Ecology, EES-152, 4 credits
**Offered Every Fall Semester**
Course description
The study of relationships among organisms and their physical environment. Ecology of individual organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, landscapes, and the biosphere. Topics include organism adaptations and natural selection, life histories, population growth and dynamics, species interactions, energy flow, nutrient cycling, and ecological impacts of human activities. Field-based laboratories focus on the quantitative study of biological populations and communities. Lectures, field-based laboratories, and applied activities.
Course objectives
- Gain an appreciation of relationships between organisms and their environment at the individual, population, community, and ecosystem levels.
- Understand the various approaches and methods that ecologists use to study these relationships at a variety of spatial and temporal scales, including spatial scales ranging from individual organisms to the biosphere, and temporal scales ranging from hours to millennia.
- Become familiar with the application of ecological principles to the management and restoration of ecosystems.
Course structure
The course uses a combination of traditional lectures, discussions, and case-study activities utilizing figures and datasets culled from the primary literature. The lab portion is dominated by field exercises, including a multi-week investigation of forest communities, population ecology utilizing a range of sampling techniques, bioindication using river macroinvertebrate communities, and a tree demography project. Several shorter projects and one weekend trip expose students to the structure and function of a range of ecosystems (e.g., coastal dunes, rivers, wetlands). Both the field and laboratory activities in the course are designed to develop analytical and quantitative skills (e.g., regression, basic statistics, mathematical modeling) as well as collaborative learning.
More information on some of these activities can be found here:
Functional traits and ecological succession on Lehigh University's Tangled Bank:
Lehigh University's Experimental Forest:
Other stuff:
Text
Ricklefs, R. & R. Relyea. 2014. Ecology: the economy of nature. 7th Edition. W.H. Freeman & Company.
Example schedule (Fall 2014)
8/25 M |
Course overview, Introduction to ecology and evolution |
| 8/25 M | LAB- Overview of lab expectations. GPS and tree identification. |
| 8/27 W | Introduction to ecology and evolution |
| 8/29 F | Life, species, and the physical environment |
| 8/29 M | Life on land - climate, soils, and biomes Activity/Discussion |
| 9/01 M | LAB - Forest Ecology: investigations in the Lehigh Experimental Forest |
| 9/03 W | Life in water - oceans and lakes |
| 9/05 F | Life at the interface of land and water - wetlands |
| 9/08 M | Evolution and adaptation. Autecology. |
| 9/08 M | LAB - Forest Ecology: investigations in the Lehigh Experimental Forest |
| 9/10 W | Autecology: temperature relations |
| 9/12 F | Activity/Discussion |
| 9/15 M | Autecology: temperature and water relations |
| 9/15 M | LAB - Forest Ecology in the Lehigh Forest Plantation. Plant identification quiz. |
| 9/17 W | Autecology: water and energy relations |
| 9/19 F | Autecology: energy and nutrient relations |
| 9/22 M | Activity/Discussion |
| 9/22 M | ***EXAM 1*** |
| 9/24 W | Life histories |
| 9/26 F | Reproductive strategies and behavioral ecology |
| 9/28 (Sun) | *All-day field trip: Dune Ecology at Island Beach State Park, NJ* |
| 9/29 M | Behavioral ecology |
| 9/29 M | LAB - Data assimulation and Behavioral Ecology Activity |
| 10/01 W | Population ecology: population structure and distribution |
| 10/03 F | Activity/Discussion |
| 10/06 M | Pacing break - no class |
| 10/06 M | Pacing break - no lab |
| 10/08 W | Population ecology: genetics |
| 10/10 F | Population ecology: dynamics and growth |
| 10/13 M | Population ecology: mathematical models |
| 10/13 M | LAB - Population ecology in the Lehigh Experimental Forest |
| 10/15 W | Interactions: Competition and mathematical models of competition |
| 10/17 F | Interactions: Exploitation and predator-prey dynamics |
| 10/20 M | Interactions: Predator satiation Activity/Discussion |
| 10/20 M | LAB - River community ecology |
| 10/22 W | Interactions: Mutualisms |
| 10/24 F | Activity/Discussion |
| 10/27 M | Community ecology: structure |
| 10/27 M | LAB - River community ecology analyses |
| 10/29 W | Community ecology: dynamics |
| 10/31 F | Ecosystems: primary production and energy flow |
| 11/03 M | Activity/Discussion |
| 11/03 M | **Exam II** |
| 11/05 W | Ecosystems: energy flow and nutrient cycling |
| 11/07 F | Ecosystems: nutrient cycling |
| 11/10 M | Activity/Discussion |
| 11/10 M | LAB – Population demography in the Lehigh Experimental Forest |
| 11/12 W | Ecological succession and ecosystem development |
| 11/15 F | Activity/Discussion |
| 11/17 M | Biogeography |
| 11/17 M | LAB – Population demography analyses |
| 11/19 W | Biogeography and extinction |
| 11/24 M | Activity/Discussion |
| 11/24 M | Ecosystem and community development |
| 11/24 M | LAB - Landscape ecology, GIS, and conservation (computer lab) |
| 11/26 W | Thanksgiving break |
| 11/28 F | Thanksgiving break |
| 12/01 M | Paleoecology and historical ecology |
| 12/01 M | LAB - Growth and Competition group presentations |
| 12/03 W | Global ecology and human impacts |
| 12/05 F | Global ecology and human impacts |
| 12/10-12/18 | FINAL EXAM |
Image from 2011 article describing forest ecology work on South Mountain. From Lehigh's alumni bulletin (Fall 2011). Click image to download article.