Global Change Ecology

Arguably the most important topic of our time, Anthropogenic climate change is one of several ways in which humans have altered the environment on a global scale. In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of how global ecology works, and how humans have impacted it. We will approach the course with a solution mindset, exploring strategies and technologies to reduce harm, while providing students with a sense of urgency and agency.

Possible Textbooks

• Global Change Biology (Rosenblum)

• Our Global Environment: A health perspective (Nadakavukaren + Caravanos)

Topics to cover:

• properties and features of the four compartments: atmosphere, oceans, land, and biota

  • • biogeochemical cycles, how evolution works, basics of ecological interactions (predator-prey, trophic cascades, energy balance)

• ecological consequences of human modification to the compartments- effects of the Anthropocene

  • • climate change, deforestation, habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, land use changes

• biological responses to ecological changes:

  • • geographic ranges

    • plasticity

    • adaptation

    • extinction

• mitigation, conservation, and innovation: strategies for the future