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HU Credits:
5
Degree/Cycle:
1st degree (Bachelor)
Responsible Department:
Life Sciences
Semester:
1st Semester
Teaching Languages:
Hebrew
Campus:
E. Safra
Course/Module Coordinator:
Prof. Maoz Fine
Coordinator Office Hours:
By appointment
Teaching Staff:
Mr. Nir Band,
Mr. Dan Amichai,
Prof Maoz Fine,
Dr. Oren Kolodny
Course/Module description:
The course focuses on principal processes in ecology at levels ranging from individuals, through populations and communities through the global biosphere. Emphasis is given to relationships between organisms and their biotic and abiotic environment and their adaptation to the ambient conditions.
Course/Module aims:
Basic knowledge of the biotic and abiotic environment on Earth and the understanding of key ecological processes that determine the abundance and distribution of organisms.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. To identify biotic and abiotic environment on Earth
2. To analyze ecological processes and effects of environmental conditions on organisms from the scale of the individual to the biosphere.
Attendance requirements(%):
Attendance in labs is compulsory
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
Two weekly lectures, 2 hours each, and a weekly, 1 hr long, exercise. (Hour&eq; academic unit of 45 min).
Course/Module Content:
Environmental conditions on land, in lakes, and in the ocean. Limiting factors. Trophic structure and dynamics. Microbial ecology. Nutritional ecology. Competition. Predator-prey relationships. Predation risk. Direct and indirect effects of predators. Fundamentals of biogeochemistry. Global changes. Human effects on ecosystems.
Required Reading:
Begon, Harper and Townsend/ Ecology.
Ricklefs/ Ecology.
Selected papers.
Additional Reading Material:
Selected papers.
Grading Scheme :
Written / Oral / Practical Exam 80 %
Essay / Project / Final Assignment / Home Exam / Referat 20 %
Additional information:
During the course, each student should submit 4 written assignments. The assignment must be written independently by each student and submitted electronically in Word or PDF format through the course's Moodle site. The assignments will be checked and graded by the TAs, with a maximum grade of 110% (to increase the chances of getting a grade of 100% for the excercises' part).
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