UNIVERSITY OF BALAMAND
Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology
_______________________________________________________________________
Instructor:
Rania Masri, Ph.D. Saliba 109
Course Title:
BIOL 207 – General Ecology (3 credits). Spring 2010
Course Time:
2.00 – 3.30. Wed and Fri
E-mail:
rania.masri@balamand.edu.lb
Office Hours:
by appointment only.
Call (x 3933) or e-mail. Put BIOL 207 in the subject line
_______________________________________________________________________
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This class is intended to familiarize biology and environmental science majors with the concepts of modern ecology.
This course covers the essential principals of evolution and adaptation, energy flow, population and community
interactions and behavioral ecology. Where applicable, human activities affecting natural processes will be examined.
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
 appreciate how ecological understanding is achieved and what we understand, and how our understanding helps us
predict and manage.
 understand ‘the ecology of evolution’ and how ecologists need a full understanding of the evolutionary biologist’s
discipline to make sense of patterns and processes in nature.
 know what makes an environment habitable for particular species, and how conditions and resources influence
individual species and how they influence the composition and distribution of multispecies communities.
 systematically deal with the ecology of individual organisms, populations of a single species, communities
consisting of many populations, and ecosystems.
 turn to the applied questions of how to manage resources sustainably, and to a diversity of pollution problems, and
understand to develop an armoury of approaches that may help us to save endangered species from extinction and
conserve some of the biodiversity of nature for our descendants.
The primary source for you is the textbook. Your second source of information is lecture, which is supplemented with
material on this website. Not all of the information in the text can be presented in lecture but you are responsible for all
of the information in the text and anything added in lecture. The lectures are intended to give an overview of the
material and cover material from the book that bears repetition and close reading: complex ideas and mathematical
formalizations of ecological ideas and hypotheses. Since you are responsible for all of the material, time will be given in
each lecture for questions stemming from your reading. If you do not read the material prior to class, you will miss the
opportunity to ask questions in open forum and must contact me outside of lecture.
Required textbooks/Readings
1) The Economy of Nature (Sixth Edition). Robert E. Ricklefs. Freeman and Company. 2001 – New Book -http://www.whfreeman.com/ricklefs6e
2) (optional) Current scientific articles available on www.greenresistance.wordpress.com
3) (optional) News articles on Lebanon and the region available on: www.greenresistance.wordpress.com
4) Book excerpts , from Silent Spring and Wild Justice (to be distributed)
5) The Cartoon Guide to the Environment
6) The course website is: http://www.greenresistance.wordpress.com/ecology/. All material related to the course will
be posted online. You are encouraged to visit the website on a regular basis (i.e. at least twice a week) for updates,
assignments, readings, and class lectures.
Organic Course Evaluation
 2 exams:
 Comprehensive Final Exam:
 Online quizzes:
 Homework assignments:
22% each (44%)
34%
10% (http://www.whfreeman.com/ricklefs6e)
12%
Extra Credit Options:
 (a) commenting on articles on website – up to 3 points added to your final grade;
 (b) book critique (from: http://www.shelfari.com/raniamasri - with my approval) - up to 5 points added to your
final grade
Note: There is no curve in this class.
Student Reading / Cheat Sheet
To encourage you to read the required textbook chapter (or additional reading material) before class, you are
allowed to write notes and bring those notes to the exam. Here is the procedure. The day that a certain chapter is
due, you may bring to class – at the start of the class – your own notes on the chapter in an 8 x 10 index card. Give
me that card, and I will give that same card back to you during the exam.
Student Exam Questions
Two weeks before each exam, I will ask you to submit questions to me via email that could be used on the exam.
The questions should have the same format as those on the practice quizzes (i.e., multiple choice with 4 options).
You may also email essay questions. When you email questions to me please put "BIOL 207: questions for exam" in
the subject line. For each question of yours that we use on the exam, you will receive 1 extra credit point. I will limit
you to 2 extra points (questions) per exam, but it is in your best interest to submit several (8-10) questions. Also,
writing questions is a very good way to study for exams.
2
ORGANIC TIME TABLE
April 7
April 9
April 14
April 16
April 21
April 23
April 28
April 30
May 5
May 7
May 12
May 14
May 19
May 21
May 26
May 28
June 2
June 4
June 9
Chapter / Readings –
Introduction
Introduction / Life and the Physical Environment
The Physical Environment
Adaptation to Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments
Variations in the Physical Environment
The Biome Concept
Evolution and Adaptation
Need to schedule a make up session
Life Histories and Evolutionary Fitness
Distribution and Spatial Structure of Populations
Population Growth and Regulation
Exam 1 (Chapters 1 – 7, 10-11 – select)
Need to schedule make up session Spatial Dynamics of Populations / Population Genetics
Chapter 1 (pages 1-21)
Chapter 1/ 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12 / 13
Species Interactions
Dynamics of Consumer-Resource Interactions
Competition
Community Structure
Ecological Succession
Biodiversity
Flexible day
Exam 2 (Chapters 12/13, 14-20 – select)
Energy in the Ecosystem
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Pathways of Elements in Ecosystems
Chapter 23 / 24 (select)
Landscape Ecology
Biodiversity, Extinction, and Conservation
Economic Development and Global Ecology
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Lebanon and the Region
flexible day
TBA
Chapter 22
June 11: Reading Period
June 13 – June 19: Final Exams
3
March 19
March 24
March 26
March 31
Subject
3
Page
Date
February 17
February 19
February 24
February 26
March 3
March 5
March 10
March 12
March 17