Biology (BIOL) 345

Ecology (Revision 5)

Revision 5 is closed for registrations, see current revision

Delivery Mode: Individualized study online (with eTextbook) with home labs, and a mandatory four-day supervised lab component in Athabasca.

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 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.

Field Ecology Workshop: Overview

Home Labs

Internet Resources: Ecology

Field Ecology Workshop Details

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: Adaptation and Natural Selection
Chapter 6: Plant Adaptations to the Environment
Chapter 7: Animal Adaptations to the Environment

Part 3: Populations

Chapter 8: Properties of Populations
Chapter 9: Population Growth
Chapter 10: Life History
Chapter 11: Intraspecific Population Regulation

Part 4: Species Interactions

Chapter 12: Species Interactions, Population Dynamics, and Natural Selection
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 Dynamics

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
Chapter 27: The Ecology of Climate Change

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of BIOL 345, you should be able to

explain how the physical environment (water, climate, soils, light and nutrients) shapes ecological processes
describe the fundamental role of plant and animal adaptations for ecology
define and apply the population concept when describing population growth and life history
describe the concepts of competition, predation, parasitism and mutualism in the context of community ecology
define, with examples, major aspects of both community structure and community dynamics
explain the concept of landscapes in ecology
describe major aspects of ecosystem ecology, including energetics, decomposition and biogeochemical cycles
describe the earth’s major aquatic and terrestrial biomes
explain the major concepts of climate change ecology

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, and 50 percent on the lab assignment. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Activity	Weighting
Assignment 1	10%
Assignment 2	15%
Assignment 3	15%
Lab Assignment (following four-day Field Ecology Workshop)	20%
Final Exam	40%
Total	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

Registration in this course includes an electronic textbook. For more information on electronic textbooks, please refer to our eText Initiative site.

Smith, T. M. and Smith, R. L. 2015. Elements of Ecology, 9^th ed. San Francisco: Pearson Education. (eText)

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

A print version of the eText may be available for purchase from the publisher through a direct-to-student link provided on the course website; you can also acquire the textbook on your own if you wish.

Publisher’s website

MasteringBiology

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 at sciencelab@athabascu.ca.

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 5, October 19, 2017.

View previous syllabus