecosystem functioning represent major challenges for society and policy makers. The aim of this course is to provide the theoretical and methodological basics essential to understand the causes and consequences of the challenges imposed by global change. The concepts and examples presented during the course will illustrate the complex relationships between biodiversity, ecological processes and human societies, and the need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach (mathematical modelling of a population, physico-chemical properties of soils and vegetation dynamics, human health and air quality, etc.) to address current environmental challenges.