BIO 2225 Ecology

Outcomes

• Explain and discuss how organisms on land and in aquatic environments are impacted by their environment (influence of geology and climate). Explain how phenotypic variations among individuals and natural selection give rise to different survival and reproductive rates within populations.
• Describe and explain how organisms are adapted to their environments in terms of their relationships or interactions with abiotic (temperature, water, energy flow, and nutrient cycling) and biotic (social relations) features.
• Explain how environments impact the distribution and density of populations and the contributing factors to population dynamics. Explain geometric and exponential growth of animals and plants and recognize and explain the diversity of life histories and the role these play in our ecosystems.
• Describe how organisms compete for resources, as well as explain how exploitative and mutualistic relationships impact organisms in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
• Explain species abundance and what contributes to species abundance and diversity in ecosystems. Describe and explain the role of keystone species, primary producers, and consumers in establishing communities and food webs. Describe the roles of nutrient cycling impacting ecosystems as well as how succession can change a community over time. Explain the impact of humans altering the dynamic relationships between species, and considering this impact, explain ecological restoration in the context of succession.
• Develop observational skills to create hypotheses and collect data while in the field and in the laboratory. Identify and operate appropriate equipment to collect data; perform lab and field experiments; use appropriate computer software to analyze data; interpret data and write reports according to accepted scientific formats.
• Explain how landscape ecology, geographical ecology, and global ecology contribute to our overall understanding of how our planet works, as well as explain how humans are contributing to climate change. Recognize the contribution of geography-based technology in collecting data associated with climate change.

Credit Hours: 4