This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor: J. Emmett Duffy
Introduction
This reader was developed for a course entitled "Ecology for Teachers" offered through the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University. This distance-ed graduate level course is designed for in-service high school teachers enrolled in a Multidiscplinary Science Masters Degree offered at Texas Tech University. Thus, this course is intended to provide teachers with the background necessary to teach ecology content at the high school level. My philosophy is that teachers are the experts in the pedagogies that are most effective for teaching their students. My job in this course is to provide the content knowledge necessary for teachers to be able to create effective learning opportunities for their students.
Organization of the Course
Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environments. Interactions with the abiotic (non-living) and biotic environment influence global patterns of distribution and abundance as well as the characteristics of organisms living in different environments. Thus, in order to understand the global patterns it will be necessary to understand something about the factors that influence the physical environment of the planet. The fact that organisms interact with their environment over time means that we have to study ecology in an evolutionary context. Ecology plays out at different hierarchical levels. Understanding what happens at one level often requires an understanding of factors operating at the levels below and above them. Finally, these interactions produce emergent properties such as patterns of biodiversity and environmental problems.
Thus, this course is divided into the following sections.
1. The Physical Environment
2. The Evolutionary Context
3. Hierarchical Organization of Ecology
Individuals
Populations
Communities
Ecosystems
Landscapes
Biomes
Biosphere
4. Emergent Properties
Biodiversity
Environmental Issues
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the National Science Standards
The science curriculum in Texas is driven by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and advised by the National Science Education Standards. This course will include topics covered in the High School section of TEKS 112.43. Biology, 112.44.Environmental Systems, and 112.49. Geology, Meteorology, and Oceanography.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Because this course is intended for high school teachers, the level of mastery expected in this course is one that will allow teachers to apply this information in their classrooms. For each section of the course I have listed expected learning outcomes and the relationship between specific learning outcomes and objectives in the TEKS.
1. The Physical Environment
Introduction
The physical factors such as temperature and precipitation vary widely across the planet. Not surprisingly, variation in these factors has a strong influence on characteristics of individual organisms, and patterns of population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem function across the earth. Thus, an understanding of the factors that influence global variation in climate should be helpful when trying to understand global variation in phenotypes, population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem functioning. This section of the course will (1) examine global patterns of variation in the physical environment, and (2) discuss the causes of these patterns. Studying the factors that influence the global physical environment is an important area of connection between earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, and the life sciences.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
describe global patterns of variation in temperature and precipitation and be able to explain the causes of these patterns (TEKS 112.49. 13B).
develop curricular material to teach students how to understand the causes of their local climate and how and why the local climate differs from the climate found in other locations around the earth (TEKS 112.49. 13B).
2. The Evolutionary Context
Introduction
Ecology is affected by factors that act at different temporal scales. For example, the biodiversity of organisms is affected by macroevolutionary processes such as speciation and extinction that take place over long periods of time (evolutionary time). In addition, the distribution and abundance of organisms is influenced by factors taking place in ecological time.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
explain how the process of natural selection has produced a trait that has increased an organism's survival or reproduction in a particular environment (TEKS 112.43. 7B).
identify and describe behavioral, physiological, and morphological adaptations to a particular environment (TEKS 112.43. 7B).
develop curricular materials to teach students how and why the traits of similar organisms can be different across different environments (TEKS 112.43. 7B & 12C).
3. Hierarchical Organization of Ecology
Ecological interactions take place at different levels of hierarchical organization. Interactions at one level often affect interactions at the next higher level of organization (e.g, characteristics of individual organism can influence patterns of population dynamics), and vice versa. In this section we will examine ecological interactions occurring at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere levels.
Individual traits
The process of natural selection should result in traits that adapt animals to their environments. There are many examples of adaptations at the physiological, morphological, behavioral, and reproductive levels in animals, plants, and microbes. As an example of how organisms can adapt to extreme environments, we will focus on the adaptations of desert animals and plants.
