Soil Biodiversity, Functions and Ecosystem Services and Role in Sustainabe Food and Biomass Production WF-OB-POSB

from 2026/2027
W1 - Student describes and argues the vital importance of healthy and biodiverse soil for sustaining our life (lectures 4-7) , Lists the causes and consequences of soil degradation (lectures 6-7)
W2 - Stuent names and explains the conceptual categories related to soil biodiversity, functions and ecosystem services (lectures 1-7)
U1 - Student analyses the use of invertebrates as bio-indicators for the assessment of soil condition. In the discussion, expresses own opinions and gives constructive criticism (lecture 5)
K1 - Student justifies the need for continuous professional development and improving knowledge and skills in soil biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management, and follows new scientific developments in these fields (lecture 5).

from 2025/2026
W_01 Student describes and argues the vital importance of healthy and biodiverse soil for sustaining our life (lectures 4-7)
W_02 Student names and explains the conceptual categories related to soil biodiversity, functions and ecosystem services (lectures 1-7)
W_03 Student lists the causes and consequences of soil degradation (lectures 6-7)
U_01 Student analyses the use of invertebrates as bio-indicators for the assessment of soil condition. In the discussion, expresses own opinions and gives constructive criticism (lecture 5)
U_02 Student appreciates the importance of invertebrates-bioindicators as organisms allowing for early detection of negative changes in soil environment (lecture 5)

old ones
Knowledge
- Students know basic concepts about the role of soil biodiversity for the soil services and sustainabilility
- Students know the specialist terminology related to soil biodiversity and sustainability
Skills:
Students perform lab experiments (presentations) indicating the role of soil organisms in soil processes (decomposition) and pointing out their indicator function
Students can perform projects working successfully alone or in a team
ECTS+ 180/30 = 6 ECTS
attendance - 30 h
learning new specialised vocabulary (30h)
preparing for the discussion on a given sunbject (30 h)
preparing for the classess (30 h)
final laboratory classes report in the form of a presentation (30 h)
preparing for final test (quiz) (30 h)

from the 2026/2027 year
Grading: written test
Obligatory attendance: (1 unjustified absence is allowed)

Assessment criteria:
1) passing the quizzes (20% of the final grade). A score of 70% is required to pass each quiz. Three attempts are allowed to pass each quiz. The final quiz grade will be determined based on the highest score obtained according to the following grading scale: 70-75% = 3.0, 76-80% = 3.5, 81-85% = 4.0, 86-90% = 4.5, and 91-100% = 5.0. Scores below 70% are graded as 2.0 (fail)

2) final written test (70% of the final grade):
Final test grade based on the score obtained (max. 50 points):
25-30 - 3 ( satisfactory)
31-35 - 3.5 (satisfactory plus)
36-39 - 4 (good)
40-45 - 4.5 (good plus)
46 and above- 5 (very good)

3) participation in discussions (10% of the final grade): Active participation in discussions is required and serves as the primary basis for assessing the achievement of learning outcomes related to social competencies.
Assessment focuses on the student's ability to justify the need for continuous knowledge acquisition and professional development in the fields of soil biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management, as well as to explain the importance of keeping up to date with current scientific advances in these areas.

Assessment Criteria and Performance Levels for the participation in discussions:
3.0 (satisfactory) – student explains and justifies at a basic level
3.5 (satisfactory plus) - student explains correctly and provides limited support from scientific literature.
4 (good) - student explains clearly, identifies relevant scientific advances, and appropriately uses scientific literature.
4.5 (good plus) - student explains comprehensively, critically discusses scientific advances, and effectively uses literature.
5 (very good) - student demonstrates excellent understanding, critical evaluation, and independent integration of current scientific knowledge and literature.

from the 2025/2026 year
Grading: written test
Obligatory attendance: (1 unjustified absence is allowed)

Assessment criteria:
1) passing the quizzes (20% of the final grade). A score of 70% is required to pass each quiz. Three attempts are allowed to pass each quiz.
2) final written test (80% of the final grade):
Final test grade based on the score obtained (max. 50 points):
25-30 - 3 ( satisfactory)
31-35 - 3.5 (satisfactory plus)
36-39 - 4 (good)
40-45 - 4.5 (good plus)
above 45 - 5 (very good)

1) obligatory attendance (1 unjustified absence is allowed) (10%)
2) active participation (10%)
3) final laboratory classes report in the form of a presentation (40%)
4) final test (40%)

Bardgett R.D. 2015. Earth Matters: How soil underlies civilization. Oxford University Press.

Bardgett R.D., Wardle D.A. 2010. Aboveground-belowground linkages. Biotic interactions, ecosystem processes, and global change. Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution.

European Commission 2010. The factory of life. Why soil biodiversity is so important, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://edepot.wur.nl/294439

Lavelle P., Decaëns T., Aubert M., Barot S., Blouin M., Bureau F., Margerie P., Mora P., Rossi J.-P. 2006. Soil invertebrates and ecosystem services European Journal of Soil Biology 42, S3–S15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2006.10.002

Swift M.J., Izac A.-M.N., van Noordwijk M. Biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes—are we asking the right questions? Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 104 (2004) 113–134 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2004.01.013
uzupełniająca
Ilieva-Makulec, K.; Tyburski, J.; Makulec, G. 2016. Soil nematodes in organic and conventional farming system: A comparison of the taxonomic and functional diversity, Polish Journal of Ecology, DOI: 10.3161/15052249PJE2016.64.4.010
Orgiazzi, A., Bardgett, R.D., et al. (Eds.), 2016, Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas. European Commission, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303699867_Global_Soil_Biodiversity_Atlas

Dodatkowe informacje (np. o kalendarzu rejestracji, prowadzących zajęcia, lokalizacji i terminach zajęć) mogą być dostępne w serwisie USOSweb:

• Strona przedmiotu WF-OB-POSB w USOSweb