Details of LS4101 (Autumn 2013)
| Level: 4 | Type: Theory | Credits: 3.0 |
| Course Code | Course Name | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| LS4101 | Ecology and Conservation | Anuradha Bhat, Guha Dharmarajan |
| Syllabus |
|---|
|
THE ENVIRONMENT Physical environment; biotic environment; biotic and abiotic interactions. HABITAT AND NICHE Concept of habitat and niche; niche width and overlap; fundamental and realized niche; resource partitioning; character displacement. POPULATION ECOLOGY Characteristics of a population; population growth curves; population regulation; life history strategies (r and K selection); concept of metapopulation demes and dispersal, interdemic extinctions, age structured populations. SPECIES INTERACTIONS Types of interactions, interspecific competition, herbivory, carnivory, pollination, symbiosis. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY Nature of communities; community structure and attributes; levels of species diversity and its measurement; edges and ecotones. ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION Types; mechanisms; changes involved in succession; concept of climax. ECOSYSTEM Structure and function; energy flow and mineral cycling (CNP); primary production and decomposition; structure and function of some Indian ecosystems: terrestrial (forest, grassland) and aquatic (fresh water, marine, estuarine). BIOGEOGRAPHY Major terrestrial biomes; theory of island biogeography; biogeographical zones of India. APPLIED ECOLOGY Environmental pollution; global environmental change; biodiversity-status, monitoring and documentation; major drivers of biodiversity change; biodiversity management approaches. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY Principles of conservation, major approaches to management, Indian case studies on conservation/management strategy (Project Tiger, Biosphere reserves). |
| References |
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| RECOMMENDED TEXT
1.Ecology. Charles Krebs. Benjamin Cummins, 5th Edition. 2.Ecology. Robert Ricklefs. W. H. Freeman, 6th Edition |
Course Credit Options
| Sl. No. | Programme | Semester No | Course Choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IP | 1 | Not Allowed |
| 2 | IP | 3 | Core |
| 3 | MS | 7 | Core |
| 4 | RS | 1 | Elective |