Learning objectives: 1. Students completing this course will acquire an over-view        of the general principles that govern global processes resulting        in sustainable ecological functions and services. 2. An ecosystems approach will enable students to envision most        of the earth’s terrestrial and aquatic biomes from the perspective        of energy flow and bio-productivity. 3. Students will learn how all life forms in a given ecozone integrate        forming ecological associations resulting in complex food webs. 4. Major impacts that human activities have had on ecological        process (e.g., de-forestation, urbanization, mining, etc.) will be        presented, contrasted with examples of how these ecosystems        function in the absence of those activities. 5. Public health concepts of what constitutes “good health” will be        integrated with concepts of ecological health as applied to the        rest of the plants and animals on earth.        The adage that: “A health ecosystem fosters good health        among all its inhabitants, including humans” will be amply        illustrated throughout the course.