Program Requirements
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 misuse often degrades the ability of ecosystems to provide the benefits and services we value. In the Minor Applied Ecology 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. Concepts and tools will be presented that help you to deal with the complexity that an ecosystem perspective brings. The goal of this minor 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:
To obtain a Minor in Applied Ecology, students must:
a) Ensure all required and complementary courses are passed with a minimum grade of C;
b) Select 24 credits from the courses as given below, of which not more than 6 credits may be counted toward the Major and the Minor programs. This restriction does not apply to elective courses in the Major program.
Required Courses (12 credits)
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ENVB 305 Population & Community Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Buddle, Christopher (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 205
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ENVB 415 Ecosystem Management (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Begg, Caroline B; Bennett, Elena (Fall)
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ENVB 430 GIS for Natural Resource Management (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Cardille, Jeffrey; Adamchuk, Viacheslav (Fall)
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ENVB 437 Assessing Environmental Impact (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Theories and procedures of assessing environmental impact. An examination of the environmental impact of existing programs and projects to examine their accuracy in predicting consequences and attenuating undesirable effects.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Hickey, Gordon (Winter)
Complementary Courses (12 credits)
12 credits of complementary courses selected as follows:
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AGRI 340 Principles of Ecological Agriculture (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Begg, Caroline B (Winter)
3 lectures and one 2-hour seminar
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken AGRI 250
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AGRI 435 Soil and Water Quality Management (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Qi, Zhiming; Biswas, Asim (Fall)
Fall
3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
This course carries an additional charge of $30 to cover the cost of transportation with respect to a field trip. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
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ENTO 440 Insect Diversity (3 credits)
Overview
Entomology : Ecology, evolution and systematics of insects and their relatives. Classification and phylogeny of selected insect families; use of diagnostic characters and taxonomic keys. Ecological interactions at an individual, population and community level with emphasis on diversity patterns in space and time.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Wheeler, Terry A (Fall)
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ENVB 301 Meteorology (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Strachan, Ian Brett (Fall)
Fall
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NRSC 201
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ENVB 506 Quantitative Methods: Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Solomon, Christopher (Winter)
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MICR 331 Microbial Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc) : The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in biogeochemical cycles will be discussed. 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.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Driscoll, Brian T (Winter)
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MICR 450 Environmental Microbiology (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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PLNT 304 Biology of Fungi (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
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PLNT 426 Plant Ecophysiology (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Bede, Jacqueline (Winter)
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PLNT 460 Plant Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Beauregard, Frieda (Fall)
3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
Prerequisite: AEMA 310 or permission of instructor.
This course carries an additional charge of $25.65 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
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SOIL 300 Geosystems (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: McCourt, George (Winter)
Winter
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 200. Restricted to U2 students and above.
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SOIL 326 Soils in a Changing Environment (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Biswas, Asim (Fall)
Fall
3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
Prerequisite: A previous course in soil science, geography, geology or permission of instructor.
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WILD 302 Fish Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite: AEBI 211 or permission of instructor
This course carries an additional charge of $30 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.
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WILD 307 Natural History of Vertebrates (3 credits)
Overview
Resource Development : The diversity and natural history of Canadian vertebrates illustrated with trophic, phylogenetic, and macroecological approaches.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Humphries, Murray Mitchell (Fall)
Fall
Lectures and modules
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ZOOL 307
This course carries an additional charge of $15.39 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
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WILD 350 Mammalogy (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Humphries, Murray Mitchell (Winter)
Winter
2 lectures and one 3-hour lab
Prerequisites: AEBI 211 or WILD 200 (formerly AEBI 200), and WILD 307 (formerly ZOOL 307)
A fee of $15 is charged to all students registered in WILD 350, Mammalogy, a course that has a required field trip. This fee is used to support the cost of excursions and equipment associated with local field trips. The fee is only refundable prior to the deadline to withdraw with full refund.鈥�
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WILD 420 Ornithology (3 credits)
Overview
Resource Development : Taxonomic relationships and evolution of birds are outlined. Reproduction, migration and population processes of North American birds are examined.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Elliott, Kyle (Fall)
Winter
3 lectures and occasional field trips
Prerequisite: WILD 307 (formerly ZOOL 307) or permission of instructor
This course is scheduled for video-conferencing.
This course carries an additional charge of $15.39 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.