Ecology is a comprehensive subject essential to your understanding and management of natural resources. It is essential that you take the initiative to seek out additional readings in ecological journals, books, and magazines in the University of Idaho Library. You are strongly encouraged to form small study groups with your colleagues to review course materials.

Discussion questions At the beginning of each class the professor will pose several questions based on material from the readings and lectures. You will be asked to discuss these questions orally in class. Students will be selected to answer oral questions in class so that each student will have the opportunity to discuss several questions during the semester. Thus, it is important that you study the material in the textbooks and previous lectures prior to each class session. You will achieve greater comprehension of the science of ecology and higher performance on the examinations if you can consistently answer the oral questions in a concise and scientifically correct manner. Written examinations There will be sample examination questions posted in the StudyPlus section approximately two weeks prior to each examination. Use these questions as only one of several study guides to review the course material. There will be an in-class review of the graded examination. All examination copies must be handed back to the instructor after they have been reviewed. You may arrange a time with the instructor if you wish to review your examination at a later time.

Schedule for examinations

Event	Date
Examination I	To be announced fall semester 2002
Examination II	To be announced fall semester 2002
Final examination (comprehensive)	To be announced fall semester 2002

Examination and final grading scale

Event	Percent	Final Grade (% of total points)
Examination I	30%	A (90-100%)*
Examination II	30%	B (80-89%)
Final examination	40%	C (70-79%)
Total	100%	D (60-69%)
		F (< 60%)

*The grade level of "A" represents outstanding performance on the examinations and oral discussions, and the attainment of high competence in the basic principles of ecology and the student learning objectives listed above.

 

Course outline *Highlighted section headings or subheadings are linked to lecture slide presentations

 

I. INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY
	Readings:	Brewer, Chapter 1 & Glossary
		Mackenzie et al., Section A

A. History


1. Origins and scope of ecology

a. Major ecologists and organizations
b. Divisions of ecology
c. Professional societies, journals & books
d. Landmarks in the history of ecology
e. International System of units

II. ECOLOGY OF INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS
	Readings:	Brewer, Chapter 2
		Mackenzie et al., Sections B1 & B2

Readings: Brewer, Chapter 2

A. The nature of species


1. Definitions and scope
2. Definition and scope of ecotypes

B. Relationships to the abiotic environment

C. Range of the optimum


1. Liebig's Law of the Minimum
2. Shelford's Law of Tolerance
3. Physiological or potential range and optimum
4. Ecological range and optimum
5. Environmental gradients

D. Phenotype and genotype

E. Acclimation and adaptation

F. Energy balance

G. Animal behavior

H. Evolutionary considerations


1. Fitness
2. Proximate and ultimate factors
3. Adaptation

A. Energy balance


1. Solar and terrestrial radiation [Solar radiation | Photobiology]
2. Convection, conduction, and latent heat [Energy balance]
3. Topographic factors and climate [Climate]

a. Influence of slope and aspect
b. Graphing and interpreting climate

4. Terrestrial versus aquatic environments

B. The response of organisms to their environment

1. Water relations of organisms

a. Terrestrial and aquatic water supplies
b. Transpiration and mechanisms of water transport

i. Soil water content
ii. Plant and soil water potential
iii. Soil water availability
iv. Permanent wilting point

2. Photosynthesis

a. Light, nutrients, water factors
b. C4, C3, CAM photosynthesis
c. Productivity


3. Oxygen exchange and respiration


a. Adaptations in plants and animals

EXAMINATION I: To be announced, fall semester 2002

 

IV. POPULATIONS: GROWTH & DENSITY
	Readings:	Brewer, Chapters 4 & 5, 19 - 21 [Note. Although you should study all of these readings, we will not cover the sections on genetics starting with the Hardy-Weinberg Law (pages 133-135) and pages 142-159)]
		Mackenzie et al., Sections H, M, O, T, V, & W

