I. Processes and Paradigms (4 weeks)

Questions:

1. What processes control ecosystem structure and function?
2. How is ecosystem function measured?
3. How do they respond to disturbance?

Ecological Processes:

1. Soil formation and erosion
2. Nutrient cycles
3. Primary production
4. Disturbance
5. Genetic resources

Skills and Tools:

1.  Ecosystem field trip

• distribution and classification (factors, vegetation mapping and transects)
• function (nutrient cycles, biomass measurement, diameter breast height)
• disturbance

2.  Soils lab

• formation, classification and survey
• physical properties (texture, structure, particle separation, bulk density)
• soil function (organisms, organic matter content, nutrients, water).

Concepts:

1. Ecosystem function
2. Stability and resilience
3. Management for ecological sustainability

Week 1 Terrestrial Ecosystems

Lecture 1 Ecosystem concepts and characteristics

Lecture 2 Ecosystem function – nutrient cycles, role of disturbance

Field Trip  Ecosystem mapping and measurement in the Biosphere2 region

Week 2 The Soil

Lecture 1 Soil formation, classification and survey

Lecture 2 Soil function

Lab  Soil properties

Required Readings:

Nyle C. Brady and Weil, R.R. 1999.  The Nature and Properties of Soil.  New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. Chapters 1-4, 9-10.

Melillo, J., Aber, J.D. 2001. Terrestrial Ecosystems.  San Diego:  Harcourt Academic Press. Chapters 1-4, 18-19.

Supplemental Reading:

Fanning, D.S., and Fanning, D.S. 1989.  Soil Morphology, Genesis, and Classification. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Part 2.   Socio-economic Processes and Paradigms

Questions:

1. How and why do populations change?
2. What conditions drive human-environment interactions?

Processes:

1. Population dynamics and demography
2. Human-environment interactions
3. Urbanization, globalization, and ecological footprint

Skills and Tools:

1. Demography lab – demographic transition, GDP and quality of life  indicators (e.g., infant mortality rates) (CIESIN); 2000 census.
2. Ecosystem health field trip – vigor; resiliency and stability.

Concepts:

1. Determinism vs. free will.
2. Rational vs. bounded rational behavior.
3. Neo-classical economics.
4. Human ecology.
5. Structuralist perspective.
6. Political economy and post-structuralist perspective.

Lecture 1         Individual-based explanations

Lecture 2         Society-based explanations

Lab                  Demography

Lecture 1         Concepts of ecosystem health

Lecture 2         Practice of conservation biology

Field trip         Assessment of ecosystem health in the Biosphere2 region – vigor, resiliency, stability.

Required Readings:

Blaikie, P. and Brookfield, H.  1987.  “Approaches to the study of land degradation.”  Land Degradation and Society, P. Blaikie and H. Brookfield, eds. London: Methuen.  27-47pp.

Cohen, J. 1995.  How Many People Can the Earth Support?  New York:  W.W. Norton & Co.  Chapters 2 & 7.

Emel, J. and Peet, R.  1989.  “Resource management and natural hazards.”  In New Models in Geography,  R. Peet and N. Thrift eds.  Boston:  Unwin Hyman.  49-62pp.

Rapport, D. 1998.  Part 1: Ecosystem health: An integrative science. In Ecosystem Health. D. Rapport, R. Costanza, P.R. Epstein, C. Gaudet and R. Levins.  Malden, MA:  Blackwell Science.

Roberts, R.S. and Emel, J. 1993.  “Uneven development and the Tragedy of the Commons:  Competing Images for Nature-Society Analysis.”  Economic Geography. 68(3): 249-271.

Supplemental Readings:

Costanza, R., Norton, B.G., and Haskell, B.D. 1992.  Ecosystem Health: New Goals For Environmental Management.  Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

Meyer, J.L. and Swank, W.T. 1996.  Ecosystem management challenges ecologists. Ecological Applications. 6(3): 738-40.

Rapport, D., Costanza, R., Epstein, P.R., Gaudet, C. and Levins, R. 1998.  Ecosystem Health.  Malden, MA:  Blackwell Science.

Samson, F.B., and Knopf, F.L. 1996.  Ecosystem Management: Selected Readings.  New York:  Springer-Verlag.

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