Biology (BIOL) 345

Ecology (Revision 3)

BIOL 345 course cover

Revision 3 is closed for registrations, replaced by current version

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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online with four mandatory home labs, and a four-day supervised lab component

BIOL 345 lab exemption

Check dates and locations of supervised lab prior to registering for the course. This course is charged a lab fee.

Credits: 3

Area of Study: Science

Prerequisite: BIOL 204 and BIOL 205, or BIOL 207. Alternatively six credits from a recognized university and approval by the course professor.

Faculty: Faculty of Science & Technology

Biology Studies home page

BIOL 345 is not available for challenge.

Powerpoint icon Field Ecology Workshop: Overview

Home Labs

Internet Resources: Ecology

Field Ecology Workshop Details

check availability

Overview

Ecology, as a branch of biology, is the study of the interactions of organisms with their environments. This course covers experimentation and models, relationships between organisms and their abiotic environments, population ecology and various symbiotic relationships, community ecology, ecosystem energetics and biogeochemical cycles, as well as aquatic and terrestrial biomes.

Outline

  • Chapter 1: The Nature of Ecology

Part 1: The Physical Environment

  • Chapter 2: Climate
  • Chapter 3: The Aquatic Environment
  • Chapter 4: The Terrestrial Environment

Part 2: The Organism and Its Environment

  • Chapter 5: Ecological Genetics: Adaptation and Natural Selection
  • Chapter 6: Plant Adaptations to the Environment
  • Chapter 7: Animal Adaptations to the Environment
  • Chapter 8: Life History Patterns

Part 3: Populations

  • Chapter 9: Properties of Populations
  • Chapter 10: Population Growth
  • Chapter 11: Intraspecific Population Regulation
  • Chapter 12: Metapopulations

Part 4: Species Interactions

  • Chapter 13: Interspecific Competition
  • Chapter 14: Predation
  • Chapter 15: Parasitism and Mutualism

Part 5: Community Ecology

  • Chapter 16: Community Structure
  • Chapter 17: Factors Influencing the Structure of Communities
  • Chapter 18: Community Dynamics
  • Chapter 19: Landscape Ecology

Part 6: Ecosystem Ecology

  • Chapter 20: Ecosystem Energetics
  • Chapter 21: Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling
  • Chapter 22: Biogeochemical Cycles

Part 7: Ecological Biogeography

  • Chapter 23: Terrestrial Ecosystems
  • Chapter 24: Aquatic Ecosystems
  • Chapter 25: Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems
  • Chapter 26: Large-Scale Patterns of Biological Diversity

Part 8: Human Ecology

  • Chapter 27: Population Growth, Resource Use, and Sustainability
  • Chapter 28: Habitat Loss, Biodiversity, and Conservation
  • Chapter 29: Global Climate Change

Evaluation

To receive credit for BIOL 345, you must obtain a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent) as well as 50 percent on the examination, 50 percent on the lab assignment, and an average of 50 percent on the three assignments. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Assignment 1
(Parts 1, 2)		 Assignment 2
(Parts 4, 5)		 Assignment 3
(Parts 7, 8, & 9)		 Lab Assignment
(following four-day Field Ecology Workshop)		 Final Exam
(Parts 1-9)		 Total
10% 15% 15% 20% 40% 100%

The final examination for this course must be taken online with an AU-approved exam invigilator at an approved invigilation centre. It is your responsibility to ensure your chosen invigilation centre can accommodate online exams. For a list of invigilators who can accommodate online exams, visit the Exam Invigilation Network.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbooks

Smith, T. M. and Smith, R. L. 2009. Elements of Ecology, 7th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings-Pearson Education.

Ambrose, H. W., III, Ambrose, K. P., Emlen, D. J. and Bright, K. L. 2007. A handbook of biological investigation, 7th ed. Winston-Salem, NC: Hunter Textbooks.

Publisher’s website

The Ecology Place. 2009. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings-Pearson Education. Available from The Ecology Place website.

Other Materials

The course materials also includes a laboratory and field manual. All other materials are available online.

Special Course Features

The first three home labs require some materials that you must supply. If you do not own these materials already, these materials should cost less than $30. The assignments and examination must be completed within your registration period (normally six months). However, the Field Ecology Workshop can be done up to 14 months after your initial registration. The Field Ecology Workshop (FEW) is compulsory. It consists of four days of field and laboratory work. It will be held in the summer at Athabasca University's headquarters in Athabasca, Alberta.

For up-to-date information regarding the Field Ecology Workshop dates, see lab schedule or contact the science lab coordinator by phone at 1-800-788-9041, ext. 6729.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.

Opened in Revision 3, June 6, 2012.

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