A. Structure of populations


1. Birth and death, distribution, dispersion, and density
2. Demography: life tables, survivorship curves

B. Growth of populations

1. Biotic potential or intrinsic rate of increase
2. Modeling population growth
3. Age structure

C. Regulation of populations

1. Density-dependent and density-independent regulation
2. Models

D. Fluctuations and cycles of populations

E. Evolutionary considerations


1. Natural selection
2. r-and k-selection
3. Evolution of behavior
4. Group selection
5. Coevolution
6. Extinction

F. Human population structure and growth

1. Trends and consequences
2. Influence on the earth and global environmental problems

 

V. THE POPULATION - COMMUNITY ECOLOGY INTERFACE: SPECIES INTERACTIONS
	Readings:	Brewer, Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9
		Mackenzie et al., Sections I - L, & N

A. Interactions between and among species


1. Intra- and inter-specific interactions
2. Introduction and definitions of major species interactions

B. Herbivory and predation

1. Trophic interactions
2. Optimal foraging
3. Types of herbivores

a. Plant response to herbivory
b. Coevolution
c. Effects on plant productivity
d. Examples

4. Types of predators

a. Predator-prey models
b. Effects of predators on population size and fluctuation
c. Defense strategies against predation
d. Examples

C. Parasitism, commensalism, protocooperation, and saprobism

1. Parasitism

a. Types and prevalence of parasites
b. Parasite-host interactions
c. Evolutionary considerations
d. Examples

2. Commensalism, protocooperation, and saprobism

a. Examples
b. Evolutionary considerations
c. Effects on the ecosystem

D. Neutralism and amensalism

1. Definitions and examples

E. Allelopathy and competition

1. Allelopathy

a. Definition, occurrence, and examples
b. Evolutionary considerations

2. Competition

a. Definition and occurrence
b. Experimental evidence
c. Examples
d. Comparison of competition in plant and animal populations
e. Evolutionary considerations

i. The concept of niche and guild
ii. Character displacement
iii. Competitive exclusion
iv. Coexistence

F. Mutualism

1. Definition and types of mutualism
2. Examples
3. Evolutionary considerations

EXAMINATION II: To be announced, fall semester 2002

 

VI. COMMUNITY & ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY
	Readings:	Brewer, Chapter 10
		Mackenzie et al., Sections P, O, & R

A. The concept of community and ecosystem


1. Definitions of a community and ecosystem
2. The system concept
3. Indirect effects

B. Community structure

1. Dominance
2. Chemical ecology
3. Species composition
4. Spatial structure
5. Synusia and guild
6. Temporal structure

C. The niche concept and biodiversity

1. Fundamental versus realized niche
2. Niche partitioning
3. Niche breadth and overlap
4. The hypervolumne and niche models

D. Community organization and the role of competition

E. The integrated versus individualistic community


1. Comparisons with discrete and continuum theories
2. Theoretical versus practical considerations

F. Diversity indices

A. Definition and concepts of the community

B. Types of community change

C. Replacement changes

D. Analysis of plant communities

1. Development of communities

a. Succession

i. Primary and secondary succession
ii. Climax
iii. Stability

2. Structure and development of animal communities
3. Examples of sampling methods

E. Types of communities

1. Major communities types of the world
2. Convergent communities

F. Introduction to paleoecology

A. Ecosystem and biome concepts


1. History and examples
2. Ecosystem modeling and regulation

B. Humans and ecosystems

1. Global environmental problems

a. Stratospheric ozone depletion
b. Global climate change
c. Human population growth

C. Trophic levels and food webs

1. Ecosystem energetics
2. Producers, consumers, and decomposers
3. Energy pyramids and biomass

D. Energy flow and productivity

1. Energy flow through trophic levels
2. Gross and net primary productivity
3. Examples

E. Influence of humans on ecosystem energetics

F. Biogeochemical cycling


1. Carbon cycle
2. Nitrogen cycle
3. Phosphorus cycles
4. Sulfur cycle
5. Hydrological cycle

A. Introduction


1. Physiognomy
2. The concept of biome
3. Landscape ecology

B. The forest biome (Chapter 15)

C. Biomes of high latitudes and elevations (Chapter 16)

D. Grassland and tropical biomes (Chapter 17)

E. Aquatic biomes (Chapter 18)

A. Conservation biology

B. Pollution

C. Energy, food, health, population, and land

FINAL EXAMINATION: To be announced, fall semester 2002