Introductory description

This module is designed to give an overview of ecological principles and processes to aid an understanding of the natural world, and to provide a foundation for later studies for students with a special interest in environmental studies.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Lecture Outlines

1. Introduction
   What is ecology? Introduction to the module and lecturers. What does ecology mean for me? The diversity of life on earth.
   PART A: The ecology of single species
2. Organisms and their environments
   Conditions, resources, the niche concept.
3. The evolutionary context
   Integrating ecology and evolution, natural selection, genotype, phenotype, nvironment, phenotypic plasticity, local adaptation, the species concept.
4. Life histories
   Ecological strategies, life history evolution, traits and functional ecology, resource allocation, evolutionary stable strategies.
5. Single species populations
   Single species: exponential growth, competition or the environment? Population cycles, Chaos.
   PART B: Interactions between species
6. Interspecific competition and predation
   Trophic interactions: Interspecific competition, predation and predator-prey interactions, indirect interactions (apparent competition).
7. Parasitism and disease
   Importance of parasites, life history strategies and co-evolution, host defence, host manipulation. Parasite population ecology
8. Living together
   Mutualism, commensalism, engineers; pollination; ant mutualisms; gut inhabitants; mitochondria and chloroplasts; bodyguards; mycorrhizae; lichens; agriculture.
   PART C: Biodiversity and the ecology of communities
9. Biodiversity
   Species richness, genetic richness and biodiversity, species area relationships and island biogeography, richness and ecosystem functioning, human impacts. Why species and genetic diversity is important.
10. Ecological succession
    Disturbance, colonisation, succession, community dynamics, community assembly, diversity and productivity.
11. Community ecology
    Introduction to food webs, flow of energy through ecosystems. Metapopulations. Community modules. Trophic cascades.
12. Ecological and evolutionary genetics
    Evolutionary ecology from the individual to the ecosystem.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• understand key ecological principles, including environmental niches, natural selection and phenotypic plasticity
• understand how species interact, including competition, predation, symbiosis and parasitism
• understand biodiversity and the ecology of communities
• understand evolutionary genetics

Indicative reading list

Krebs, C. J. (2009) Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and A*
abundance, 6th Edition. Pearson Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco.
Townsend, C. R., Begon, M. and Harper, J. L. (2008) Essentials of ecology,
3rd Edition. Blackwell Publ., Oxford.
Mayhew, P. J. (2006) Discovering evolutionary ecology; bringing together
ecology and evolution. Oxford University Press.
Spellerberg, I. (2005) Monitoring ecological change, 2nd Edition. Cambridge
University Press.

Subject specific skills

This module will enable students to:

1. understand key ecological principles.
2. appreciate the complexity of ecosystems and the integration of ecological processes within these systems.
3. recognise the role of environmental influences on different levels of organisations within ecosystems.

Transferable skills

Self directed learning
Team Learning
Adult learning