Principles of Ecology

(4 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course aims to expose students to the fundamental principles of ecology at various scales of organization, from individuals through ecosystems to the biosphere as a system. Topics covered include lifehistory strategies, competition, dispersal, predation, mutualism, population dynamics, community assembly, keystone species, diversity patterns and the processes structuring diversity, and elements of systems ecology. The theory will be supported with examples from local terrestrial and aquatic systems, in lectures but also through hands-on exposure during a group field project. The projects will provide students with the chance to get their hands dirty doing their own research. Students will be taught how to conduct scientific research, how to write effective scientific reports and how to analyze ecological data.