| Course Description |
This course will provide students with a foundation in ecological principles and ecosystem functioning. The core of the course involves identifying biotic and abiotic factors and the interactions that influence the distribution of plants and animals geographically and temporally.
Students will be exposed to the major tropical habitat types of Brunei/Borneo and to current issues relating to human impact on the global environment, including a particular focus on the major environmental problems facing Southeast Asia today.
From both the theory and practical aspects of this course, students will be able to:
-Examine ecological principles and the development of ecology as a discipline
-Determine energy flow patterns that drive ecosystems
-Determine the mechanisms of ecological functioning, e.g. relative roles of herbivory and detritivory in various terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
-Examine examples of biotic interactions and their ecological consequences
-Identify current (and historical) issues relating to human impact on major biomes of the world.
|
