Ecology, Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Course Type	Course Code	No. Of Credits
Foundation Core	SHE2ED101	4

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to the scientific principles that govern the natural world around us and their applications to contemporary ecological concerns. The course will be a primer on basic ecological theory relating to the hierarchical organization of biological complexity as it is viewed in ecology – from individuals to ecosystems and beyond.

The contents would introduce students to processes that occur at populations, community and ecosystem levels. A brief section on Evolutionary Biology would produce the necessary anchor- age for the central ecological principle discussed in the course.

The course will be taught in modules of 4 hours each week. The field skills module would be transacted at a field location with an opportunity to understand, estimate and measure ecological variables in the real-life conditions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The course will build a working knowledge of ecological concepts and terminology that are necessary to understand the contemporary ecological challenges. The students will also learn to apply theory to environmental/ecological problem solving. The field skills module will teach them to measure ecological variables that are relevant to natural resource management and human ecology.

COURSE OUTCOMES

Understanding of core ecological concepts such as biochemical basis of living, Evolutionary theory, Populations, Communities, Ecosystems and Global Biogeography
Ability to effectively communicate through written material, graphs and oral presentations, to explain complex ecological phenomena, across and within learner groups
Ability to recognize ecological underpinnings and patterns in natural phenomena, and apply the conceptual apparatus to the real world scenarios with a view to addressing issues and providing solutions.
Ability to analyze ecological data, evidences and representations and ability to comment/draw independent conclusions supported by lines of reasoning and evidence
Ability to define problems, formulate hypotheses, test hypotheses, analyse, interpret and draw conclusions from data, establish hypotheses, predict cause-and-effect relationships
Ability to conduct research with self-awareness, reflexivity and interpret scientific findings with societal contexts
Ability to understand and use technology in a variety of situations, ranging from retrieving data from repositories, to collecting data from the field using instrumentation,
Ability to analyze data using appropriate custom softwares, and visualizing and communicating information using variety of media
Ability to do an independent ecological study, starting from a study design, to survey, to compilation and analysis of data and take a project to its logical conclusion.
Ability to work in multicultural work groups, to accomplish complex tasks involving, theoretical, field based and lab-based projects.
Ability to discern and avoid unethical behaviour such as fabrication, falsification or misrepresentation of data and avoid plagiarism in any form
Ability to appreciate biodiversity conservation challenges and environmental sustainability issues
Ability to adapt to a variety of learning situations ranging from, theoretical, lab based and field-based projects, that involve multiple learning contexts.

COURSE CONTENT

The Coursework is divided into broadly Five Sections, further divided in to 12 Modules.

The sections are: (i) Basic Evolutionary Theory, (ii) Organismal and Population Ecology, (iii) Community Ecology, Dynamics & Species Interactions, (iv) Ecosystem Ecology and (v) Field Biology and Projects

S. No.	Module
	Introduction to Ecology, Ecosystems and Biodiversity
	Basics of Evolutionary Biology
	Population Ecology
	Basics of Community Ecology
	Basics of Community Dynamics
	Basics of Community Dynamics: Ecological Succession
	Food Webs and Food Chains
	Ecosystems of the World
	Ecology and Field Biology

INDICATIVE READING LIST

Begon, M., Townsend, C. R., & Harper, J. L. (2006). Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers.
Diamond, J., & Case, T. J. (Eds.) (1986). Community Ecology. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, Inc.
Futuyma, D. J. (2009). Evolution (2nd ed.). Sinauer Associates Inc.
Krebs, C. J. (1999). Ecological Methodology (2nd ed.). Harlow, England: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Krebs, C. J. (2008). The Ecological Worldview. CSIRO Publishing/ CABI Publishing.
Krebs, C. J. (2009). Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance (6th ed.). New York: Harper & Row.
Ricklefs, R.E. & Miller, G. (2000). Ecology (4th ed.). W.H. Freeman & Co.
Townsend, C. R., Begon, M., & Harper, J. L. (2008). Essentials of Ecology (3rd ed.). Blackwell Publishing.