Study Programmes 2015-2016
BIOL0812-2  
Biogeography
Duration :
30h Th, 3d FW
Number of credits :
Master in biology of organisms and ecology (120 ECTS)4
Master in biology (60 ECTS)5
Lecturer :
Johan Michaux, Alain Vanderpoorten
Coordinator :
Alain Vanderpoorten
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
Historical biogeography
Ecological biogeography
1. Biogeography of the biosphere
1.1. Biodiversity patterns at the scale of the biosphere
1.2. Factors explaining biodiversity patterns 
2. Island biogeography
2.1. from McArthur and Wilson towards the Global Dynamic Model of Island Biogeography
2.2. Evolution on islands.
3. The influence of man
4. Origin and evolution of biodiversity patterns: a focus on the Mediterranean biome
Learning outcomes of the course :
The objective of the class is to provide students with a broad overview of biogeography and its tight links and application in other disciplines such as conservation biology, ecology and evolutionary biology. 
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
- basics of population genetics
- descriptive, inferential and multivariate statistics
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
The class includes both theory (40h) and practice through a stay in the Cévennes National Park (southern France). 
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
face-to-face
Recommended or required readings :
- powerpoint files made available to the students
- textbooks and recent scientific papers
Assessment methods and criteria :
written examination
Work placement(s) :
Practice of Biogeography in the Cévennes National Parc (France)
Organizational remarks :
Not applicable
Contacts :
Johan Michaux (J.MIchaux@ulg.ac.be)
Alain Vanderpoorten (A.Vanderpoorten@ulg.ac.be)