This 3-credit course is an introduction to the major principles and underlying processes of organismal, population, community, and ecosystem ecology. For the Fall 2008 semester at the College of Southern Nevada, this course will begin on August 25, 2008 and ends on December 12, 2008.
Introduction to Ecological Principles is a distance education course; all aspects of the course are conducted entirely online. All lecture materials will be posted on the course website for you to view. All quizzes and exams will be completed via the website. To succeed in this - and any other online course - you need to be self-motivated and have reliable access to a computer with an internet connection.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. As such, this course will introduce you to a variety of topics, including the basic characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, influences on population growth, predation, parasitism, etc.
Although the course is an extension of some of the topics introduced in Biol 100 and Env 101, neither is a pre-requisite for enrolling in Biol/Env 220. Introduction to Ecological Principles is suitable for biology and ecology majors, landscape architecture students, environmental science majors, and non-majors with an interest in understanding the ecological processes that structure the ecosystems of the Earth.