In this module, students get hands-on experience with methods and research questions in agroecology. Using a common study design and working on field sites in the vicinity of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, pairs of students conduct field work and small experiments on current research topics such as the the role of non-agricultural habitats (e.g. forest edges or hedges) for the colonization of fields with beneficial (e.g. pollinators) and detrimental (e.g. weeds, herbivorous pests) organisms, consequences for ecosystem functions and services such as biological pest control or pollination, or how organic and conventionally managed areas differ in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Duration: Block 2 of the summer term (all days, whole day)

Maximum number of participants: 16

Presence in Hohenheim is mandatory for participation in the course.

The module comprises:

• Introductory lectures
• Seminars on research questions & methods
• Field work in the vicinity of Stuttgart-Hohenheim
• Lab work depending on the research topic
• Introduction to statistical data analysis with R, and joint analysis of research data
• Introduction to scientific writing
• Student presentations of research findings at the end of the module
• Written report of research findings in the form of a short scientific manuscript, to be handed in until the end of the semester

After successfully completing this module, students are able to design, execute and analyze ecological field experiments in agricultural landscapes.

Link to course in ILIAS

This module comprises lectures, seminars and exercises. It covers major questions related to the management and evaluation of modern agroecosystems with respect to their ecological sustainability.

Duration: Block 3 of the summer term (all days, whole day)

Maximum number of participants: 16

Presence in Hohenheim is mandatory for participation in the course.

The course includes practical exercises and small excursions, which start in the morning hours already. Lectures take place in the afternoons.

Contents include:

• State of biodiversity in agroecosystems
• Population ecology and nature conservation
• Importance and management of ecosystem functions and services
• Conventional and alternative agricultural management strategies
• Habitat fragmentation and landscape ecology
• Global change, current and future challenges in agricultural management

These topics are discussed with respect to the habitat types that characterize agricultural landscapes, such as fields, field margins, hedges, fallow land, succession areas, intensively managed grasslands, calcareous grasslands and the role of the landscape matrix and mosaic for landscape connectivity.

Lectures and seminars are accompanied by on-site exercises in these habitat types in the agricultural surroundings of Stuttgart.

Link to course in ILIAS

Die Vorlesung „Agrarökologie“ gibt eine Einführung in die Agrarökologie. Sie behandelt die Charakteristika und das Management von Agrarökosystemen sowie die daraus resultierenden Einflüsse auf Agrobiodiversität, Lebensgemeinschaften und Ökosystemfunktionen. Zudem werden Ökosystemdienstleistungen und aktuelle Probleme der Ökologie anthropogen genutzter Systeme behandelt.

Freitags, 10:00 – 12:00, HS 12

Die Vorlesung ist Teil des Moduls Ökologie (3201-020).

Veranstaltung im ILIAS

In diesem Modul werden Bachelorstudierende an das Spannungsfeld Landwirtschaft und Naturschutz herangeführt. Den Studierenden wird breites Grundlagenwissen mit Bezug zu aktuellen Themen aus der inter- und transdisziplinären Forschung der Agrar-, Pflanzen- und Landschaftsökologie sowie der Sozialwissenschaften vermittelt. In Seminaren werden interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf Fragen der umweltfreundlichen Agrarproduktion, naturschutzgerechten Landschaftsplanung und des Ressourcenmanagements entwickelt. Lösungsstrategien werden hierbei in studentischen Kleingruppen erarbeitet und im Plenum diskutiert. Um eine maximale aktive Beteiligung aller Studierenden in Form von Diskussionen und Reflektionsgruppen zu erreichen ist die Teilnehmerzahl begrenzt.

Mittwochs, 10:15 – 11:45, HS B13
Donnerstags, 14:15 – 15:45, S 11

Veranstaltung in ILIAS

This module links-up knowledge from different subject areas in order to enable students to interpret reactions within agricultural ecosystems coherently. 

After completion of the module, students are able to explain the principles of ecological agents that regulate the functioning of natural and agricultural ecosystems and to demonstrate the complex biotic interactions in natural landscapes and agro-ecosystems. Further, they are able to explain how to apply ecological concepts and principles to design and manage agricultural systems with improved long-term sustainability in agricultural production.

Tuesdays, 10:00 – 12:00, HS Ö2
Thursdays, 12:00 – 14:00, HS 4

Note: all lectures and seminars will take place in-person on campus. It is therefore mandatory that you are in Stuttgart-Hohenheim during the semester to participate in this course. Only a limited number of participants can be allowed. Pre-registration and more information on ILIAS

This module is co-organized by several lecturers from different disciplines and departments. We contribute with lectures on biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and land use in the tropics and subtropics. 

Students acquire basic knowledge on resource use, requirements, and conservation as linked to tropical agricultural production. They learn to define and evaluate the different abiotic and biotic resources and their relevance for sustainable agricultural production systems. The are able to recognize and define disciplinary and systemic interactions of resource use and conservation and can apply this knowledge in concepts of sustainable agricultural production.

Wednesday, 08:00 – 12:00, HS 1

More information on ILIAS