A Unified, Field Based Ecology Curriculum for Undergraduates

统一的、基于实地的本科生生态学课程

• 批准号: 0088626
• 负责人: Bruce Hungate
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: Northern Arizona University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-01-01 至 2003-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0088626&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Unified; Field; Based; Ecology; Curriculum

Biological Sciences (61) This project establishes a model for adapting and implementing ecological research methodologies traditionally restricted for use in the research laboratory to an integrated, field-based ecology curriculum. This new curriculum involves undergraduate students (freshman to seniors) in state-of-the-art research in population, community and ecosystem ecology. The core of this project is a new field-based quantitative laboratory course for General Ecology, a required course in which students conduct research along a 3000m elevational gradient spanning desert to tundra ecosystems as a natural experiment. Additionally, this project enhances other introductory biology courses by adding field exercises along the gradient which introduce students to the experimental system they revisit more comprehensively in General Ecology. The project also adds advanced exercises involving the gradient to existing laboratories of a number of upper division courses in ecology including Entomology, Plant Physiology, Mammology, Microbial Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology, Stable Isotope Techniques, and Field Ecology. Thus, this project substantially revises and provides a unifying theme to the ecology curriculum in that students visit the same sites in different courses and in different years. Students learn how the same systems and gradients can be approached from different perspectives and used to address some of the major ecological, environmental and conservation challenges of our time. Through this project, equipment has been purchased and curriculum has been developed to promote active student involvement in integrated research in ecology.

生物科学（61）本项目建立了一个模式，以适应和实施传统上仅限于研究实验室使用的生态研究方法，使其适用于综合的实地生态学课程。这个新课程让本科生（大一到大四）参与人口、社区和生态系统生态学的最新研究。该项目的核心是一门新的基于野外的普通生态学定量实验课程，这是一门必修课，学生将沿着海拔3000米的沙漠到苔原生态系统进行研究，作为自然实验。此外，这个项目通过增加沿着梯度的野外练习来增强其他入门生物学课程，这些练习向学生介绍他们在普通生态学中更全面地回顾的实验系统。该项目还在现有的一些高级生态学课程的实验室中增加了涉及梯度的高级练习，这些课程包括昆虫学、植物生理学、哺乳动物学、微生物生态学、生态系统生态学、稳定同位素技术和野外生态学。因此，这个项目对生态学课程进行了实质性的修订，并提供了一个统一的主题，因为学生们在不同的课程和不同的年份访问了相同的地点。学生将学习如何从不同的角度来处理相同的系统和梯度，并使用它们来解决我们这个时代的一些主要的生态、环境和保护挑战。通过这个项目，已经购买了设备，并制定了课程，以促进学生积极参与生态学的综合研究。