Chabot College/Las Positas College
January 1994
Course Outline for Ecology 7
NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Catalog Description:
7 - Natural Environments of Southern California
units
3
Landforms, geologic history, organisms and ecological communities of Southern California. Strongly
Recommended: Geology 10, Ecology 10, or Biology 10. 2 hours lecture, 4-day field trips to
Southern California sites.
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1.
obtain an integrated view of the geologic and ecological environments, using the unique
areas and habitats of Southern California as examples;
2.
learn the basic principles of geology as applied to the evolution of the landscape of the
southland;
3.
learn representative organisms in several areas of Southern California and how the
organisms relate to each other and to the inorganic environment.
Course Content:
1.
Geologic overview
a.
Geography of Southern California
b.
Minerals and rocks
c.
Geologic time
d.
Weathering and landforms
e.
Faults and earthquakes
2.
Ecological overview
a.
Various ways of organizing our knowledge of the living world
b.
Ecological communities and their determinants
c.
Plant geography
d.
Plant and animal classification
e.
Ecosystem concept
f.
Ecological succession
g.
Desert ecology
3.
Flora, fauna, and geohistory of selected Southern California sites. Examples of areas that
might be visited are:
a.
Point Lobos
b.
Death Valley
c.
Joshua Tree Monument
d.
Anza-Borrego Desert
Methods of Presentation:
1.
Lecture and discussion.
2.
Slides, movies, video presentations.
3.
Study of collections of minerals, rocks, plants and animals.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1.
Written quizzes and exams
2.
Student's ability to observe and interpret natural surroundings
3.
Written report on a Southern California site in lieu of the field trip
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Natural Environments of Southern California, Stebbins, U.C. Press Publishers
Special Student Materials:
BB/sl/hps revised 1/94
a:ECO7CO.CON
None