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COURSE SYLLABUS FORM American University of Beirut Faculty of Arts and Sciences Department: Biology Course Number and Title: BIOLOGY 252 ECOLOGY, Prerequisite: Biology 202 Course description This is an introductory course in ecology that covers most of the basic concepts in this field namely, environmental factors, the main physiological, morphological and behavioral adaptations of various organisms to these factors, populations, their structures, dynamics and positive and negative interactions, dynamics of communities in terms of energy flow and material cycling, community structure and dynamics and ecology of landscapes. The last part gives overviews of various types of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. The lab sessions include some basic techniques of quantitative studies of vegetation. Field and lab work includes study of soils, forest ecology (e.g. cedar forest), and freshwater ecology (ponds and marshes). The latter parts include acquainting students with some of the flora and fauna of these ecosystems. It is intended to equip the student with the background necessary to pursue further more advanced ecology courses on the graduate or undergraduate level. Learning objectives: The course objectives are that the students are able to: • • • • • grasp ecological concepts rather than rote learning of facts and details. grasp concepts related to inter-relationships of organisms and environmental factors. Demonstrate analytical and deductive abilities that give insight into links and relationships inherent in ecological systems, their structures and dynamics. Understand basic principles related to quantitative study of populations including sampling of animals and vegetation and statistical analysis of the data collected. Understand the major features and factors of the forest ecosystems, leaf litter, freshwater ecosystems and rocky beaches, as well as recognizing the most common organisms in these systems. Resources Available to Students: 1. Textbook: Smith RL and Smith TM, 2001 - Ecology and Field Biology, 6th Edition, Addison Wesley Longman. 2. Various learning material, and lab handouts etc. on the following website: http://webfaculty.aub.edu.lb/~rsadek This includes lectures, lab handouts and visual material for some lab sessions. 3. Links to some important sites dealing with ecological topics. Evaluation Criteria Quiz 1………………………………………18% Quiz 2………………………………………18% Lab. work, reports and drop quizzes . 10% Lab. Final exam………. ……………….. 12% Final exam……….………………………. 38% General assessment…………………… 4% Schedule Per week: Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 3 lectures One lab session Topics covered General Introduction: Course Overview Ecology Meaning and Scope Ecology: Empirical and Experimental Science Ecosystem: Concept and components. Solar Radiation and Climate Solar Radiation and Climate Solar Radiation and Climate Solar Radiation and Climate The Physical Environment: Light The Physical Environment: Temperature, water, nutrients Soils Adaptation; Plant Adaptations: Photosynthesis and Light Environment Plant Adaptations: Photosynthesis and Light Environment Plant Adaptations: Thermal, Moisture and Nutrient Environments Plant Adaptations: Thermal, Moisture and Nutrient Environments Animal Adaptations Animal Adaptations: Cont'd Populations: Properties, density, dispersion Populations: Age Structure, sex ratios, mortality, natality, Life Tables Population Growth Intraspecific Competition Interspecific Competition Predation Parasitism and Mutualism Human Impact on Populations Population genetics Ecosystem productivity: Primary production Ecosystem productivity: Secondary production, Decomposition Ecosystem productivity: food chains, Energy flow, ecological pyramids Biogeochemistry: Nutrient cycling Biogeochemistry: Nutrient cycling Biogeochemistry: Global cycles and human impacts Community Structure Community dynamics: Succession Landscape Ecology Terrestrial Ecosystem:Vegtation zones, Biomes, Life zones, ecoregions, : Biogeography, comparative ecosystems ecology 14 Freshwater Ecosystems: Lentic and lotic ecosystems Freshwater Ecosystems: Lentic and lotic ecosystems Saltwater Ecosystems LABORATORY SYLLABUS N.B. The sequence of lab sessions is different between spring and fall semester. The field trips are done in the early parts of the Fall semester while they are done in the latter part of the spring semester. o Population sampling: o species-area curve. o Density estimates using quadrats. o Evaluation of species importance; species dominance. o Comparison of populations; o species association. o Plotless methods o Detection of pattern: o nearest neighbor method o comparison with the Poisson Distribution. Chi-square method. Variance/mean ratio method. o Estimating the size of animal populations: o Mark-release-recapture method. o Removal method. o Field trip to Arz Al-Shouf Nature Reserve: o Mapping, Global Positioning System. o Meteorological measurements. o Estimating Cedar tree density and population structure. o Soils: collection of quantitative soil samples and litter from various locations. o Soil fauna. o Ecological effects of altitude and slope. o Field trip to Ammiq Marshes o Freshwater fauna and flora. o Freshwater Physicochemical Measurements o Population dynamics; o Life tables and Survivorship curves o Population growth Course Policy (if any) Attendance will be taken regularly. Excessive absenteeism from lectures or labs may affect the general assessment and eventually subject the student to being dropped from the course. Absence from exams is only justified by a valid excuse.