Community Ecology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Community ecology is the study of the direct and indirect interactions among species and the environment that determine the structure, abundance, and composition of communities. Foundational topics within the field of community ecology include: ecological and evolutionary processes that create, maintain or modify patterns of biodiversity; the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function; island biogeography; metacommunity dynamics; niche and neutral theory; species interactions (e.g., competition, predation, and mutualism) and species coexistence; and effects of natural- and human-mediated environmental change (e.g., climate change, habitat alteration, invasive species) on biodiversity. As such, central concepts and theories in community ecology have also shaped our understanding of related fields, including population, ecosystem, and evolutionary ecology. Through discussion of foundational literature and related contemporary papers, this course seeks to provide graduate and advanced undergraduate students a broad overview of the central concepts of community ecology, as well as an appreciation for how these ideas have changed over time and inspired ongoing research.