We all use ecosystems; every day and in a myriad of ways.
The food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, many of the materials we use, and much of the diversity of life, recreation and culture we enjoy are products of ecological systems.
We manage ecosystems to provide these benefits. And our use and mis-use often degrades the ability ecosystems to provide the benefits we value. Many of the problems we have to deal with, like the effects of pollution, over-harvesting, acid rain and climate change, arise because we don鈥檛 understand the many connections that make up the ecosystems we are part of.
In the听 specialization you will develop your ability to understand how ecosystems function. You will build on your understanding of living and non-living components of ecosystems and how they interact. You will to apply systems thinking to the challenge of managing ecosystems for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, protected areas and urban development. You will learn concepts and tools that help you to deal with the complexity that an ecosystem perspective brings.
YOU MAY TAKE THIS SPECIALIZATION WITH THE FOLLOWING MAJOR: Environmental Biology
For questions about the Applied Ecosystem Sciences Specialization,听please contact the bsc-advisor.agenvsc [at] mcgill.ca (student advisor).
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 24 credits
To view the list of courses:
Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) (B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)) - Applied Ecology (24 Credits)
Offered by:Natural Resource Sciences
Degree:B SC Agricu and Environm Sc
Program Requirement: Food, water, air, the materials we use, and much of the diversity of life and recreation we enjoy are products of ecological systems. We manage ecosystems to provide these services and our use and mis-use often degrades the ability of ecosystems to provide the benefits and services we value. In the Applied Ecology specialization you will develop your ability to understand how ecosystems function. You will apply systems thinking to the challenge of managing ecosystems for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, protected areas and urban development. You will learn concepts and tools that help you to deal with the complexity that an ecosystem perspective brings. The goal of this specialization is to provide students with an opportunity to further develop their understanding of the ecosystem processes, ecology, and systems thinking necessary to understand, design and manage our interaction with the environment.
For information on academic advising, see:
Required Courses (9 credits)-
ENVB 305
Population & Community Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Interactions between organisms and their environment; historical and current perspectives in applied and theoretical population and community ecology. Principles of population dynamics, feedback loops, and population regulation. Development and structure of communities; competition, predation and food web dynamics. Biodiversity science in theory and practice.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
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ENVB 437
Assessing Environmental Impact
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Principles and practice of Environmental Assessment (EA) in Canada and internationally. Exploration of issues surrounding impact assessment for sustainable development in different sectors, including their limitations.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Open to U2 students and above.
-
ENVB 529
GIS for Natural Resource Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques to the presentation and analysis of ecological information, including sources and capture of spatial data; characterizing, transforming, displaying spatial data; and spatial analysis to solve resource management problems.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite(s): At least one environmental science course and one ecology course or permission of instructor
- Restriction(s): U2 students and above. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 201, GEOG 306 or GEOG 307, ENVB/BREE 430, or BREE 529. Limited to 32 students.
- Fall
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jeffrey A Cardille, Viacheslav Adamchuk, Jaskaran Dhiman
Complementary Courses (15 credits)15 credits selected from the following:
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AGRI 340
Princ of Ecological Agricult
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: Focus on low-input, sustainable, and organic agriculture: the farm as an ecosystem; complex system theory; practical examples of soil management, pest control, integrated crop and livestock production, and marketing systems.
Offered by: Plant Science
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AGRI 435
Soil & Water Quality Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: Management of soil and water systems for sustainability. Cause of soil degradation, surface and groundwater contamination by agricultural chemicals and toxic pollutants. Human health and safety concerns. Water-table management. Soil and water conservation techniques will be examined with an emphasis on methods of prediction and best management practices.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- This course carries an additional charge of $37.68 to cover the cost of transportation with respect to a field trip. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
BREE 327
Bio-Environmental Engineering
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: An introduction to how humans affect the earth's ecosystem and projections for the needs of food, water, air and energy to support the human population. Ecologically-reasonable coping strategies including biofuels, bioprocessing, waste management, and remediation methods.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- Open to U2 students and above.
- This course carries an additional course charge for field trips.
- This course carries an additional course charge of $12.32 to cover transportation costs for field trips which may include a solar installation site and if registrations permit, a bio-ethanol plant. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period
-
ENTO 330
Insect Biology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Entomology: Introduction to entomology, including the the importance and diversity of insects; insect morphology, anatomy and physiology; insect sensory systems; reproduction; metamorphosis; insect classification and survey of the orders and common families.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
-
ENTO 340
Field Entomology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Entomology: A field course and project about arthropod taxonomy, field methods and experimental design in entomology. Includes natural history observation, and experimental approaches to arthropod population and community ecology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
ENVB 301
Meteorology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: The physical processes underlying weather. Topics include: the atmosphere - its properties (structure and motion), and thermodynamics (stability, heat and moisture); clouds and precipitation; air masses and fronts; mid-latitude weather systems and severe weather.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
ENVB 313
Phylogeny and Biogeography
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Topics in the interface of evolution, phylogenetics, and biogeography, including tree thinking, phylogeny estimation, and the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity. The major scientific discoveries that demonstrated how Earth鈥檚 history affects the evolution of organisms, including the unheard voices of evolutionary biology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
-
ENVB 415
Ecosystem Management
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Through the examination of cases studies presented in a modular format, students will be exposed to a variety of ecosystem processes. Choice of components, interactions and type of management to achieve desired endpoints will be discussed.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
ENVB 500
Advanced Topics Ecotoxicology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Exploring the impact of environmental chemicals on biological organisms in an ecological context. Basic topics in ecotoxicology, such as source and fate, routes of exposure, bioavailability, dose-response, biomarkers, and risk assessment will be covered from both theoretical and applied perspectives. The processes by which pollutants are tested, regulated, and monitored will be critically examined.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
-
ENVB 506
Quantitative Methods: Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: The process of formulating models of natural systems and confronting them with data, along with the necessary statistical computing skills. Emphasis on hands-on experience with current approaches for building, fitting, and comparing models.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Prerequisites: AEMA 310 and ENVB 305; or graduate student status; or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken AEMA 306 or AEMA 406.
