Invasive Species

Invasive species are an important threat to biodiversity and can be very costly to humans.

Further Reading

1) Invasive Species- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Invasive_species

2) Marine Invasive species - http://www.eoearth.org/article/Marine_invasive_species

3) Aquatic Invasive Species- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Aquatic_invasive_species

4) Invasion Fact Sheet- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Invasion_fact_sheet

Powerpoint Presentation

Invasive Species Slideshow- http://www.slideshare.net/secret/bL1TCLiLtoH5Np


Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- discuss threats caused by invasive species
- discuss strategies to exclude or eliminate invasive species
- discuss some invasive species in Texas
- discuss factors that allow species to invade new communities

In Case You Are Interested: Invasive Species

Invasive species are an important threat to biodiversity and can be very costly to humans.  It is interesting to think about what allows and what are the consequences of adding a new species to a community.

Further Reading

1) Invasive Species- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Invasive_species

2) Marine Invasive species - http://www.eoearth.org/article/Marine_invasive_species

3) Aquatic Invasive Species- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Aquatic_invasive_species

4) Invasion Fact Sheet- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Invasion_fact_sheet

Powerpoint Presentation

Invasive Species Slideshow- http://www.slideshare.net/secret/bL1TCLiLtoH5Np


Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- discuss threats caused by invasive species
- discuss strategies to exclude or eliminate invasive species
- discuss some invasive species in Texas
- discuss factors that allow species to invade new communities

In Case You are Interested: Tilman's Model of Competition for 2 Limiting Resources

Slideshow

http://www.slideshare.net/MarkMcGinley/tilmans-model-of-competition-for-two-resources

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

1)define ZNGI, consumption vector, supply vector, resource supply point

2)determine the outcome of competition when provided with information about ZNGIs, consumption vectors, and resource supply point.

3) distinguish between a stable and unstable equilibrium and be able to discuss why stable equilibria are particularly important outcomes from these models.

Disturbance Ecology

The approach that community ecologists use to understand patterns of biodiversity depends on whether they think that communities are full (i.e., member of communities is limited by biotic interactions such as competition and predation) or whether communities are not full. The "equilibrial approach" to understanding community structure assumes that community membership is limited by competition. Thus, to understand the number of species in a community it will be necessary to understand the number of potential distinct niches. The "non-equilibrial approach" assumes that some procese or processes (such as predation or disturbance) have limited competitive exclusion.

Disturbance Ecology

Ecological disturbances are one example of a process that can limit competitive exclusion. If a disturbance disrupts population growth of a superior competitor, then the population size of the superior competitor may not get large enough to competitively exclude other species.

Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/GH30nvAxRaF4P


Further Reading

1) Here is a link to a chapter entitled - The response of animals to disturbance and their roles in patch generation. that Mike Willig and I wrote for a book Ecosystems of Disturbed Ground. The first portion of this chapter talks about our view of disturbance the second discusses some of my research in Texas.

http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/people/willig/Willig_pdf/094.Willig&McGinley.1999.pdf

2) The Fire Ecology Factsheet- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Fire_ecology_fact_sheet


Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define disturbance
- list examples of disturbances
- distinguish between a disturbance and a disaster
- discuss the characteristics of a disturbance regime
- discuss some adaptations of organisms to disturbances
- discuss why disturbances are natural parts of many ecosystems
- discuss the intermediate disturbance hypothesis

Competition in Animals and Plants

Readings

Competitive Exclusion Principle http://www.eoearth.org/article/Competitive_exclusion_principle

Resource Partitioning and Why It Matters
http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/resource-partitioning-and-why-it-matters-17362658

Slideshow

http://www.slideshare.net/MarkMcGinley/competition-in-animals-and-plants

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a full engaged student should be able to

1) discuss the relationship between the fundamental and realized niche

2) discuss some ways animals can partition niches

3) define and describe character displacement

4) discuss why plants and animals may not be able to partition niches in the same way

5) explain Tilman's R* model

Community Ecology: Coolest Video Ever?

A past Biology student sent me a link to this video. It seems like almost everything that we will talk about this semester is going on in this video. The highlight of my biology life was visiting Kruger Park when I was about 13 (how sad to peak so young). I saw lots of amazing animals, but I didn't see anything like this. This video keeps getting better so make sure you watch it all the way to the end. Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM

Community Ecology

Suggested Readings

Community Ecology- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Community_ecology

Competition- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Competition

Interspecific Competition- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Interspecific_competition

Exploitative Competition- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Exploitative_competition

Predation- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Predation

Mutualism- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mutualism

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define competition, exploitative competition and interference competition

- identify and explain examples of exploitative and interference competition from a variety of environments

- define predation (narrow and broad sense), herbivory, and parasitms

- identify and explain examples of predation, herbivory, and parasitism from a variety of environments

- identify examples of morphological and behavioral adaptations that animals have to help capture their food

- identify examples of morphological, biochemical, or behavioral adaptations that animals have to protect them from predators

- identify and explain examples of mutualisms from a variety of habitats

- define a keystone species and an ecosystem engineer and provide examples of each.