INSTRUCTOR:  Gerhard Gries

Office:  P8474 (ph. 291-4392)
Laboratory:  C7010 (ph. 291-5939)

PREREQUISITES:  BISC 101 and 102

   1.  Evolutionary Ecology
   2.  Autecology
   3.  Population Ecology
   4.  Behavioural Ecology
   5.  Community Ecology
 

TEXT: No text is required.  "Ecology" (Begon, Harper, Townsend) and "Ecology"   (C.J. Krebs) are recommended.
 

MARKS:

Tutorial   - 15%
Midterm  - 35%
Final   - 50%

LECTURE OUTLINE: Time Table

Jan. 7  Introduction, meaning and history of ecology, approaches to ecological    studies
Jan. 10  Evolution
Jan. 12  Coevolution, insect/plant interaction
Jan. 14  Abiotic factors that limit distribution:  temperature, moisture, water,     chemistry
Jan. 17  Abiotic factors that limit distribution:  fire
Jan. 19  Factors that limit distribution:  Interrelation with other organisms such as    allelopathy, predation, competition
Jan. 21  Factors that limit distribution:  dispersal
Jan. 24  Factors that limit distribution:  habitat selection
Jan. 26  Population abundance:  estimation of population abundance, population    parameter
Jan. 28  Population abundance:  life tables, fecundity
Jan. 31  Population abundance:  population growth
Feb. 2  Population abundance, intraspecific interaction:  sociality, territoriality
Feb. 4  Population abundance, intraspecific interaction:  competition, sociality,    territoriality
Feb. 7  Population abundance, interspecific interaction:  predation
Feb. 9  Population abundance, interspecific interaction:  symbiosis
Feb. 11 Population abundance, interspecific interaction:  parasitism
Feb. 14 Population abundance:  regulation of population size
Feb. 16 Midterm Exam
Feb. 18 Mid-Semester Break
Feb. 21 Reproductive strategies, parental investment, sex allocation
Feb. 23 Foraging ecology
Feb. 25 The community
Feb. 28 Changes in the community, succession, climax
Mar. 1  Species diversity
Mar. 3  Community organization, food chains and trophic levels
Mar. 6  Community organization, keystone species, stability, resilience
Mar. 8  Primary production, photosynthesis, factors affecting photosynthesis
Mar. 10 The flux of energy and matter through communities
Mar. 13 The flux of energy and matter through communities
Mar. 15 Soils and acid rain
Mar. 17 Soils and acid rain
Mar. 20 Chemical ecology (guest lecture)
Mar. 22 Human impact, the greenhouse effect (guest lecture)
Mar. 24 Eutrophication
Mar. 27 Animal migration
Mar. 29 Imprinting and innate releasing mechanism (IRM)
Mar. 31 Urban Ecology
Apr. 3  Urban Ecology
Apr. 5  Urban Ecology