Fundamentals of Ecology
This course introduces core concepts in ecology and equips students to critically analyze the processes shaping the distribution and abundance of organisms.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Explain the ecological processes that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms across time and space.
Differentiate and critique major theories in population and community ecology, including models of species coexistence and succession.
Develop and analyze simple population dynamic models, and apply them to ecological scenarios.
Evaluate primary scientific literature in ecology and summarize key debates or controversies through structured writing.
Describe the principles of material cycling in ecosystems and their role in ecological stability and function.
Identify general systems principles such as causal feedbacks, scale dependencies, and contingencies, and relate them to ecological and complex social systems.
The field of ecology is guided by one central question: What are the processes that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms? This course will introduce you to the fundamental theory and problems in ecology through reading, discussion, and lecture. Special attention will be paid to the principles governing population dynamics over time and space, theories of community assembly and species coexistence, and processes of material cycling through ecosystems. Beyond the specific subject matter, training in ecology can prepare one’s mind to appreciate the causal feedbacks, scale dependencies, and contingencies of the complex social world we inhabit.
1 Autecology
2 Single species population dynamics
3 Consumer-resource interactions
4 Competition, mutualism, and disease
5 Ecological networks and trophic structure
6 Community assembly & succession
7 Spatial processes
8 Nonequilibrium ecology
9 Biodiversity and macroecology
10 Material cycling through ecosystems
11 Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
Four problem sets worth 25 points each will be assigned with a due date two weeks later. They can be completed in discussion with others, but please turn in your own individual work. One final paper worth 75 points will also be required, which will take the form of a short review of a topic in ecology. Finally, a participation and attendance score of 25 points will be allocated at the end of the course. The assessment total is 200 points.
Undergraduate-level coursework in general biology and calculus are recommended but not required.
Community Ecology (2nd edition). Mittelbach, GG & McGill, BJ. 2019. Oxford University Press.
Additional required reading in the form of journal articles and book chapters will be made available by the instructor.