Ecology 2

Course goals

Learning goals
The central theme of this course is how ecological theory informs and is applied in conservation, management, and policy of socio-ecological systems. At the end of the course students are expected to:

1. Explain five fundamental ecological theories
2. Explain the role of theoretical modeling in ecological research, conservation, management, and policy
3. Discuss the differences between scientific writing and science communication
4. Formulate and modify simple theoretical and statistical models in R,
5. Situationally apply ecological theories for given conservation, management, or policy applications
6. Select the appropriate statistical test for an ecological hypothesis that you’ve developed based on external information
7. Develop, present, and perform peer evaluation for a poster describing the role of the environment in altering ecological interactions,
8. Conceptualize, develop, collect data for, analyze data for, and present a science communication group project applying ecological theory to a local ecosystem

Skills

• Using R for theoretical modeling.
• Collecting observational data.
• Processing and analyzing data in R.
• Critically evaluating statistical output.
• Independently searching literature for relevant articles.
• Working together in small groups on relevant ecological topics.
• Giving and receiving feedback with peers.
• Creating scientific communication content that is targeted to a specific stakeholder group.

 

Vaardigheden	Onderdeel van de cursus	Expliciet getoetst?
Schrijven	X	X
Mondeling presenteren	X	X
Omgaan met data	X	X
Praktische onderzoeksvaardigheden	X	X
Onderzoeksvaardigheden	X
Samenwerken	X	X
Kritisch denken	X	X
Loopbaanoriëntatie	X
Interdisciplinariteit	X

 

Content

Entry requirements  
Level 1 course in Ecologie en Experiment or comparable pre-knowledge

Study path
Ecological theory and applications is a core course of the Ecology and Wildlife Management study path. It provides essential preparation for Biodiversity and Landscapes.

Language
Deze cursus wordt geheel in het Engels gegeven. This course is entirely in English.

Content & work formats
Ecological theory and application explores the major pathways of ecological theory from competition between individual species to global ecosystems. Each week, we will explore an ecological theory and then examine how that ecological theory is applied in practice to conservation through case studies. These case studies include examining human interactions through the lens of competition theory, conservation policy in desert systems, water management and rewilding in important Dutch ecosystems, ecological restoration across landscapes, and global climate policy. These case studies examine the consequences of ecological theory across stakeholders, systems, and scales. These case studies include one field trip by bike as well as a small experiment and will include digital guest lectures from researchers around the world as well as two local guest lectures from Utrecht University and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. The final project for the course will examine humans as drivers of ecological processes in urban/suburban ecosystems. The course will generally take a hybrid flexible approach with lectures occurring live in person and recorded, two fully online guest lectures, one field trip to an important Dutch ecosystem, and two in person group presentations.

Grading & assessment
To pass this course, a minimum of 5,5 is mandatory for each graded section of the course and you must receive a pass for all four of the pass/fail assignments.
 

• Objectives 1-4, modelling and writing exercises: pass/fail

• Objective 5 and presentation:                  5%
• Objective 6 and presentation:                  45%
• Exam:                                                50%

Study material  
None.