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Communities and Ecosystems

General

Prefix

BIOL

Course Number

413

Course Level

Undergraduate

Department/Unit(s)

Biological Sciences

College/School

College of Science and Engineering

Description

Biodiversity patterns and metrics, species interactions, community assembly and structure, trophic interactions, food webs, succession, disturbance, stability, nutrient cycling, productivity, energy flow, ecosystem function, decomposition, climate change.

Prerequisites

Credits

Min

3

Max

3

Repeatable

No

Goals and Diversity

MN Goal Course

No

Cultural Diversity

No

Learning Outcomes

Outcome

Calculate and interpret results of quantitative biodiversity metrics.

Outcome

Calculate and interpret community similarity and dissimilarity measures.

Outcome

Synthesize current scientific understanding of global biodiversity patterns.

Outcome

Describe community assembly mechanisms, and apply concepts to examples from the literature.

Outcome

Manipulate and interpret competition and predation models.

Outcome

Differentiate among competing mechanistic explanations for regulation of energy flow through communities.

Outcome

Describe role of decomposing organisms and soil fauna in energy and nutrient flow in terrestrial communities.

Outcome

Apply ecosystem function concepts to arguments for biodiversity conservation.

Course Outline

Course Outline

Biodiversity patterns and metrics. 15% Species interactions: Predator-prey, competition, mutualism. 15% Community assembly and structure. 5% Trophic interactions and food webs. 10% Disturbance and succession. 5% Nutrient cycling. 10% Primary productivity and energy flow. 10% Soils and decomposition. 5% Biodiversity and ecosystem function. 10% Climate change. 15%

Dependencies

Programs

BIOL413 is a completion requirement for: