4 hours. 3 hours lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Ecology of North America
Course Description
Ecological survey of North American ecosystems taught in the
field from coastal Georgia to southwest deserts and the Pacific
Northwest. Application of ecological principles such as
biodiversity and ecosystem function, climate change,
disturbance, pollution, and trophic food web interactions.
Consideration of human interaction with the environment, past,
present, and future.
Athena Title
Ecology of North America
Non-Traditional Format
May be taught during summer session in the field as part of the
Interdisciplinary Field Program.
Prerequisite
(ECOL 3500 and ECOL 3500L) or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will explain core ecological principles and apply these concepts in a place-based way while visiting field sites.
Students will compare and contrast ecological systems in different regions, including how the abiotic environment shapes species adaptations, community interactions, and ecosystem function.
Students will appraise how the distribution of water, mineral, soil, and vegetation resources across the United States has shaped past and current human occupation of different ecosystems and affected human-environment interactions.
Students will apply their understanding of ecology to propose possible solutions to help mitigate current and future socio-ecological challenges.
Topical Outline
Organism adaptations to the environment
Community dynamics: competition, food webs
Thermodynamics and ecosystem energetics
Disturbance and succession
Biodiversity and ecosystem function
Global change ecology
Comparison of ecosystems across North America
Effects of climate and resource availability on development patterns of past and current human populations and their cultures
Legacies of human actions on ecosystems, including Native American habitation, European colonization and westward expansion, agricultural intensification, mining, urbanization, and future development
Modern use of energy, mineral, water, soil, and vegetation resources, and their various impacts on ecological systems
Environmental challenges facing various regions of the United States
Strategies and policies to meet future resource demands sustainably
