Ecology & Natural History Syllabus

 This course is designed to introduce students to the study of the environment from a variety of different points of view. Students will explore the complex interrelationships among diverse organisms and their environments through their study of the scientific, political, social, ethical, and economic implications of critical environmental problems as governments, organizations, and individuals attempt to protect endangered species and critical habitats. Assessments in this course will stress concise, analytical, scientific writing including weekly essays and lab reports. Students will share their work through electronic presentations and frequent participation in classroom discussion. Students will use the class blog to electronically submit their work to the instructor and their classmates for critique and evaluation.  Rather than a standard textbook, readings will focus on selected literature that reflects a variety of points of view on environmental issues. Although subject to change, the current texts used in this course are:

•  The Future of Life. Edward O. Wilson.  2002. Knopf.
• Desert Solitaire. Edward Abbey.  1968. Simon and Schuster.

 Both semester exams will take the form of an extensive research project focused on topics studied during the school year.

 

The order of the Topics is a typical sequence for this course but is subject to change to reflect changes in the text, the academic calendar, student needs, or other contingencies.  These topics are intended to reflect the major conceptual ideas and content material covered in this course. They are not intended to necessarily represent discrete units of study or book chapters; material from one topic may be combined with another in a unit of study.

 The standards used to align the Ecology & Natural History curriculum include the following:

•  Fontbonne Academy, its mission statement and outcomes (FBA).        
• Fontbonne Academy Science Department (SD)
• Massachusetts State Frameworks (MSF).
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
• National Science Education Standards (NSES).
• Association of American Universities/The Pew Charitable Trust (PET).

 The notations indicating the correspondence to these standards only refer to the major points of alignment. There are many places in the curriculum that generally correspond to other points in these standards.

 

Each Topic title provides a link to the corresponding detailed syllabus.

 

Topic	Key Questions
Introduction to Ecology & Natural History	What are the sciences ecology and natural history? How do these sciences relate to other branches of science? Why are these sciences important to non-scientists? What are the different sub-fields of ecology?
Research Tools in Ecology	What is the Scientific Method and how is it used in ecology? What are the common tools used by ecologists and natural historians? What is a random sample and why are they important? How do scientists describe population characteristics using sampling data? How do scientists evaluate hypotheses using statistical tests?
Physiological Ecology	What is adaptation at the level of the individual? How is the measure of physiological tolerance related to adaption? What is the biochemical and cellular basis of tolerance?
Ecology of Populations	What is a population? What are the characteristics of a population that distinguish it from the individuals in the population? What is an exponential and logistic growth pattern and how are they a reflection of a population’s defining characteristics? How do limiting factors set the carrying capacity of a population? How do density dependent and density independent factors control the rate of increase and carrying capacity of a population? How does human population growth compare to that of other organisms?
Communities and Ecosystems	What are the defining characteristics of a community and an ecosystem? How do the biotic and abiotic factors of an ecosystem influence the constituent populations in an ecosystem? How does energy flow through an ecosystem and how is this consistent with the laws of thermodynamics? What is a “Niche” and how is the niche of a species related to the structure of an ecosystem? What are the symbiotic relationships among species in a community that bind the community structure together? How are important nutrients recycled in an ecosystem? What are the mechanisms of ecological succession that drive natural changes in ecosystems? How does human activity alter the natural structure and stability of ecosystems?
Human Population Ecology: Race Between Population Growth and Technological Solutions	What are the driving forces moving industry and technology and how do they impact human society? What are the positive and negative consequences of industrial growth on the environment? Can the conflict between economic growth and environmental destruction be reconciled?
Causes of Global Environmental Collapse: The Five “HIPPO” Factors	What are the “HIPPO” factors of environmental destruction? Why is Habitat destruction more than simply the loss of acres of land or sea? How do Invasive species have the potential to alter entire ecosystems? What are the primary sources of Pollution and how do they breakdown the nutrient and energy pathways of ecosystems? How does the increasing human Population contribute to the decline of ecosystems? How does Overharvesting of the world’s resources increase the rate of environmental decline and hinder its recover?
Scientific and Economic Solutions	What are the scientific technologies available to measure environmental problems and offer solutions?” How can economic forces contribute to the success of environmental solutions other than simply providing funds?
Political, Social, and Ethical Solutions	How has government played a role in creating environmental problems? What legislative and regulatory action can government take to address environmental problems? Can opposing political organizations/parties find common ground in finding solutions to environmental problems? How do Global, National, State, and Local governments play similar or different roles in addressing environmental issues? How can NGO (nongovernmental organizations) play a positive role in addressing environmental issues? What role can organized religions play in addressing environmental issues? What is the role of the individual in this process?
Technology       Return to Ecology & Natural History	What are the technological resources used to study ecological systems and environmental damage? What technologies are available to effectively communicate scientific information to an audience?