Course Description
The world is becoming more and more urbanized, with over 80% of
the United States population and 50% of the world’s population
living in cities. This course will use a socio-ecological
framework to study how urbanization influences biodiversity,
ecosystem function, and the provisioning of ecosystem services
to human populations.
Athena Title
Urban Ecol Serv Learn
Pre or Corequisite
ECOL 3500-3500L or ECOL 3505H-3505L or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- Students will understand and discuss how built environments and man-made surfaces affects physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of ecosystems.
- Students will understand and discuss the influence of human social systems on urban ecology.
- Students will learn about oneself, with regards to your current state of professional skills and knowledge, as well as your place in the social structure of Athens, GA
- Students will develop new and substantial relationships with community members, through service-learning projects.
- Students will develop the skills necessary to independently create effective educational materials, through primary literature readings, critical reflection, and study of education ‘best-practices’
Topical Outline
- Intro; UGA + Athens History and Awareness Training
- Urban Spatial Patterns & Habitat Connectedness
- Urban Climate: Air Pollution and Urban Heat Island
- Urban Water: Stormwater Management
- Urban Soils: Compaction, Aeration and Soil Microbes, Urban Plants: Species Composition and Characteristics
- Urban Invasive Plants, Urban Wildlife Species Composition and Characteristics
- Urban Invasive Wildlife, Urban Mutualisms and Competition
- Urban Species Interactions: Parasites & Pathogens, Predation & Herbivory
- Urban Energy Flows and Biogeochemistry
- Social + Ecological 1, Social + Ecological Case Study Reading
- Urban Noise Pollution: Impacts on Animal Communication, Physiology, and Behavior
- Urban Light Pollution, Wildlife Collisions with Structures & Hazards
- Urban watersheds and global issues with water infrastructure
- Mitigation Strategies: The Successes and Failures
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Social Awareness & Responsibility
The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.
