LFU:online

The students will acquire information of the mountain environmental microbiology and soil chemistry. Students will be able to explain the concept of biological, chemical and physical soil quality and their interrelations, give examples of indicators for soil quality, discuss advantages and disadvantages of the use of various indicators, understand and apply the concept of nutrient and contaminant (bio-)availability and mobility. They will get knowledge of the intimate correlation between the biotic and abiotic factors driving soil fertility in the mountain environments. Practical applications in the mountain agriculture, forestry and management of high mountain environments will be considered.Knowledge and understanding of chemical and microbiological processes undergoing soil formation, nutrient and mineral increasing in mountain environments, from glacier to moraines, pioneer plants, grasslands, forests and mountain orchards. Both qualitative and quantitative aspects will be presented.
Students will aquire capabilities in presentation of the skills acquired with an appropriate language and use of technical and specific terms.
Acquisition of learning strategies based on the use of technical information and knowledge updating.

- Biological, chemical and physical aspects of soil fertility and soil quality and their interactions
- Soil quality indicators
- Bioavailability and mobility of nutrients and contaminants
- Nutrient dynamics in the soil-plant-microorganism system
- Issues of soil degradation: environmental protection and strategies for the sustainable development
- Soil remediation strategies
 - Fertility of mountain soils from a microbiological point of view
- Plant growth promotion in forests and grasslands: nitrogen cycle, antibiosys, nutrients and symbiosys
- Nitrogen cycle and diazothrops in mountain environments from glaciers to forests: rhyzobia, Frankia, other N-fixers
- Carbon cycle in montain environments from glaciers to forests: bacteria, fungi and archaea; mycorrhiza
- Phosphorous cycle and bioweathering in montain environments from glaciers to forests: rock bioweathering and mineral enrichment
- Advanced techniques in microbiology: theory and application in case studies
- Microbial role in soil formation and plant growth from glaciers to forest: case studies on Alps and other mountain environments
- Microbiology of watersprings and mountain streams
- Microbiology of endophytes and phyllosphere of mountain plants: health microbial communities for healthy plants
- Managing of microbial communities in mountain environments to increase soil fertility: case studies

Frontal lectures with Power Point presentation slides. Practical lessons and laboratory activities are also foreseen. Specialized review papers on the topic will be presented through the entire course.

Oral

Comprehensive scientific case-study papers and review articles on the topic will be used.

Lektor: Stefania Astolfi