-
ENVB 530
Adv GIS for Natural Res Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: An advanced spatial analysis course that uses rapidly developing techniques in GIS and remote sensing to solve problems in natural resource management. Focuses on controlling spatial operations through programming.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
MICR 331
Microbial Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in
biogeochemical cycles. Microbial interactions with the environment, plants, animals and other microbes emphasizing the underlying genetics and physiology. Diversity, evolution (microbial phylogenetics) and the application of molecular biology in microbial ecology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Prerequisite(s): LSCI 230 or AEBI 212 or ENVR 202 or permission of the instructor.
- Not recommended for U1 students.
-
MICR 450
Environmental Microbiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): Focus on microbes in the environment. Topics include extreme environments, polar microbiology, biotechnology and bioremediation. Emphasis will be on population studies based upon molecular biological methods.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
-
PLNT 304
Biology of Fungi
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: This course describes the various groups of fungi and explores in depth their biology and physiology, their ecological niches and the role in various ecosystems and their benefits and uses in industry and biotechnology.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Restriction: U2 or above, or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
PLNT 426
Plant Ecophysiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: This course investigates the complex interactions between plants and their environment, focusing on the mechanisms underlying plant physiological processes. Plasticity of plants to their ecological environment; topics include phytoremediation, plant stress responses, plant-symbiosis and plant-insect interactions.
Offered by: Plant Science
-
PLNT 460
Plant Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: Theory and practice of plant ecology with an emphasis on the interaction between patterns and ecological processes and the dynamics, conservation and management of plant populations and communities over a range of temporal and spatial scales.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: AEMA 310 or permission of instructor.
- This course carries an additional charge of $170.00 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
SOIL 300
Geosystems
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: Interactions between Earth's various geologic systems and how these interactions lead to mineral and rock formation. Geomorphic processes and how various landforms are created by the interactions at the Earth's surface between the various geologic systems.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 200. Restricted to U2 students and above.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
SOIL 326
Soils in a Changing Environ
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: Soil processes responsible for soil formation will be studied and the impact of changes to the physical and chemical environment will be discussed.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: A previous course in soil science, geography, geology or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
SOIL 535
Soil Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: Exploration of the unique soil habitat for organisms with a focus on the variables that affect the abundance, diversity and interactions of soil biota and, in turn, their influence on soil physicochemical properties, biogeochemical cycles and other factors impacting ecosystem sustainability. Topics include survey of soil fauna, soil food webs, microbial ecology, biological carbon and nitrogen cycling, plant-soil interactions, and the effects of human activities and management on soil ecology, including synthesizing concepts and a critical analysis and interpretation of primary scientific literature in soil ecology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
-
WILD 302
Fish Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: Introduction to the biology and ecology of freshwater and marine fishes. Topics include taxonomy, physiology, biogeography, competition, predation, fishing, and conservation. Lab exercises and field trips emphasize familiarity with local fishes and their ecological interactions.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: AEBI 211 or permission of instructor
- This course carries an additional charge of $41.07 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is only refundable prior to the deadline to withdraw with full refund
-
WILD 307
Natural History of Vertebrates
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: The diversity and natural history of Canadian vertebrates illustrated with trophic, phylogenetic, and macroecological approaches.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- This course carries an additional charge of $20.54 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Murray Mitchell Humphries
-
WILD 350
Mammalogy
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: This course focuses on the evolution, classification, ecology and behaviour of mammals and relations between humans and mammals. Also structure, systematics and identification of local and world mammals, as well as field methods will be emphasized.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisites: AEBI 211 and WILD 307
- An additional fee of $19.58 is charged to all students registered in WILD 350, Mammalogy, a course that has a required field trip.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Murray Mitchell Humphries
-
WILD 420
Ornithology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: Taxonomic relationships and evolution of birds. Examination of the physiology, migration, identification and ecological processes of North American birds.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: WILD 307 or permission of instructor
- This course carries an additional charge of $20.54 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
-
WILD 421
Wildlife Conservation
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: Study of current controversial issues focusing on wildlife conservation. Topics include: animal rights, exotic species, ecotourism, urban wildlife, multi-use of national parks, harvesting of wildlife, biological controls, and endangered species.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
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