THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, ST. AUGUSTINE
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF LIFE SCIENCES
COURSE DOCUMENTATION
COURSE CODE:
BIOL2464
COURSE TITLE:
Fundamentals of Ecology
NO. OF CREDITS:
3
LEVEL:
Undergraduate – Level 2
PREREQUISITES:
(BIOL1262 Living Organisms I AND 6 credits from (BIOL 1263
Living Organisms II OR BIOL 1362 Biochemistry I OR BIOL
1364 Genetics I)) OR (ESST 1XX1 Biology for Environmental
Sciences AND 6 credits from (ESST 1XX0 Physics for
Environmental Sciences OR ESST 1XX2 Chemistry for
Environmental Sciences OR ESST 1XX6 Human Impact on the
Environment)).
ANTI-REQUISITE: This course cannot be credited together with BIOL1462 General
Ecology and Biometry
ENROLMENT:
Maximum 300 students
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides an introduction to ecology, the science of organisms and the
environment, and gives the necessary background for advanced courses in ecology. The
student will be introduced to the different levels of ecological organization and the types
of studies associated with each. They will be introduced to the major factors that influence
the distribution and abundance of organisms and appreciate the factors that influence the
structure of ecological communities. The functioning of ecosystems in terms of the
movement of energy and nutrients will also be covered. Apart from a general introduction
to ecological fieldwork the students will be introduced to practical skills that will allow
them to assess spatial distribution patterns of organisms and estimate their population sizes
and population parameters. The students will investigate community structure and function
using a variety of methods many of which involve fieldwork on campus. The course is
organised into lectures and tutorials covering general and specific concepts in ecology. In
tutorials students are expected to prepare, participate and perform in an active way in order
to engage with the content. Assessment will be based on course tests, practical reports, and
a final theory exam.
COURSE RATIONALE:
2
This course is one of the core level 2 courses for the major in Biology and the Biology
degree, and for the Environmental Science degree. At the end of the course, students are
expected to have an understanding of the fundamentals of ecology which is suitable for the
biologist going on to specialize in other areas, or as the basis for further study for students
specializing in ecology, environmental biology, or environmental science.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Name of instructor:
Dr A. Hailey (coordinator), Dr M. Oatham
Office address and phone:
Room 226, Zoology Section, New Wing, Natural Sciences
Building. Phone ext 82206
Email address:
[email protected]
Office hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 11-12 a.m., other times by
appointment
Preferred methods of contact: Email or myelearning Academic Forum
Communication policy:
Matters concerning the individual student should be raised
by email, from the student’s UWI email account. Matters of
interest to the class should be raised as Academic Forum
postings on myelearning. In either case students can expect
a response within 48 hours. DO NOT use myelearning
messaging, which is only supported via email and after some
delay.
CONTENT:
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Ecology and its domain
Geographic range habitat and niche, abiotic and biotic environment
Ecological role of abiotic factors (climatic and edaphic) on plant and animal
populations. Population performance along physical gradients
Population structure and demography; population change over time, growth
models, dispersal, life tables and resource allocation patterns
Species interactions: competition, predation, herbivory, commensalism,
amensalism, and mutualism
Communities; community classification, concepts and attributes
Island communities
Primary and secondary ecological succession
Nutrient cycling and energy flow
Primary and secondary production, trophic levels and ecological efficiency
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GOALS/AIMS:
This course aims to
 Introduce students to the major subject and growth areas of ecology
 Relate ecology to other aspects of biology, especially evolution, physiology, and
biodiversity
 Give students an introduction to the scientific method, particularly the testing of
hypotheses using quantitative data
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
 Describe the levels of ecological organization and the types of studies associated
with each level of organization
 Evaluate the major factors which affect the distribution and abundance of
organisms
 Describe the factors which influence the structure of ecological communities
 Describe the functioning of ecosystems via movement of energy and nutrients
Practical skills should include the ability to
 Assess spatial distribution patterns
 Estimate population sizes and population parameters
 Investigate community structure and function using a variety of methods,
including field work
ASSIGNMENTS:
Practicals
1. Qualitative sampling of grassland plants
2. Population analysis of animals
3. Interactions between organisms: predation and competition
4. Quantitative sampling of grassland insects
5. Aripo Savanna plant communities
Theory tests
Six short theory tests, taken during tutorials and practicals. The tests will involve multiple
choice, short answer, and notes formats.
COURSE ASSESSMENT:
Coursework practical:
Coursework theory:
Final examination:
EVALUATION:
25%, based on the best 4 of the 5 practical marks from the
written reports and marks for participation. Due 7 days after
the class.
25%, from the best 5 of the 6 marks from the theory tests.
50%. The examination is of 2 hours duration. It is based on
essay questions, with two (2) questions to be completed, one
from each section, from a choice of six (6).
