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 University of Calgary Calendar 2023-2024 COURSES OF INSTRUCTION Course Descriptions E Ecology ECOL
Ecology ECOL
ECOL 413 417 419 425 429 439 501 507 527 528 529 530 603
 

For more information about these courses see the Department of Biological Sciences: science.ucalgary.ca/biological-sciences.
 
Senior Courses
 
Ecology 413       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 Barrier Lake Field Station in the two weeks immediately prior to the commencement of the Fall Term.
Course Hours: 3 units; (140 hours)
Prerequisite(s): Biology 313 and 315.
Notes: A supplementary fee will be assessed to cover additional costs associated with this course. Students will require consent of the department to drop this course.
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Ecology 417       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, normally during the first or second week of the term.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s): Biology 313; and Biology 315 or Environmental Science 401.
Notes: A supplementary fee will be assessed to cover additional costs associated with this course.
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Ecology 419       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.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s): Biology 313; and Biology 315 or Environmental Science 401.
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Ecology 425       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.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s): Biology 313 and 315.
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Ecology 429       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.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s): Biology 313 and 315.
Notes: There is a week-end field trip scheduled after the start of classes.     
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Ecology 439       Ecology of Populations
A conceptual and practical treatment of population ecology including: population growth, demography, life histories, population dynamics, competition, predation and mutualism.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s): Ecology 425.
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Ecology 501       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.
Course Hours: 3 units; (0-3)
Prerequisite(s): Ecology 425 and 429; and Ecology 417 or 419; and 75 units.
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Ecology 507       Directed Research in Ecology

Directed training in field/laboratory methods and research.

501.01 Directed Research in Ecology I
507.02 Directed Research in Ecology II
Course Hours: 3 units; (0-8)
Prerequisite(s): 54 units and consent of the Department.
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Ecology 527       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.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-1T)
Prerequisite(s): Biology 313; and 3 units from Ecology 417, Zoology 403 or 477.02.
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Ecology 528       Research Project in Ecology
Research project under the co/supervision of faculty members in the Department of Biological Sciences. Original and independent thought, practical research, and written and oral reports presented on completion of this course.
Course Hours: 6 units; (0-8)
Prerequisite(s): 72 units and consent of the Department.
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Ecology 529       Molecular Ecology and Evolution
Molecular Ecology utilizes population genetics, phylogenetics, and genomics to address questions in ecology, evolution, behaviour and conservation. Topics will include principal and emerging molecular techniques for characterizing and analyzing genetic variation to test quantitative predictions from ecological and evolutionary theory.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-0)
Prerequisite(s): Biology 311 and 313.
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Ecology 530       Honours Research Project in Ecology
Research project under the co/supervision of faculty members in the Department of Biological Sciences. Original and independent thought, practical research, and written and oral reports presented on completion of this course. Open only to Honours Ecology students or Honours Biological Sciences students.
Course Hours: 6 units; (0-8)
Prerequisite(s): 72 units and consent of the Department.
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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       Advanced Behavioural Ecology
Current problems and recent research in areas of particular significance. Topics will vary from year-to-year but may include natural selection, ecology, behaviour, economic decisions, optimal foraging, sexual selection, mate choice, sociality, parental care, altruism, cooperation, evolutionary game theory, communication, mating systems and tactics. Students will choose their own topics to work on and present to the class.
Course Hours: 3 units; (3-0)
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