Course Overview
Population ecology is concerned with the structure and dynamics of populations. Community ecology is concerned with the interactions of populations with each other and their abiotic environment. Both are crucial for understanding ecosystems and to provide a scientific basis for ecological restoration projects. The course covers population and community-level ecology for terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals that are pertinent to ecological restoration. Topics include the concept of individual fitness, individual behaviour, population dynamics, competition within and among species, predation, parasitism, symbiosis and trophic processes. The use of appropriate sampling methods and application of theories of population and community dynamics are practiced and discussed, using a variety of case studies. Field sessions outside of scheduled class time will be required.
Prerequisite(s)
- Acceptance into the Ecological Restoration degree program or by departmental approval.
Credits
3.0
- Not offered this term
- This course is not offered this term. Notify me to receive email notifications when the course opens for registration next term.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course the student will be able to:
- Assess how biotic and abiotic factors affect community and landscape diversity.
- Explain how interactions among species affect populations and species distribution.
- Evaluate factors that affect population growth and how they differ among various kinds of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
- Analyze how interactions between species affect population growth and species distribution.
- Apply various population growth models to real populations.
- Compare and contrast organism life histories, such as generalists vs. specialists and r vs. k selection.
- Apply the concept of niche to competition.
- Explain the concept of keystone species and how it relates to biodiversity conservation.
- Apply a variety of techniques for sampling in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
- Explain how theories such as autogenic and allogenic succession, community assembly theory and other aspects of disturbance ecology relate to ecological restoration practices.
Effective as of Fall 2009
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.