BIO 1302, Ecology and the Environment 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Summarize the importance of biodiversity within the environment. 4.1 Discuss what community ecology is and how the level of biodiversity relates to interactions

among organisms and the environment. 4.2 Explain how food webs shape species diversity and how keystone species play a vital role in

the environment that shapes habitats and impacts biodiversity. 4.3 Describe how ecology and biodiversity benefit human life and how human life negatively

impacts the environment.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

4.1 Unit Lesson Unit Homework Assignment

4.2 Unit Lesson Unit Homework Assignment

4.3 Unit Lesson Unit Homework Assignment

Reading Assignment Review the presentation in the Unit IV Lesson.

Unit Lesson Click here to access the presentation for the Unit IV Lesson. Click here for a PDF version of the presentation.

Suggested Reading In order to access the following resource, click the link below: The following essay is an excerpt from the book A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, and the essay describes how conservation has changed as humans have become more knowledgeable. At one point, we thought killing wolves was a good idea because it would increase deer for hunting. We found out an increased deer population, over its carrying capacity, caused environmental damage that only a mountain could see. Leopold, L. (1987). Thinking like a mountain. In A Sand County almanac and sketches here and there (pp.

123–133). Oxford University Press. https://nctc.fws.gov/resources/knowledge- resources/wildread/thinking-like-a-mountain.pdf

The article below discusses issues surrounding feral cats and their effect on the community ecology of an entire continent. Power, J. (2017, February 19). War on feral cats: Australia aims to cull 2 million. The Sydney Morning Herald.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/war-on-feral-catsaustralia-aims-to-cull-2-million-20170214- gucp4o.html

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

Community Ecology: Biodiversity, Keystone Species, and Food Webs