Adaptations to desert environments
Desert environments are characterized by low precipitation and often deserts have high temperatures. Thus, organisms living in desert environments face challenges of obtaining water, reducing water loss, regulating their body temperatures, finding food, and reproducing in such harsh environments.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identify and discuss the unique challenges associated with living in arid environments (TEKS 112.43 12C)
explain adaptations of animals and plants for water uptake and water conservation (TEKS 112.43. 7B)
explain adaptations of animals and plants for dealing with high temperatures (TEKS 112.43. 7B
develop curricular materials to teach students about adaptations to arid environments TEKS 112.43. 7B)
develop curricular materials to teach how animals or plants are adapted to a different (non-desert) environment ((TEKS 112.43. 7B & 112.43.12B)
Population Ecology
Even casual observers have noticed that the abundance of animals and plants varies over time. For example, the numbers of mosquitoes in my back yard right now is unusually high (probably in response to the record precipitation that we received last month). In addition, most of us have recognized that different species vary in abundance. For example, while driving at night through West Texas I am much more likely to see a jack rabbit along the side of the road than I am to see a coyote. What causes population sizes to vary among species and population size of a species to vary over time?
Population ecologists study the factors that influence population growth rates and population sizes. Because population ecology focuses on numbers and rates it is a fairly quantitative field. Thus, population ecologists use math and graphs to help them understand patterns that influence population growth. Many students (and teachers) are uncomfortable using math and graphs. The study of population ecology offers an ideal opportunity to integrate mathematics into the science classroom. Thus, it is critical that science teachers become comfortable enough with mathematical and graphical approaches to studying ecology that they are able to teach the information to their students.
Required Reading
Population ecology focuses on the factors that influence population growth and the population size (see population).
how population growth rate varies over time in exponential growth
how per capita growth rate changes over time in exponential growth
teach the relationship between the exponential growth equation and the graphs listed above (TEKS- 112.44. 7B)
explain why exponential growth is an unrealistic pattern of growth for most species (TEKS- 112.44. 7A)
define and teach the carrying capacity (TEKS- 112.44. 7A)
draw, interpret, and teach the following graphs associated with logistic growth (TEKS- 112.44. 7A)
how population size changes over time in logistic growth when the initial population size is much smaller than the carrying capacity
how the population size changes over time in logistic growth when the initial population size is much larger than the carrying capacity
develop curriculum to teach aspects of population growth (TEKS- 112.44. 7A & 7B)
discuss patterns of human population growth, focusing on the differences between the patterns in developed and developing countries
explain possible implications of human population growth (TEKS- 112.44 4C & 5F)
Community Ecology
No organism exists alone in the environment. All organisms require food and energy and many species rely on other organisms as a food source. In addition, all organisms are a potential source of food for other organisms and all organisms are potential hosts for parasites and diseases. Thus, organisms are involved in a complex web of interactions with other members of their community. Because these interactions can be complicated, we will start by discussing single interactions at a time and then build to studying more complex interactions.
Competition
Resources such as food, water, light, soil nutrients, safe sites, and females may be in short supply. When resources are limited individuals will be expected to complete not only with members of their own species (intraspecific competition) but also with members of other species (interspecific competition). Competition can affect population sizes and community composition.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identify and explain examples of exploitative and interference competition from a variety of environments (TEKS 112.43. 12 B & 12 E and TEKS 112.44. 4 A).
define the competitive exclusion principle and explain how this principle can influence patterns of community structure (TEKS 112.43. 12 B & 12 E).
develop curricular materials to illustrate competition in a particular environment (TEKS 112.43. 12 B & 12 E and TEKS 112.44. 4 A).
Predation
All organisms require energy and nutrients to survive. Plants, an example of a primary producer, get the energy they require by converting sunlight energy into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. Because they are unable to photosynthesize, animals must get their energy by consuming other organisms. Thus, there should be strong selection to assure (1) that animals are good at getting food, and (2) good at avoiding becoming food for another animal. Predation is an important source of mortality, and can affect population growth rates and population sizes. In addition, predation can play an important role in determining which, and how many, species are found living in a community.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identify and explain examples of mutualisms from a variety of habitats (TEKS 112.43. 12 B and 12 E).
explain the role that mutualisms can play in determining community structure (TEKS 112.43. 12 B and 12 E).
develop curricular materials to illustrate mutualism in a chosen environment (TEKS 112.43. 12 B and 12 E).
