HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
1st degree (Bachelor)
Responsible Department:
agroecology & plant health
Semester:
2nd Semester
Teaching Languages:
Hebrew
Campus:
Rehovot
Course/Module Coordinator:
Prof. Moshe Coll
Coordinator Office Hours:
By appointment
Teaching Staff:
Prof Moshe Coll
Course/Module description:
An introduction to the main biotic and abiotic factors that influence the abundance and distribution of organisms in the field; interactions between organisms: predation, competition, mutualism; population dynamic; population genetics; behavioral ecology; communities and biogeography; biogeochemical and nutrient cycling; man and environment.
Course/Module aims:
To teach the basic processes that shape the structure and function of ecological systems; to illustrate the importance of ecological research to humans; and present approaches to conserve ecosystems and reduce adverse effects of humans on the environment.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Define biodiversity and ecological systems. Describe main ecological interactions. Identify major forces in ecosystems. Compare agricultural and natural ecosystems. Evaluate the complexities of some popular ecological debates.
Attendance requirements(%):
100, except lessons during the drop-add-courses period
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
Lecture
Course/Module Content:
1- Introduction: what is ecology and why is it important? The organism in the environment. The structure of ecological systems
2- The organism: metabolism and resource needs. Physiological and ecological tolerance.
3- The population I: size regulation, life table analysis, life history strategies
4- The population II: dynamics, interactions between populations
5- Ecological interactions I: animal-plant, predator- prey
6- Ecological interactions II: competition, mutualism
7- Behavioral ecology: optimal foraging, mating strategy, ecological game theory
8- Population genetics and evolutionary processes: speciation, coevolution, sociobiology
9- The community I: structure, species diversity, energy and nutrient flow
10- The community II: changes in time and space – succession and biogeography
11- Biogeochemical cycles
12- Pollution I: water & air pollution, heavy metals, pesticides
13- Pollution II: greenhouse effect, global climate changes
14- Habitat fragmentation, biological invasions, resource exploitation; Conservation biology
Required Reading:
none
Additional Reading Material:
Begon M, Harper JL & Colin RT 1990 Ecology: Individuals, Populations, and Communities. 2nd ed. Blackwell Science. 945 pp.
Chapman JL & Reiss MJ 1992 Ecology: Principles and Applications. Cambridge University Press. 294 pp.
Colinvaux P 1993 Ecology 2. John Wiley & Sons. 688 pp.
Dodson SI et al. 1998 Ecology. Oxford University Press. 434 pp.
Krebs CJ 2001 Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and abundance. 5th ed. Benjamin Cummings. 695 pp.
McNaughton SJ & Wolf LL 1979 General Ecology. 2nd ed. Holt, Rinehart & Winston. 702pp.
Ricklefs RE & Miller GL 1999 Ecology. 4th ed. Freeman & Co. 822 pp.
Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 100 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %
Additional information:
None
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