The Ecology of Global Change: A New Ecology Curriculum

生物科学 (61) 预计社会需要经过广泛培训的全球变化科学家和生态学家，卡尔顿学院生物系启动了新的多学科、协作生态学课程，研究生物体与其非生物环境之间的关系。正在开设生态系统生态学、植物生理生态学、古生态学的三门新实验室课程和全球变化生物学的非专业课程，以补充种群生态学和进化生物学的现有优势。卡尔顿的生态学课程非常强调通过做科学来学习科学。讲座还辅以基于原始文献的小组协作学习案例研究。这些案例研究重点关注生态学中令人兴奋和有争议的问题，例如砍伐、二氧化碳和碳汇增加、气候变暖对植被的影响以及生物多样性对生态系统功能的影响。其中两门实验课程，生态系统生态学和植物生理生态学，强调碳循环、养分循环和植被对全球变化的响应等共同主题。由于生态系统生态学和植物生理生态学为在生物组织的不同层次上研究这些主题提供了绝佳的机会，因此一些关键设备支持这两门课程，并为卡尔顿大学的本科生提供高级培训。学生使用先进的仪器实践科学方法，同时了解生态学的重要性并加深对专业生态学家问题的理解。课程材料通过专业期刊、科学会议、卡尔顿大学网站和纽约州立大学布法罗分校的科学案例研究网站传播。

Biological Sciences (61) Anticipating society's need for broadly trained global change scientists and ecologists, the Biology Department at Carleton College has initiated a new multidisciplinary, collaborative ecology curriculum that examines the relationship between organisms and their abiotic environment. Three new laboratory courses in ecosystem ecology, plant physiological ecology, paleoecology, and a nonmajors course in global change biology are being offered to complement existing strengths in population ecology and evolutionary biology. Ecology courses at Carleton place strong emphasis on learning science by doing science. Lectures are supplemented with small-group, collaborative-learning case studies based on primary literature. These case studies focus on exciting and controversial issues in ecology, such as clearcutting, rising CO2 and carbon sinks, the effects of climate warming on vegetation, and the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem function. Two of the lab courses, Ecosystem Ecology and Plant Physiological Ecology, emphasize common themes of carbon cycling, nutrient cycling, and vegetation response to global change. Because ecosystem ecology and plant physiological ecology offer an excellent opportunity for examining these themes at different levels of biological organization, a few key pieces of equipment support both courses and provide Carleton undergraduates with advanced training. Using sophisticated instruments, students practice the scientific method while learning about the importance of ecology and developing an understanding of the issues professional ecologists. Course materials are disseminated through professional journals, at scientific meetings, on Carleton's website and the Case Studies in Science website at SUNY Buffalo.