Food Webs and Indirect Effects
Up to now we have examined the effect of only a single ecological interaction at a time. However, in the real world, organisms live in complex webs where every species competes for resources with other species and every species is potentially a food source of other species. Not surprisingly, trying to understand the effects of interspecific interactions is much harder when species are living in complex communities than when we are studying the effects of ecological interactions two species at a time. Determining the outcome of ecological interactions is complicated because organisms have both direct and indirect effects on each other.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
determine the position of a species in the food chain (TEKS 112.43 10D, 12B, 12E and TEKS 112.44 6B)
distinguish between direct and indirect effects and provide examples of indirect ecological effects occurring in specific communities (TEKS 112.43 12B)
identify examples of keystone species and explain how they influence their ecosystem (TEKS 112.43 12B and TEKS 112.44 4D, 4E)
distinguish between bottom-up and top-down community regulation (TEKS 112.43 12B and TEKS 112.44 4D, 4E)
Ecosystem Ecology
Unlike population and community ecologists who focus their attention on organisms, the focus of ecosystem ecologists shifts to studying the flow of energy and nutrients through ecosystems.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identity the source of most energy used by biological organisms on earth and explain the energy transformations experienced by this energy (TEKS 112.43. 9D,12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 6A, 6B, & 6D)
diagram the energy pyramid and explain why it has the shape it does and how it affects population structure at different trophic levels (TEKS 112.43. 9D & 12A and TEKS 112.44. 6B, 6C, & 6D).
diagram food chains and food webs from a variety of environments (TEKS 112.43. 9D, 12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 6B, 6C, & 6D).
develop curricular materials to illustrate the food web and pattern of energy flow in a chosen environment (TEKS 112.43. 9D, 12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 6B, 6C, & 6D).
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
diagram the nitrogen cycle within an ecosystem and explain how the rate of movement from one reservoir to the next can vary between environments (TEKS 112.43. 12A & 12E).
diagram the global carbon cycle and be able to explain how human activity has altered this cycle (TEKS 112.43. 12A).
develop curricular material to illustrate nitrogen cycling withing a chosen environment (TEKS 112.43. 12A & 12E).
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
define biodiversity and explain the various components of diversity including genetic diversity, species diversity, and functional diversity (TEKS 112.43. 7B)
discuss the factors that influence diversity in an ecological community (TEKS 112.43. 7B, 12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44 6C)
explain why biodiversity is important (TEKS 112.44 4E)
compare threats to biodiversity in their local region with those in a distant region (TEKS 112.44 4E)
5. Environmental Issues
There are many environmental issues facing us today. Although this course does not explicitly focus on environmental issues affecting humans, I think that it is important for people to have a basic understanding of ecology in order to be able to understand most environmental problems. Moreover, many current environmental issues provide the opportunity to apply what we have learned about ecology to help us understand and potentially to help us deal with these problems.
Invasive species
The addition of a novel species to a community, either by the intentional or unintentional activity of human or my natural migration, introduces novel ecological interactions into an ecosystem. Not surprisingly, introduced species can have profound and often unexpected effects in a community. Thus, understanding the role of invasive species in ecological communities is an excellent topic to apply our newly developed understanding of ecology.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
discuss the variety of mechanism through which novel species are introduced into a community (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
identity examples of introduced species in your own area
identify examples where introduced species have caused economic and environmental damage to an ecosystem (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
explain why introduced species might often have large negative effects in communities (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
discuss potential ways to limit invasions or to remove novel species (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
Review of Some Other Issues
Your students are constantly receiving information about environmental issues through the media. The following articles will provide some background information that will allow you to accurately discuss these issues with your students when they arise.
