Ecology ECOL
Instruction offered by members of the Department of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science.
Department Head - J.I. Goldberg
†Limited amounts of non-scheduled class time involvement will be required for these courses.
Senior Courses
Ecology 413 (140 hours)
Field Course in Ecology
An examination of ecological principles and techniques through field exercises, including studies of terrestrial and aquatic populations, communities and ecosystems. The course is held at the Kananaskis Centre for Environmental Research in the two weeks immediately prior to the commencement of the Fall Session.
Prerequisites: Biology 313 and 315.
Note: Enrolment in this course may be limited. See explanation in the Program section of this Calendar.
Ecology 417 H(3-3)
Aquatic Communities and Ecosystems
Community composition and dynamics at the various trophic levels of aquatic ecosystems. Temporal and spatial changes in community composition, physical and chemical conditions, and their effects on the ecosystem. There will be a full week-end field trip.
Prerequisites: Biology 313 and 315 or Environmental Science 401.
Note: Enrolment in this course may be limited. See explanation in the Program section of this Calendar.
Ecology 419 H(3-3)
Terrestrial Communities and Ecosystems
Processes and patterns in above- and below-ground terrestrial communities. Ecosystem level processes in fluxes of carbon and nutrients. Methods for assessing biomass, productivity and biochemical pathways.
Prerequisites: Biology 313 and 315 or Environmental Science 401.
Note: Enrolment in this course may be limited. See explanation in the Program section of this Calendar.
Ecology 425 H(3-3)
Quantitative Biology II
Quantitative analysis as applicable to ecological research. Methodologies and models will be presented and analyzed. Particular emphasis will be placed on experimental design, regression analysis, and the study of spatial dispersion.
Prerequisites: Biology 313 and 315.
Note: Enrolment in this course may be limited. See explanation in the Program section of this Calendar.
Ecology 429 H(3-3)
Ecology of Individuals
Ecological and evolutionary perspectives on physiology and behaviour. This course focuses on the influences on resource acquisition, maintenance, growth, and reproduction and their implications for survival and fertility.
Prerequisites: Biology 313 and 315.
Note: Enrolment in this course may be limited. See explanation in the Program section of this Calendar.
Ecology 439 H(3-3)
Ecology of Populations
A conceptual and practical treatment of population ecology including: population growth, demography, life histories, population dynamics, competition, predation and mutualism.
Prerequisites: Ecology 425 and 429.
Note: Enrolment in this course may be limited. See explanation in the Program section of this Calendar.
Ecology 491 H(3-3)
Ecological Entomology
Insect diversity. Terrestrial and aquatic adaptations. Chemical ecology and insect relationships with plants. Behavioural ecology with emphasis on social insects. Insect populations and their natural and artificial control.
Prerequisites: Biology 233 and 313.
Note: Offered in odd-even dated academic years.
Ecology 501 H(0-3)
Ecological and Evolutionary Applications
A class project course in which students apply their understanding of ecological and evolutionary concepts and their analytical skills to investigate selected problems in detail. Project topics vary from year to year and will include fundamental and applied problems. Formal written and oral reports will be presented as a necessary component of the course.
Prerequisites: Ecology 417.
Corequisites: Prerequisites or Corequisites: Biology 401, Ecology 419 and 439.
Note: Ecology 501 should be taken in the final year of the program.
Ecology 507 H(3-3)
Special Problems in Ecology
Lectures, seminars, term papers and training in theoretical and/or laboratory methods. After consultation with a Departmental faculty member who will supervise the chosen problem, a permission form obtained from the Department Office must be signed by the course supervisor before a student can register.
Prerequisites: Completion of at least 10 full-course equivalents and consent of the Department.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Ecology 527 H(3-1T)
Ecology of Fishes
The ecology of fishes with an emphasis on freshwater systems. Fish will be used as models for examining ecological principles and theory at various levels of organization including physiological, behavioural, population and community ecology. Topics covered include: morphology, systematics, foraging, bioenergetics, life history strategies, population dynamics and the role of fish in aquatic food webs.
Prerequisites: Biology 313, and one of Ecology 417 or Zoology 477.02.
Note: Offered in even-odd dated academic years.
Ecology 528 F(0-6)
Independent Studies in Ecology
Original and independent thought, practical research and the completion of written and oral reports. After consultation with a Departmental faculty member who will supervise the chosen problem, a permission form obtained from the Department Office must be signed by the course supervisor before a student can register.
Prerequisites: Completion of at least 15 full-course equivalents and consent of the Department.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Ecology 530 F(0-8)
Honours Research Project in Ecology
Research project under the direction of one or more faculty members in the Department of Biological Sciences. Formal written and oral reports must be presented on completion of this course. Open only to Honours Ecology students or Honours Biological Sciences students. After consultation with a Department faculty member who will supervise the chosen problem, a permission form obtained from the Department Office must be completed before a student can register.
Prerequisites: Completion of at least 15 full-course equivalents and consent of the Department.
Graduate Courses
Enrolment in any graduate course requires consent of the Department.
Only where appropriate to a student's program may graduate credit be received for courses numbered 500-599. 600-level courses are available with permission to undergraduate students in the final year of their programs.
Ecology 603 H(3-0)
Advanced Behavioural Ecology
Current problems and recent research in areas of particular significance. Topics will vary from year to year.
Note: Offered in even-odd dated academic years.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Ecology 607 H(0-6)
Limnology and Oceanography
Lectures, seminars and projects in the areas of limnology, aquatic ecology and oceanography.
Ecology 677 H(0-6)
Advanced Population Ecology
The theory and practice of the study of populations, methods of population estimation, factors affecting populations, and systems approaches to the modelling of populations.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT