UNIVERSITY OF GUAM

COURSE OUTLINE

Course Number: BI 410 College: College of Arts & Sciences

Course Title: Ecology/ Division: Natural Sciences

Date of Final Approval: Credit Hours: 3

Semester Offered: Fall/Even Years

Course Counts as: General Education Requirement

Ö Part of Biology major program

Ö Elective

1. CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

A study of fundamental concepts and methods of ecology illustrated by the examination of local natural systems; vegetational, faunal, and physical factors of the environment are considered. The Lab, BI 410L, MUST be taken concurrently.

Prerequisite: BI 157/157L and BI 158/158L or equivalent.

Corequisite: BI 410L

2. COURSE CONTENT:

Autecology, population, community and ecosystem ecology. Factors of man’s impacts, including overpopulation, deforestation, pollution, introduction of exotics, etc.

3. RATIONALE FOR THE COURSE:

Senior students in biology have built up a fund of information which can be reviewed and integrated with other information. Both theoretical and practical ideas can be assessed.

4. SKILLS AND BACKGROUND REQUIRED OR EXPECTED:

BI 157-157L, and BI 158-158L, or equivalent

5. TEACHING METHODOLOGIES AND ANTICIPATED CLASS SIZE:

Lecture sessions are taught by lecturing; student review and analysis are encouraged by questioning. Lab sessions involve practical experience analyzing local ecosystems using typical field methodologies and the production of several analytical papers. Class size: 20-25

6. ADDITIONAL COURSE DESCRIPTORS:

None.

7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR STUDENTS:

1. Students review materials from previous studies and integrate information.

2. Students practice field work using the materials and methods of field biology.

3. Students learn to write reports which show their ability to integrate their field data with published information.

8. METHODS OF EVALUATION:

Hour exams.

Field trip reports are the most important methods of evaluation.

9. REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR STUDY GUIDES:

Brower/Zar/Von Ende, Field & Laboratory Methods for General Ecology, Third Edition. Wm. C. Brown, Publishers 1990

10. SUBSEQUENT COURSES:

Ecology should be a senior year course; it can lead to a plant taxonomy, animal diversity, marine biology/ecology course, but usually builds on information gained in those courses. Leads to Graduate School.