Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation Biology
Biol 211, College of Charleston
The first law of ecology [and evolution] is that everything is related to everything else. -Barry Commoner
COURSE OVERVIEW
Biology involves the study of the natural world at many hierarchical levels. In this course we will focus on biology at the level of the whole organism and above. What factors help to explain the abundance and distribution of different organisms? How have groups of organisms diverged from one another over time, and what are the evolutionary changes that define major groups? How does basic scientific research inform our understanding of the conservation of biodiversity? During the semester, you will be introduced to three areas of focus: (1) population biology, involving the study of population ecology and evolution; (2) interactions among organisms and their environments at the community, ecosystem and biosphere levels, and (3) biodiversity and the study of how groups of organisms are evolutionarily related.
In addition to developing conceptual skills, you will also develop many of the practical skills used by professional biologists. These skills will be developed mostly during the class recitation. In particular, you will gain experience exploring, reading, and understanding primary scientific literature; organizing, visualizing and analyzing data; identifying questions and developing experimental approaches to addressing research problems; and presenting scientific information in a written proposal, a scientific poster, and an oral presentation. During the semester you will complete three recitation projects, working in small groups but ultimately completing work independently. As such, recitation is an essential component of the course.
As a hard-working participant in this course, you will come to be able to:
§ describe the processes by which populations of organisms increase and decrease in size
§ list and explain the forces that lead to evolutionary change in populations
§ explain how interactions with the physical environment and with other organisms are involved in ecological and evolutionary change of populations
§ rely on a foundation of knowledge about the diversity of living organisms
§ apply ecological/evolutionary principles to problems in the conservation of biodiversity
§ apply to your future work many of the professional skills used by an academic biologist
Syllabus information
- Guidelines for discussions and DQs
- Proper citation in writing and avoiding plagiarism
- Guide to exam questions
- Current topics reports (extra credit)
Downloadable files (username: biol211, pwd: on your syllabus)
Lecture illustrations (to be printed for lecture)
Readings (for both lecture and recitation discussions)
Other resources (data sets, study guides, evaluations)
Grade distributions Fall2007 Fall2008
CofC Biology homePlease contact me (podolskyr'at'cofc.edu) with comments or corrections and before using any material.