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)
Course Objectives
This course is designed to give students a broad understanding of North American ecology, organismal adaptations, and human-environment interactions, specifically focusing on the continental United States (U.S.), including the Southeastern coast, desert Southwest, temperate rain forest of the Northwest, Intermountain West, and grasslands of the Great Plains. By taking this course, students will be able to: • Explain basic ecological principles (e.g., biodiversity and ecosystem function, climate change, competition, disturbance, evolution, pollution, succession, thermodynamics/ecosystem energetics, and trophic food web interactions) and apply these concepts to visited field sites using a place-based lens; • Compare and contrast the ecological systems in different regions, including how the abiotic environment shapes biotic communities and their adaptations; • Appraise how the distribution of water, mineral, soil, and vegetation resources across the U.S. has shaped past and current human occupation of different ecosystems and affected human-environment interactions; and • Apply their understanding of current environmental challenges to propose possible solutions to help mitigate current and future environmental problems. Student learning will be assessed through oral presentations and discussions, written exams, and practical lab exercises including field observations, field research projects, and related presentations.
Topical Outline
Core ecological principles: Organisms to ecosystems • Organism adaptations and evolution • 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 Human-environment interactions 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 U.S. • Current and future resource and environmental needs of the U.S. human population • Strategies and policies to meet future resource demands sustainably Since course content is taught in a place-based way, the order in which topics are covered may vary based on the field travel schedule each year. In lieu of a textbook, a reading packet will include relevant articles from a variety of professional and popular journals, and excerpts from textbooks and popular press books.
Syllabus