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Feedback on the course will be obtained informally from students on an ongoing basis
by regular interactions and meetings among students, demonstrators, teaching
assistants and the course lecturers in practicals and tutorials.
Formal feedback will be via election of Class Representatives who sit on the
Departmental Student-Staff Liaison Committee meetings held twice during the
semester. Class reps will channel both concerns and commendations to the meeting as
guided by the Department’s Standard Operating Procedures.
Formal evaluation of the entire course will be accomplished via a UWI Course
Evaluation questionnaire administered anonymously and confidentially at the end of
the semester.
All feedback will be considered on an ongoing basis and corrective action or
adjustments made or discussed with students promptly or incorporated the following
year.
TEACHING STRATEGIES:
Contact hours:
36 hours
Lectures:
18 hours
Tutorials:
6 hours
Practicals:
12 hours (5 x 5 hours less 10 minutes = 24 hours)
Lectures and tutorials are given to the whole class, and practicals are usually delivered to
the students in three (3) streams. The course outline, objectives, and practical schedules are
available on myelearning, together with the opportunity for feedback through the
Academic Forum. Lecture materials are reduced to promote understanding of principles
rather than transmission of facts, in particular with diagrams simplified to the essentials.
Practicals build from initial qualitative observations on campus, through pre-set
quantitative exercises and hypothesis testing using quantitative data, to a field exercise in
an undisturbed habitat. Practical schedules are available before the class to maximise
usefulness of the class time.
RESOURCES:
Essential Text
1. Mackenzie, A., Ball, A. S. & Virdee, S. R. 2001. Instant Notes in Ecology. 2nd ed.
London: Taylor & Francis.
Recommended Texts
These texts should be used for supplementing the course text book, following up on
lectures, and for research for practical reports.
1. Begon, M., Townsend, C. R. & Harper, J. L. 2005. Ecology: Individuals, Populations
and Communities. 4th ed. Oxford: Blackwell.
2. Beeby, A. & Brennan, A. 2004. First Ecology. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press.
3. Brower, J., Zar, J. & von Ende, C. 1998. Field and Laboratory Methods for General
Ecology. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill.
4. Smith, T.M. & Smith, R.L. 2009. Elements of Ecology. 7th edition. San Francisco:
Benjamin Cummings.
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COURSE CALENDAR:
Week
Lectures and Tutorials
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2
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3
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4
5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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Practicals
Course Overview
(Tutorial)
Evolution and the
niche
1. Qualitative
Individual ecology
Population: distribution sampling of
grassland plants
Population: numbers
and distribution
Population:
demography
2. Population
Population regulation
analysis of animals
Tutorial
Interactions between
species
Tutorial
3. Interactions
Life history strategies
between organisms
Applied ecology:
harvesting and species
conservation
Community:
definitions and
descriptions
Community: diversity
and stability
4. Quantitative
Community change:
sampling of
succession
grassland insects
Island community
dynamics
Ecosystem processes
and components
Tutorial
Ecosystem: producers
Ecosystem: consumers
Ecosystem: nutrient
cycling
Tutorial
Assignments
due
Practical 1
Test 1
Practical 2
Test 2
Test 3
Practical 3
Practical 4
Test 4
5. Aripo Savanna
plant communities
Practical 5
Test 5
6
Week
Lectures and Tutorials
12
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13
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Applied ecology:
biodiversity
conservation
Tutorial
Course Review
Practicals
Assignments
due
Test 6
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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Refer to the Life Sciences Undergraduate Handbook for general guidelines for
teaching, assessment, student conduct, essential skills, and support at
http://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/documents/handbook.pdf .
Refer to the General Information and General Regulations in the Faculty Booklet:
http://sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/facultybooklets/ScienceTechUndergrad.pdf.
Students are reminded that they must attend a minimum of 75% of the practical sessions
and tutorials. Failure to do so will result in debarment from the final examination.
Students are hereby informed that plagiarism is forbidden and all unsupervised
coursework items must be accompanied by a Coursework Accountability Statement in
order to be assessed. Specific items may require submission through Turnitin on
myeLearning. Refer to ‘University Regulations on Plagiarism’ available from
http://sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/Exam_Regulations_Plagiarism.pdf
HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS COURSE:
Students should attend all lectures, tutorials, and practicals. The lectures are designed to
cover the most important points in each subject area, in the opinion of the lecturer, and are
condensed from a much greater volume of material. Students who do not attend lectures
miss the benefit of this work by the lecturer, and have to review the textbooks themselves.
Although less satisfactory than attending lectures, independent study has been made easier
by detailed learning objectives cross-referenced to sections of the textbook. Practical
instructions are provided on myelearning well before the start of the class, and should be
read before attending the class to make full benefit of the class time. Tutorials are designed
to help students with aspects that have proved difficult in the past, rather than providing
new material.