AN-NAJAH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Science-Department of Biology and Biotechnology
Course Outline-Ecology
Dr. Raed Alkowni
Course Objectives:
General Ecology is a broad introduction to the science of Ecology, the relationships between organisms and their environment. It is the science of understanding how living things interact with the physical environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field incorporating such sub-disciplines such as geology, soil biology, botany, physiology, physics, chemistry and animal behavior, which all contribute to our knowledge of how living things live and grow. We will explore interactions between organisms and their abiotic and biotic environments, from the level of individual organisms and populations to communities and ecosystems to global processes.
Laboratories provide the opportunity to investigate ecological questions, and to practice techniques through lab and field activities.
Lectures textbook:
Additional Reading:
Exams:
The evaluation of student understanding of the course will be through Quizzes, homework and written exams. The marks will be distributed as:
Lecture: 75%
First Exam 20%
Second Exam 20
Final Exam 35%
Lab: 25%
Reports & Quizzes 10%
Final Exam 15%
Course Outline:
Lecture:
Wk |
Chapter Title |
---|---|
1-2 |
Introduction to Ecology Science: Biotic & Abiotic Factors |
3-4 |
Individual (Organism) Ecology |
5-6 |
Population Ecology: Population Structure; Population Distribution & Abundance; Population Dynamics; Population Growth |
|
First Exam |
7-9 |
Community Ecology: Community, Habitat, Niche; community interactions: Competition, Predation, Herbivory, Symbiosis, and Others; Energy And Nutrient Relations; Food Chain and food; Webs; Disturbance and Succession |
10-11 |
Ecosystem Ecology: Energy Flow and Chemical Cycling |
|
Second Exam |
12-14 |
Large Scale Ecology (Biosphere) Biomes Of The World; Global Changes; |
15-16 |
Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology |
|
|
Ecology Lab
This introductory ecology lab focuses on the process of collecting, recording and analyzing data, and equips students with the tools they need to function in more advanced science courses. It reflects the most current techniques for data gathering so that students can obtain the most accurate samples. Balanced coverage of plant, animal and physical elements offers a diverse range of exercises. Includes exercise on writing research reports.
There will be several field trips that take place during normal lab hours. Research Project will be required to complete a research project and write a paper about your project. Your project should involve a simple experiment or series of field observations designed to test a specific hypothesis. The data that you collect must be analyzed in a quantitative manner. This means that you should plan your study carefully and pay close attention to the importance controls, replication of experimental units (or sampling units), etc.
The format of your paper should follow the general format of journal articles (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Literature Cited sections, etc.). The PowerPoint presentation is not to exceed 15 minutes. The presentation should address all salient features of the study: why the study was conducted, how it was done, what were the results, and what are the conclusions. The use of photographs and figures is strongly encouraged. The criteria used for grading the final paper and the PowerPoint presentation will be made available for students. Research proposals and final papers turned in past the due date will lose 10% of the earned points for every past-due day. Late PowerPoint presentations will not be accepted.
Lab Works
Week |
Title |
Lab# |
1 |
General Lab Safety And Instructions |
- |
2 |
Introduction. How to write good ecological Reports, Experimental Design in Ecological Studies; Sampling Design in Ecological Studies |
Lab1 |
3 |
Sampling methods; Basics of Statistical Analysis and Testing in Ecology |
Lab2 |
4 |
How to measure Spatial Distribution (practice in field) |
Lab3 |
5 |
Estimate population densities and describe patterns of dispersions(practice in field) |
Lab4 |
6 |
Species Diversity: data collection (practice in field) |
Lab5 |
7 |
Species Diversity: Measuring diversity and data analysis |
Lab6 |
8 |
Species Diversity: Student presentations |
|
9 |
Life Tables: Data Analysis on Life Tables practice |
Lab7 |
10 |
Soil properties: data collection (practice in field) |
Lab8 |
11 |
Soil properties: data analysis (practice in lab) |
Lab9 |
12 |
Soil properties: student presentations |
Lab10 |
13 |
Water Analysis: for Sewage contaminants, pesticides, or any other pollutants |
Lab11 |
14 |
Geographical ecology (Scientific trip) / (Revision and watching videos about Global Ecology) |
Lab12 |
15 |
Revision |
- |
16 |
Final Exam |
|