BIOL 2210 Introductory Ecology

 

Lectures: Monday and Wednesday 11:30am-1:00 pm in AT 1003

Labs: F1: W, 8:30-11:30 am, CB 3013    F2: W, 2:30-5:30 pm, CB 3015

          F3: TH, 8:30-11:30 am, CB 3015    F4: TH, 2:30-5:30 pm, CB 3015

          F5: F, 8:30-11:30 am, CB 3015

 

Instructor: Dr. Stephen Hecnar                        Office: CB 4039                Phone: 343-8250

Email: shecnar@lakeheadu.ca                       Office Hours: M & W 1:00-2:00 pm

Website: http://shecnar.lakeheadu.ca/

 

Lab Technician: Dan Brazeau, Office CB 3014A, Phone: 343-8593, Email: dbrazeau@lakeheadu.ca

 

Course Description: Interrelationships of plants and animals with the environment.  The distribution and dynamics of plant and animal communities.  Aspects of applied ecology and conservation.

 

Goal of the Course: To develop a basic understanding of fundamental ecological concepts.  Having a solid foundation in ecology will help those seeking careers in academia, teaching, environmentally related employment, or those taking virtually any other path in life.  Studying ecology is both interesting and challenging in its own right because of the complexity of nature.  However, understanding basic ecology is also important for utilitarian reasons.  All living organisms (including humans) are completely dependent on the ecosystems in which they occur.  Because the amount of energy or resources that sustains life is limited, actions of organisms can affect other organisms and how ecosystems function.  The most important problems affecting biodiversity and human society are ecological in nature.  Understanding basic principles is thus essential for making informed decisions to solve these problems.

 

Required Text:  Ricklefs, R.E. 2015. Ecology: The Economy of Nature, 7^th edition (Cdn edition). W.H. Freeman and Company, New York.  ISBN 13: 978-1-4641-5424-9.   Companion Website <www.whfreeman.com/ricklefs7e/>

 

Required Manual: Brazeau, D. 2016. Introductory Ecology Biology/Environmental Studies 2210 Lab Manual

 

Marking Scheme: Midterm 20%, Lab 40% (see manual for details), Final Exam 40%

 

Other Information: A Desire2Learn site is set up for this course.  From this site you can view or download the lecture materials as PowerPoint files.  In this course we will closely follow the order of topics as outlined in the chapters of your text (Ricklefs 2015).  The companion web site contains chapter outlines which can be downloaded and used as a basis for taking lecture notes.  This site also has online tests that you can use to monitor your progress and an interactive module so that you can increase your understanding of the fundamental models discussed in the course.  The grade you ultimately earn depends on the level of your effort.  A formula for success involves attending all lectures and labs, completing all assignments on time, reading your text, making good notes, and a sufficient amount of studying.  Good attendance in lectures is important so that you will not miss the review of the basic topics and any additional information and examples that the instructor provides.  Exam questions often come from topics covered during poorly attended lectures.  If you must miss a test or exam because of illness or other serious circumstance, contact the instructor or lab technician as soon as possible (documentation may be required).  Because of the number enrolled in this course, there will be a large group in the lecture hall.  Please be courteous to others in the course. Unnecessary noise and distractions will not be tolerated.  Turn cell phones off during lecture.  Please also refrain from attending lecture or office hours if you have a contagious illness.  After you recover, borrow notes from a classmate or ask the instructor to review what you missed.

Tentative Lecture Topics Outline: (Being Revised)

• Introduction                                                        Chapter 1

 

Part I  Life and the Physical Environment

• The Physical Environment                                  Chapter 2 & 3

• Climates and Soils                                              Chapter 5
  

• Biological Communities: The Biome Concept        Chapter 6 

 

Part II Organisms

• Evolution and Adaptation                                     Chapter 7
  

 

Part III Populations

• Population Structures                                           Chapter 11

• Population Growth and Regulation                        Chapter 12

• Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Populations     Chapter 13

 

Part IV Species Interactions

• Consumer-Resource Interactions (Predation, Herbivory, Parasitism, Infectious Disease)                                                             Chapter 14 & 15               

• Dynamics of Consumer-Resource Interactions     Chapter 15               

• Competition                                              Chapter 16               

 

Part V Communities

• Community Structure                                          Chapter 18

• Succession & Community Development                Chapter 19

• History and Biogeography                                   Chapter 23

 

Part VI Ecosystems

• Energy in the Ecosystem                                     Chapter 20

• Pathways of Elements in the Ecosystem               Chapter 21

Part VI Ecological Applications & Global Ecology

• Economic Development and Global Ecology          Chapter 27