ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY (Biology 5863-030)
Study of human interactions with ecosystems including environmental issues, concepts, and conservation and management of natural resources.
OFFICE HOURS:
Office hours are posted on my office door. You are not
restricted to the posted times, but if you need to see me outside office
hours you might want to make an appointment to be sure I will be available.
GRADING:
The course grade will be based on four exams of equal value given during
the semester, and a presentation given by each student on some aspect of
environmental biology. Students will be expected to be knowledgeable
on all topics covered by class lectures, discussions and student presentations.
TEXTBOOK:
There is no specific textbook for the class. A list of general
resources, available in the library, will be provided each student as well
as books which may be checked out from Dr. Keith.
CLASS PRESENTATION:
Each student will be required to make a presentation on a topic selected
from a list provided by the instructor, or another topic on environmental
biology approved by Dr. Keith. The grade will count one fifth of
the course grade. There will be questions on each lectaure exam based
on the presentations so an outline of your talk should be given to each
student as well as a list of references used for its preparation.
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY LECTURE EXAM SCHEDULE
| February 8 |
Lecture Exam 1 |
| March 8 |
Lecture Exam 2 |
| April 5 |
Lecture Exam 3 |
| May 3 |
Final Exam (Thursday, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.) |
FINAL GRADES 2001
CHART ON COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND ENERGY FLOW
TOXIC CHEMICALS IN THE GREAT LAKES
ADVANCED (TERTIARY) SEWAGE TREATMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY LINKS
SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR PRESENTATIONS
STUDENT PRESENTATION SCHEDULE
MAJOR TOPICS
1. Definition and Basic Concepts
A. Trophic structure in the ecosystems
B. Ecosystem diversity
C. Flow of materials
D. Energy flow
E. Productivity
F. Thermodynamics and pyramids
2. Population dynamics
A. Growth curves
(1) Interruptive,
or Malthusian growth
(2) Logistic
growth
(3) Factors
determining carrying capacity
(4) Density
dependent and independent factors
(5) Autoregulation
B. Human population problems
(1). Growth
through history
(2). Global
population growth
(3). Developed
vs. developing nations
(4). Demographic
transition
(5). Age structure
(a). Kinds of overpopulation
(b) Malthusian overpopulation
(c) Technological overpopulation
(6). Population
problems in Africa
(7). Control
of population growth in China
3. Natural resources
A. Water
(1) Water shortage
(2) Increasing
water supplies
(3) Water conservation
(4) Reclamation
of sewage water
(5) Development
of groundwater resources
(6) Desalination
(7) Development
of salt-resistant crops
(8) Development
of drought-resistant crops
(9) Rain making
(10) Harvesting
icebergs
(11) Long-distant
transport
B. Water pollution
(1) Kinds of
pollution (point, nonpoint)
(2) Pollution
control
(a) Output controls
(b) Input controls
(3) Sediment
pollution
(a) Sources
(b) Harmful effects
(c) Control of sediment pollution
(4) Nutrient
pollution
(a) Natural eutrophication
(b) Lake types based on productivity
(c) Cultural eutrophication
(d) Source of nutrients
(e) Control of eutrophication
(5) Thermal
Pollution (Calefaction)
(a) Definition and cause
(b) Harmful effects
* Reduced oxygen
* Interference with reproduction
* Increased vulnerability to disease
* Direct mortality
* Invasion of destructive organisms
* Undesirable changes in algal populations
* Destruction in cooling water
* Stranding
(c) Control
(6) Disease-producing
organisms
(7) Water
pollution by toxic organic compounds
(8) Oxygen-demanding
organic wastes
(9) Heavy
metal pollution
(10) Sewage treatment
and disposal
(11) Legislating water
pollution control
(12) Trends in water
quality
(13) World view of
water pollution
4. Fresh water fisheries management
A. The lake ecosystem
(1) Lake zonation
(littoral, limnetic, profundal)
(2) Thermal
stratification (epilimnion, hypolimnion)
(3) Seasonal
circulation patterns
B. The stream ecosystem
(1) Currents
(2) Land-water
interchange
(3) Dissolved
oxygen
(4) Longitudinal
zonation
C. The reproductive potential of fish
D. Environmental resistance encountered by
fish
(1) Water pollution
(a) Eutrophication
(b) Sedimentation
(c) Acid deposition
(2) Winter kill
(3) Predation
E. Fisheries management
(1) The job
of the fish manager
(2) Getting
information on fish populations
(a) Numbers and kinds of fish
(b) Growth rate determination
(3) Protective
laws
(4) Artificial
propagation and stocking
(5) Introductions
(6) Developing
spawning sites
(7) Controlling
predators
(8) Removing
undesirable fish
5. Coastlands, estuaries and oceans
A. Coastal erosion problems
(1) Rise of
the oceans
(2) Dam construction
(3) Land subsidence
(4) Coastal
development
B. Control of erosion
(1) Erosion
control structures
(2) Beach nourishment
(3) Vegetative
erosion control
(4) Restriction
of coastal development
C. Estuaries
(1) The estuarine
ecosystem
(2) Importance
(3) Destruction
(4) Restoration
D. The ocean
(1) Importance
(2) Major ecological
features
(3) Zonation
(a) pelagic vs benthic
(b) Neritic
(c) Oceanic
* Photic, euphotic, dysphotic, aphotic
* Epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic, hadal
(d) Abyssal faunal adaptations
(4) Pollution
of the oceans
(a) Oil
* Causes and effects
* Input and output controls
(b) Sewage and garbage
(c) Chemicals
(d) Radioactive wastes
(e) Other pollutants (calefaction, plastics, dredge spoils)
(5) Human
impact on marine fisheries
(a) Introduction
(b) Major fishing areas
(c) Major commercial species
(e) Overexploitation
(f) Tragedy of commons
(g) Regulation
(6) Mariculture
6. Pollution of the atmosphere
A. Composition of clean, dry air at sea level
B. Natural pollution
C. Pollution caused by humans
(1) History
(2) Major types
and sources of air pollutants
(3) Primary
and secondary air pollution
(a) Carbon monoxide
(b) Oxides of sulfur
(c) Particulate matter
(d) Hydrocarbons
(e) Oxides of nitrogen
(f) Ozone and photochemical smog
(4) Effects
of climate on air pollution
(a) Thermal inversion
(b) Dirt domes and heat islands
(5) Effects
of air pollution on climate
(a) Air pollution and sunlight
(b) Air pollution and precipitation
(c) Air pollution and temperature
(6) Effect on
human health
(a) Difficulty establishing direct relationship to specific illness
(b) Carbon monoxide poisoning
(c) Emphysema
(d) Lung cancer
(e) The EPA pollution standard index
(7) Abatement
and control
(a) Controlling particulates
(b) Control of sulfur oxides
(c) Control of automotive emissions
* Reducing traffic volume
* Reducing emissions from internal combustion engines
* Development of alternative engine types (steam, electric)
(8) Global problems
of air pollution
(a) Global warming
(b) Acid rain
(c) Depletion of stratospheric ozone