Mark McGinley (Lead Author);J. Emmett Duffy (Topic Editor) "Ecology Reader- Ecology for Teachers". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth January 7, 2009; Last revised Date January 7, 2009; Retrieved February 8, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecology_Reader-_Ecology_for_Teachers>
The Author
Stewardship Committee
The Encyclopedia of EarthMark McGinley is an Associate Professor in the Honors College and Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University. He has conducted research in the evolutionary, behavioral, and community ecology of animals and plants. Dr. McGinley’s recent scholarly interests focus on educating the general public about scientific (particularly environmental) issues. He is currently working closely with students in an interdisciplinary degree progr ... (Full Bio)
Introduction
This reader was developed for a course entitled "Ecology for Teachers" offered through the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University. This distance-ed graduate level course is designed for in-service high school teachers enrolled in a Multidiscplinary Science Masters Degree offered at Texas Tech University. Thus, this course is intended to provide teachers with the background necessary to teach ecology content at the high school level. My philosophy is that teachers are the experts in the pedagogies that are most effective for teaching their students. My job in this course is to provide the content knowledge necessary for teachers to be able to create effective learning opportunities for their students.
Organization of the Course
Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environments. Interactions with the abiotic (non-living) and biotic environment influence global patterns of distribution and abundance as well as the characteristics of organisms living in different environments. Thus, in order to understand the global patterns it will be necessary to understand something about the factors that influence the physical environment of the planet. The fact that organisms interact with their environment over time means that we have to study ecology in an evolutionary context. Ecology plays out at different hierarchical levels. Understanding what happens at one level often requires an understanding of factors operating at the levels below and above them. Finally, these interactions produce emergent properties such as patterns of biodiversity and environmental problems.
Thus, this course is divided into the following sections.
1. The Physical Environment
2. The Evolutionary Context
3. Hierarchical Organization of Ecology
Individuals
Populations
Communities
Ecosystems
Landscapes
Biomes
Biosphere
4. Emergent Properties
Biodiversity
Environmental Issues
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the National Science Standards
The science curriculum in Texas is driven by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and advised by the National Science Education Standards. This course will include topics covered in the High School section of TEKS 112.43. Biology, 112.44.Environmental Systems, and 112.49. Geology, Meteorology, and Oceanography.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Because this course is intended for high school teachers, the level of mastery expected in this course is one that will allow teachers to apply this information in their classrooms. For each section of the course I have listed expected learning outcomes and the relationship between specific learning outcomes and objectives in the TEKS.
1. The Physical Environment
Introduction
The physical factors such as temperature and precipitation vary widely across the planet. Not surprisingly, variation in these factors has a strong influence on characteristics of individual organisms, and patterns of population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem function across the earth. Thus, an understanding of the factors that influence global variation in climate should be helpful when trying to understand global variation in phenotypes, population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem functioning. This section of the course will (1) examine global patterns of variation in the physical environment, and (2) discuss the causes of these patterns. Studying the factors that influence the global physical environment is an important area of connection between earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, and the life sciences.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
describe global patterns of variation in temperature and precipitation and be able to explain the causes of these patterns (TEKS 112.49. 13B).
develop curricular material to teach students how to understand the causes of their local climate and how and why the local climate differs from the climate found in other locations around the earth (TEKS 112.49. 13B).
2. The Evolutionary Context
Introduction
Ecology is affected by factors that act at different temporal scales. For example, the biodiversity of organisms is affected by macroevolutionary processes such as speciation and extinction that take place over long periods of time (evolutionary time). In addition, the distribution and abundance of organisms is influenced by factors taking place in ecological time.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
explain how the process of natural selection has produced a trait that has increased an organism's survival or reproduction in a particular environment (TEKS 112.43. 7B).
identify and describe behavioral, physiological, and morphological adaptations to a particular environment (TEKS 112.43. 7B).
develop curricular materials to teach students how and why the traits of similar organisms can be different across different environments (TEKS 112.43. 7B & 12C).
3. Hierarchical Organization of Ecology
Ecological interactions take place at different levels of hierarchical organization. Interactions at one level often affect interactions at the next higher level of organization (e.g, characteristics of individual organism can influence patterns of population dynamics), and vice versa. In this section we will examine ecological interactions occurring at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere levels.
Individual traits
The process of natural selection should result in traits that adapt animals to their environments. There are many examples of adaptations at the physiological, morphological, behavioral, and reproductive levels in animals, plants, and microbes. As an example of how organisms can adapt to extreme environments, we will focus on the adaptations of desert animals and plants.
