Biology: Community Ecology (A)

About BIOL 3105 A

Theoretical and empirical analyses of community structure. Topics include population growth, metapopulation dynamics, competition, predation, species diversity, niches, disturbance succession, island biogeography, and conservation biology. Prerequisite: BCOR 2100; minimum Junior standing.

Notes

Prereqs enforced by the system: BCOR 2100, junior or senior standing only PACE students by permission and override

Section Description

This course examines the structure and ecological dynamics of plant and animal communities. We will look at the question of how communities of interacting species are organized from three different perspectives: the theoretical perspective will emphasize the simple mathematical models that give us insight into community organization. The experimental perspective will illustrate how ecologists manipulate nature in controlled field and laboratory experiments to reveal mechanisms. The statistical perspective will emphasize the standard tools of analysis and inference that ecologists use to organize and understand their data.

Section Expectation

Required Textbook: A Primer of Ecology, 4th edition, by Nicholas Gotelli, Sinauer Associates (ISBN-13: 978-0878933181). Selected articles from the primary literature will be available on Brightspace.

Evaluation

Written exams, critical reading, presentation, and discussion of primary literature articles, attendance, and participation

Important Dates

Courses may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Show your interest by enrolling.

Resources

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• PACE Course Pricing
• Textbooks