PB 360: Introduction to Ecology 2007
NCSU Department of Plant Biology

Welcome to North Carolina State University's home page for PB 360, Introduction to Ecology. This 3-credit course offers an overview of the fundamental principles and concepts associated with the science of ecology. Introduction to Ecology is offered twice each academic year, in the Fall and Summer1 Semesters. The Department of Plant Biology is responsible for both offerings of PB 360. The information provided on this page and its associated links pertains specifically to the Fall, 2007 Semester.

Instructor: Dr. Thomas R. Wentworth, NCSU Department of Plant Biology
Instructor Contact: (919) 513-1433, tom_wentworth@ncsu.edu
Class Location: 3712 Bostian
Scheduled Hours: MWF, 0805-0855
Lab Location: 287 David Clark
Lab Hours: refer to General Course Information

What's New?

About This Page: A Disclaimer

This page is currently being updated to accompany the FALL 2007 SEMESTER offering of PB 360/365. A similar course will also be offered, as ZO 260, in the spring 2008 semester by the NCSU Department of Zoology. Materials on this page and its links pertain specifically to PB 360/365 as taught in the fall 2007 semester and do not necessarily pertain to ZO 260 as taught in the spring 2008 semester.

ZO 260 Offered by Zoology

The spring 2008 offering of ZO 260 will be taught by staff of the NCSU Department of Zoology. All questions regarding the introductory ecology course in the spring semester of 2008 should be directed to the Department of Zoology.

Welcome to PB 360, Fall 2007!

I thank the students and staff of BO 360/365 for helping to make the fall semester of 2006 a successful one for this course! I look forward to another excellent semester of ecological study in fall, 2007. As always, your suggestions are welcome ... you can reach me at 513-1433 or by e-mail (preferred route) at tom_wentworth@ncsu.edu.

• General 2007 Course Information
  
• Syllabus 2007
  
• Form to request credit for an alternative answer on any examination (2007)
  
• Faculty-Initiated Honors Contract for fall 2007
• Active learning exercises from fall 2007 lectures (IMPORTANT: ONLY IF MARKED "2007"):
• Guidelines for active learning exercises 2006 (PDF)
  
• PhyloStrat take-home active learning exercise 2006 (PDF)
• PhyloStrat tutorial for take-home active learning exercise 2006 (PDF)
  
• Take-home exercise #8 (Exponential Growth) 2006 (PDF)
• Link to "Two Pillars" article 2006
  
• Movie take-home active learning exercise 2006 (PDF)
• News take-home active learning exercise 2006 (PDF)
• Seminar take-home active learning exercise 2006 (PDF)
• Chimney swift take-home active learning exercise 2007 (PDF)
  
• List of fall 2006 NCSU seminars suitable for seminar take-home exercise (PDF)
• Fall 2006 seminar schedule at UNC-CH
• Fall 2006 seminar schedule at Duke University
  
• PDF-format lecture outlines from fall 2007 lectures (IMPORTANT: ONLY IF MARKED "2007"):
  
  • 1. Course Introduction 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 2. Introduction 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 3. Adaptation to Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 4. Case Histories 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 5. Adaptation to Life in Varying Environments 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 6. Life Histories and Evolutionary Fitness 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • 7. Sex and Evolution 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • 8. Family, Society, and Evolution 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • It's All About Heroes (Supplement to Lecture 8) 2006 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 9. Population Structures 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 10. Population Growth and Regulation I 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • 2001 World Demographic Data (Supplement to Lecture 10) 2007 (available as PDF file)
    
  • 11. Population Growth and Regulation II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • Populations Problems (Supplement to Lectures 10 & 11) 2007 (available as PDF file)
    
  • 12. Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Populations 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • [Special Lecture 2004: Rare Vascular Flora of the Longleaf Pine-Wiregrass Ecosystem (available as text-only PDF file)]
    
  • 13/14. Population Genetics and Evolution I & II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • The Hardy-Weinberg law 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • Small Populations - Conservation Concerns 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 15. Predation and Herbivory 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 16/17. Dynamics of Predation I & II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file
    
  • 18. Competition 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 19. Coevolution and Mutualism 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 20. Community Structure I 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 21. Community Structure II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • Computation of Diversity Indices (Supplement to Lecture 21) 2007 (available as PDF file)
    
  • 22. Community Development 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 23/24. Biodiversity I & II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • Reflections on Scale-Related Issues (Supplement to Lectures 23 & 24) 2007 (available as PDF file)
    
  • 25. History and Biogeography 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • Two Pillars of Ecological Explanation (Supplement to Lecture 25) 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 26/27. Not covered in 2007: The Physical Environment I & II
  • 28/29. Variations in the Physical Environment I & II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 30. Biological Communities: The Biome Concept 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 31. Terrestrial Biomes 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 32. Aquatic Biomes 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 33. Energy in the Ecosystem I 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 34. Energy in the Ecosystem II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • Supplemental handout for lectures 33 & 34 2007 (available as PDF file)
    
  • 35/36. Pathways of Elements in the Ecosystem I & II 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • Global Warming and Humankind's Manipulation of the Carbon Cycle (Supplement to Lectures 35/36) 2007 (available as PDF file)
  • The Carbon Cycle according to Wentworth (Supplement to Lectures 35/36) 2007 (available as PDF file)
    
  • 37. Nutrient Regeneration in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
    
  • 38. Extinction and Conservation 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • 39. Economic Development and Global Ecology 2007 (available as text-only PDF file)
  • PB 360 - Important End-of-Semester Information - Fall 2007 (available as PDF file)
    

  Warning: Sample quizzes below are from the spring 1994 semester. While they illustrate the types of multiple-choice questions I use, they do not necessarily represent the material covered this semester, nor is the material presented in the proper sequence! An even better source for sample quizzes is the online quiz material found on The Economy of Nature web site.

• Sample Interactive Quizzes
  
  • Sample Quiz 1
    
  • Sample Quiz 2
    
  • Sample Quiz 3
    
  • Sample Quiz 4
    
  • Sample Quiz 5
    
  • Sample Quiz 6
• About Tom Wentworth
  
• Tom Wentworth's Home Page
• References for PB 365:
  • Cully, A.C., J.F. Cully Jr., and R.D. Hiebert. 2003. Invasion of exotic plant species in tallgrass prairie fragments. Conservation Biology 17(4):990-998.
  • Curtin, C.G., D.A. Kelt, T.C. Frey, and J.H. Brown. 1999. On the role of small mammals in mediating climatically driven vegetation change. Ecology Letters 2:309-317.
  • Haddad, N.M., D.A. Bowne, A. Cunningham, B.J. Danielson, D.J. Levey, S. Sargent, and T. Spira. 2003. Corridor use by diverse taxa. Ecology 84(3):609-615.
  • Sanchez-De Leon, Y., X. Zou, S. Borges, and H. Ruan. 2003. Recovery of native earthworms in abandoned tropical pastures. Conservation Biology 17:999-1006.
    
• Link to on-line resources for The Economy of Nature, fifth edition, by Robert E. Ricklefs (Copyright 2001 by W.H. Freeman and Co.)
• Link to the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species Program
• Link to the NC Natural Heritage Program's Lists of Rare Species of Animals and Plants in NC
  
• NCSU Home Page