Details of LS3201 (Spring 2015)

Level: 3 Type: Theory Credits: 3.0

Course CodeCourse NameInstructor(s)
LS3201 Ecology and Conservation Anuradha Bhat,
Guha Dharmarajan

Syllabus
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).

RECOMMENDED TEXT
1. Ecology. Charles Krebs. Benjamin Cummins, 5th Edition.
2. Ecology. Robert Ricklefs. W. H. Freeman, 6th Edition

References

Course Credit Options

Sl. No.ProgrammeSemester NoCourse Choice
1 IP 2 Core
2 IP 4 Elective
3 MR 2 Not Allowed
4 MR 4 Not Allowed
5 MS 6 Core
6 RS 1 Elective
7 RS 2 Elective