1. The course examines the ecological characteristics of river systems and reservoirs in an ecosystem perspective. It describes the importance of the physical system, the different biological communities and the functioning of Mediterranean river systems.
MAIN ISSUES
The basin as a hydrological and biological unity. Variables and scales to consider. Interactions. - Hydrological regimes in river systems. Geometry and hydraulic section of the basin. - The horizontal organization in river systems. The river as a continuum. General adaptation of organisms to changes in geomorphological, physical and chemical properties of the river. - Transducers energy fluvial food webs: macrophytes, periphyton. - Use of particulate and dissolved in river systems. Consumers of organic matter: detritivores and herbivores. - The utilization of dissolved organic matter: the microbial loop in the river systems. - Organization of the river communities. Fish: feature, food and habitat. Competition for resources. - Functionalism intermittent rivers. Hydrological influences. Structure and adaptations of biota. - The major rivers. Dynamics of flood plains. - Reservoirs as quasilacustres systems. Operating model and residence time. Longitudinal and vertical organization: decision-tail axis. - Function reservoirs: integration and regulation. Typology of reservoirs in the Iberian Peninsula. Rating geochemistry. Trophic status. Production and eutrophication. Temporal evolution of the reservoirs.