Adaptations to desert environments
Desert environments are characterized by low precipitation and often deserts have high temperatures. Thus, organisms living in desert environments face challenges of obtaining water, reducing water loss, regulating their body temperatures, finding food, and reproducing in such harsh environments.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identify and discuss the unique challenges associated with living in arid environments (TEKS 112.43 12C)
explain adaptations of animals and plants for water uptake and water conservation (TEKS 112.43. 7B)
explain adaptations of animals and plants for dealing with high temperatures (TEKS 112.43. 7B
develop curricular materials to teach students about adaptations to arid environments TEKS 112.43. 7B)
develop curricular materials to teach how animals or plants are adapted to a different (non-desert) environment ((TEKS 112.43. 7B & 112.43.12B)
Population Ecology
Even casual observers have noticed that the abundance of animals and plants varies over time. For example, the numbers of mosquitoes in my back yard right now is unusually high (probably in response to the record precipitation that we received last month). In addition, most of us have recognized that different species vary in abundance. For example, while driving at night through West Texas I am much more likely to see a jack rabbit along the side of the road than I am to see a coyote. What causes population sizes to vary among species and population size of a species to vary over time?
Population ecologists study the factors that influence population growth rates and population sizes. Because population ecology focuses on numbers and rates it is a fairly quantitative field. Thus, population ecologists use math and graphs to help them understand patterns that influence population growth. Many students (and teachers) are uncomfortable using math and graphs. The study of population ecology offers an ideal opportunity to integrate mathematics into the science classroom. Thus, it is critical that science teachers become comfortable enough with mathematical and graphical approaches to studying ecology that they are able to teach the information to their students.
Required Reading
Population ecology focuses on the factors that influence population growth and the population size (see population).
how population growth rate varies over time in exponential growth
how per capita growth rate changes over time in exponential growth
teach the relationship between the exponential growth equation and the graphs listed above (TEKS- 112.44. 7B)
explain why exponential growth is an unrealistic pattern of growth for most species (TEKS- 112.44. 7A)
define and teach the carrying capacity (TEKS- 112.44. 7A)
draw, interpret, and teach the following graphs associated with logistic growth (TEKS- 112.44. 7A)
how population size changes over time in logistic growth when the initial population size is much smaller than the carrying capacity
how the population size changes over time in logistic growth when the initial population size is much larger than the carrying capacity
develop curriculum to teach aspects of population growth (TEKS- 112.44. 7A & 7B)
discuss patterns of human population growth, focusing on the differences between the patterns in developed and developing countries
explain possible implications of human population growth (TEKS- 112.44 4C & 5F)
Community Ecology
No organism exists alone in the environment. All organisms require food and energy and many species rely on other organisms as a food source. In addition, all organisms are a potential source of food for other organisms and all organisms are potential hosts for parasites and diseases. Thus, organisms are involved in a complex web of interactions with other members of their community. Because these interactions can be complicated, we will start by discussing single interactions at a time and then build to studying more complex interactions.
Competition
Resources such as food, water, light, soil nutrients, safe sites, and females may be in short supply. When resources are limited individuals will be expected to complete not only with members of their own species (intraspecific competition) but also with members of other species (interspecific competition). Competition can affect population sizes and community composition.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identify and explain examples of exploitative and interference competition from a variety of environments (TEKS 112.43. 12 B & 12 E and TEKS 112.44. 4 A).
define the competitive exclusion principle and explain how this principle can influence patterns of community structure (TEKS 112.43. 12 B & 12 E).
develop curricular materials to illustrate competition in a particular environment (TEKS 112.43. 12 B & 12 E and TEKS 112.44. 4 A).
Predation
All organisms require energy and nutrients to survive. Plants, an example of a primary producer, get the energy they require by converting sunlight energy into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. Because they are unable to photosynthesize, animals must get their energy by consuming other organisms. Thus, there should be strong selection to assure (1) that animals are good at getting food, and (2) good at avoiding becoming food for another animal. Predation is an important source of mortality, and can affect population growth rates and population sizes. In addition, predation can play an important role in determining which, and how many, species are found living in a community.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identify and explain examples of mutualisms from a variety of habitats (TEKS 112.43. 12 B and 12 E).
explain the role that mutualisms can play in determining community structure (TEKS 112.43. 12 B and 12 E).
develop curricular materials to illustrate mutualism in a chosen environment (TEKS 112.43. 12 B and 12 E).
