2020-2021 Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Catalog [PREVIOUS CATALOG YEAR]

ENV 105 - Environmental Biology


Description: Introduction to ecological systems, natural resources, and applications to environmental issues. Includes population, community, and ecosystem analysis. Emphasis on field, laboratory, and writing activities. This course is cross-listed with BIO 105 .

Prerequisites: Reading Proficiency

Credits: 4
Lecture: 3
Lab: 3

Course Content:
  1. Interactions of individual organisms with the physical environment 
  2. Interactions of individuals and populations with the biological environment 
  3. Energy flow through communities and ecosystems 
  4. Factors affecting global distribution of climate 
  5. Characteristics of the major biomes 
  6. Interaction between humans and the environment 
  7. Field data collection techniques 
  8. Recording data and observations 
  9. Interpretation of data 
  10. Elementary statistics 
  11. Biogeochemical cycles 
  12. Population variation, adaptations, and natural selection 
  13. Island biogeography and conservation applications

Learning Outcomes:
  1. Describe the adaptations of organisms to the physical environment. (1)
  2. Describe intra and inter specific competition, and other types of interactions between individuals and populations. (2) 
  3. Describe and graph exponential and logistic population growth. (2) 
  4. Describe the flow of energy through ecosystems emphasizing trophic levels and food webs. (3) 
  5. Describe the processes generating climatic zones on the Earth. (4) 
  6. Correlate biomes with climate patterns (4,5) 
  7. List the physical and biotic characteristics of the major biomes (5) 
  8. Describe interactions between hunter-gatherer, pastoral, agrarian, and industrial societies and the environment. (6) 
  9. Collect quantifiable data using various field methods. (7,8) 
  10. Analyze data using graphical and statistical methods. (9,10)
  11. Describe the major biogeochemical cycles including water, carbon, and nitrogen. (11) 
  12. Describe the basic mechanisms and conditions affecting populations with respect to evolution and natural selection. (12) 
  13. Describe the influence of area, distance, and other factors in predicting species diversity. (13)