Introduction To Ecology BEN101

START YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND LIFE SCIENCES CAREER HERE!

Ecology is the cornerstone of the Life Sciences. It provides the link between the different branches of Life Sciences, structuring them as a complete concept of life. Ecology studies the relationships between living beings, be it animal, plants or microorganisms, and with their environment. How we interact, benefit or compete with each other, how we evolve together, how the environment presents opportunities for change, and how living beings alter the environment to provide for their own needs.

COURSE CONTENT

This subject has 7 lessons as follows:

1. Ecosystems & Populations
   Components of an ecosystem, Biomes, Detrital & grazing webs, trophic levels, energy flows etc
2. The Development Of Life
   Lifespans, Natural selection, Genetics, Understanding arguments for and against theory of evolution, etc
3. Animals, Parasites & Endangered Species
   Comparative anatomy, how animals fit in ecosystems, animals in the human community, parasites, etc
4. Fungi, Tundra, Rainforests & Marshlands
   Physiology, anatomy, classification and ecology of fungi; Location, the climate, the plant and animal life
   related to different systems including tundra, marshes and rainforests.
5. Mountains, Rivers & Deserts
   Formation ecology and importance of mountains (including erosion, volcanoes etc), formation & types of rivers, catchments, dams, deserts and their ecology, etc.
6. Shallow Waters
   Shore lines, coral reefs, intermediate reefs, estuaries, sandy shores, etc.
7. Ecological Problems
   The Greenhouse Effect, The Ozone Layer, Poisons & Waste Materials

EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU MAY DO IN THIS COURSE

• Observe an ecosystem in your local area.  Identify the inhabitants of the ecosystem and their location in the food web of that system.
• Compare the similarities and differences between the detrital web and the grazing web
• Discuss what scientific discoveries the Theory of Evolution, both past and present, is based on.
• List and explain the four arguments of evolution.
• Define Natural Selection.
• Discuss how genetics are related to evolution.
• Go to an ecological environment (as natural and un-human interfered as possible) and observe the plants and relationships that exist.
• Visit a local stream or river. Observe the condition of the stream, particularly the presence of indigenous vegetation and its affect on stream bank condition. Also look for evidence of human activity on the condition of the stream or river
• Discuss, in your own words, the theories which have been advanced in the past regarding the formation of coral reefs.