Food Webs and Indirect Effects
Up to now we have examined the effect of only a single ecological interaction at a time. However, in the real world, organisms live in complex webs where every species competes for resources with other species and every species is potentially a food source of other species. Not surprisingly, trying to understand the effects of interspecific interactions is much harder when species are living in complex communities than when we are studying the effects of ecological interactions two species at a time. Determining the outcome of ecological interactions is complicated because organisms have both direct and indirect effects on each other.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
determine the position of a species in the food chain (TEKS 112.43 10D, 12B, 12E and TEKS 112.44 6B)
distinguish between direct and indirect effects and provide examples of indirect ecological effects occurring in specific communities (TEKS 112.43 12B)
identify examples of keystone species and explain how they influence their ecosystem (TEKS 112.43 12B and TEKS 112.44 4D, 4E)
distinguish between bottom-up and top-down community regulation (TEKS 112.43 12B and TEKS 112.44 4D, 4E)
Ecosystem Ecology
Unlike population and community ecologists who focus their attention on organisms, the focus of ecosystem ecologists shifts to studying the flow of energy and nutrients through ecosystems.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
identity the source of most energy used by biological organisms on earth and explain the energy transformations experienced by this energy (TEKS 112.43. 9D,12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 6A, 6B, & 6D)
diagram the energy pyramid and explain why it has the shape it does and how it affects population structure at different trophic levels (TEKS 112.43. 9D & 12A and TEKS 112.44. 6B, 6C, & 6D).
diagram food chains and food webs from a variety of environments (TEKS 112.43. 9D, 12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 6B, 6C, & 6D).
develop curricular materials to illustrate the food web and pattern of energy flow in a chosen environment (TEKS 112.43. 9D, 12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 6B, 6C, & 6D).
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
diagram the nitrogen cycle within an ecosystem and explain how the rate of movement from one reservoir to the next can vary between environments (TEKS 112.43. 12A & 12E).
diagram the global carbon cycle and be able to explain how human activity has altered this cycle (TEKS 112.43. 12A).
develop curricular material to illustrate nitrogen cycling withing a chosen environment (TEKS 112.43. 12A & 12E).
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
define biodiversity and explain the various components of diversity including genetic diversity, species diversity, and functional diversity (TEKS 112.43. 7B)
discuss the factors that influence diversity in an ecological community (TEKS 112.43. 7B, 12A, & 12E and TEKS 112.44 6C)
explain why biodiversity is important (TEKS 112.44 4E)
compare threats to biodiversity in their local region with those in a distant region (TEKS 112.44 4E)
5. Environmental Issues
There are many environmental issues facing us today. Although this course does not explicitly focus on environmental issues affecting humans, I think that it is important for people to have a basic understanding of ecology in order to be able to understand most environmental problems. Moreover, many current environmental issues provide the opportunity to apply what we have learned about ecology to help us understand and potentially to help us deal with these problems.
Invasive species
The addition of a novel species to a community, either by the intentional or unintentional activity of human or my natural migration, introduces novel ecological interactions into an ecosystem. Not surprisingly, introduced species can have profound and often unexpected effects in a community. Thus, understanding the role of invasive species in ecological communities is an excellent topic to apply our newly developed understanding of ecology.
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to
discuss the variety of mechanism through which novel species are introduced into a community (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
identity examples of introduced species in your own area
identify examples where introduced species have caused economic and environmental damage to an ecosystem (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
explain why introduced species might often have large negative effects in communities (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
discuss potential ways to limit invasions or to remove novel species (TEKS 112.43. 12B & 12E and TEKS 112.44. 4C, 4D, & 4E)
Review of Some Other Issues
Your students are constantly receiving information about environmental issues through the media. The following articles will provide some background information that will allow you to accurately discuss these issues with your students when they arise.
Ecology
Stewardship Committee
The Encyclopedia of EarthMark McGinley is an Associate Professor in the Honors College and Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University. He has conducted research in the evolutionary, behavioral, and community ecology of animals and plants. Dr. McGinley’s recent scholarly interests focus on educating the general public about scientific (particularly environmental) issues. He is currently working closely with students in an interdisciplinary degree progr ... (Full Bio)
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