Ecology on Campus

This flexible laboratory manual contains nearly 60 exercises involving small-scale ecological systems that can be conducted within a weekly lab period right on campus, regardless of weather or resources available. Each chapter explains a fundamental concept, and then gives three separate hands-on exercises that can involve outdoor observation and measurements on campus, laboratory systems, library research, biological collections, or computer resources.

Additionally, calculation pages accompanying each lab walk readers through standard mathematical modeling or statistical tools commonly used by ecologists to address the question at hand, building readers' quantitative and critical thinking skills. All calculations and statistical analyses can be completed by readers using simple calculators.

Key Topics:

PREFACE: TEACHING AND LEARNING ECOLOGY IN A CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT, DESCRIBING A POPULATION, ALLOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPS, ESTIMATING POPULATION SIZE, POPULATION GROWTH, DEMOGRAPHY, POPULATION GENETICS, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATIONS, THE NICHE, THE CONCEPT OF THE COMMUNITY, COMPETITION,PREDATION AND PARASITISM,

MUTUALISM, BIODIVERSITY, ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION, PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES OF SOILS, AQUATIC SYSTEMS,

ENERGY FLOW, ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY

Market Description: For those interested in learning the basics of ecology on campus