BIOL 229

BIOL 229
Ecology (GE)

Catalog Entry

Biology 229. Ecology (GE)
Credit hours (4) Three hours lecture; three hours laboratory

A study of the distribution, abundance, and diversity of organisms in nature with a strong emphasis on organism interactions and the relationships organisms have with their environment. The laboratory component will teach basic research skills, while enhancing students' ability to conduct field sampling, observational studies, and/or laboratory experiments. This course is required for the Ecology and Conservation Biology concentration and serves as an elective option for other students inside and outside the Biology Major.

Note(s): General Education and Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning designated course.

Detailed Description of Content of Course

Physiological Ecology

- Adaptation and acclimation to physiological stress

- Energy/water/nutrient/temperature regulation in organisms

- Sensory systems

- Behavioral mediation of physiological stress

Behavioral Ecology

- Proximate vs. ultimate causes

- Interaction of genes and environment

Population Ecology

- Simple population models

- Methods of population estimation

- Life history and demography

Community Ecology

- Species interactions (Predation, Mutualism, Competition, Parasitism, etc.)

- Food webs

Ecosystem and Landscape Ecology

- Major biomes and climate

- Nutrient/water/energy cycling

- Biogeography

- Major threats to biodiversity and response to biodiversity loss (e.g., habitat fragmentation, edge effects, sustainability, restoration, preservation, and/or reserve design)

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

The course will be taught in classroom and laboratory sessions with an emphasis on field work. Classroom work will be a combination of lecture, discussion, group work, team learning, and case studies as determined by the instructor. Basic skills in critical reading, writing, and quantitative biology will be emphasized. Students will be expected to read beyond their textbooks, write original critical/synthetic documents, and use mathematical/statistical/graphical approaches to understand data.

The laboratory meetings provide students with the skills to test hypotheses using experiments/field studies and to communicate their results in a style typical of the ecological primary literature and presentation format typical of an ecological conference. This course will also teach students the following basic scientific skills:

Measuring environmental parameters using the metric system (pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.)
Measuring abundance, richness, diversity, density, and distribution of organisms in the field.
Identifying organisms using appropriate methods.
Observing and quantifying animal behavior.
Basic principles of experimental design
Recording, managing, and documenting data.
Analyzing data graphically and statistically

Goals and Objectives of Course

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

Describe the fundamental theories through which an ecologist explains the natural world.
Explain how an ecologist studies natural phenomenon using qualitative and quantitative methods.
Design a research study using ecological methods.
Record, manage, document, graph, and analyze data using appropriate statistical methods.
Communicate ecological theories, methods, and research in written and oral formats.

Assessment Measures

Reading, writing, and oral presentation skills will be assessed through class discussions and written assignments (i.e. review papers, position papers, reflections, and presentations). Knowledge of specific course content will be assessed in lecture and/or lab using out-of-class assignments, in-class activities, quizzes, and/or exams. Quantitative skills will be assessed in lecture and/or lab using out-of-class assignments, in-class activities, and/or practicals, quizzes and tests.

Other Course Information

None

Approval and Approval

DATE ACTION REVIEWED BY
New Course October 22, 2007

March 01, 2021

March 27, 2025