Curriculum in Ecology

www.unc.edu/depts/ecology

ROBERT K. PEET, Chair

Professors

Richard N. Andrews (32) Environmental and Energy Policy, Policy Instruments and Incentives

Lawrence E. Band (6) Watershed Hydrology, Ecosystem Water, Carbon and Nutrient Cycling

Larry K. Benninger (37) Low-Temperature Geochemistry

Philip R. Berke (23) Energy; Urban Form and Environmetal Impacts, Land-Use Policy

Joe Carter, Invertebrate Paleontology

J. Robert Cox Jr. (1) Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere; the Role of Discourse in Social Change

Carole I. Crumley (22) Historical Ecology, Paleoclimatology, Landscape Ecology, Archeology

Barbara Entwisle (48) Social Demography, Population and Environment

Patricia Gensel, Paleobotany

Joel G. Kingsolver (11) Environmental Physiology, Functional Morphology, Population Ecology and Evolution

Paul W. Leslie (40) Human Ecology, Population Biology

Melinda S. Meade (36) Cultural Ecology of Population and Health, Third World Development

Hans Paerl, Microbial Ecology, Estuarine and Coastal Ecology, Water Quality Dynamics

Robert K. Peet (26) Plant Community and Population Ecology, Biogeography, Ecoinformatics

Charles H. Peterson (29) Marine Ecology, Population and Community Processes

Frederic K. Pfaender (27) Microbial Ecology, Nutrient Exchanges in Rivers and Estuaries, Estuarine Pollution

David W. Pfennig (44) Evolutionary Ecology

Peter J. Robinson (17) Climatology, Climate Change and Impacts

Stephen J. Walsh (2) Land-use and Land Cover Dynamics; Spatial Modeling and Analysis

Peter S. White (15) Plant Population and Community Ecology, Conservation Biology

R. Haven Wiley (21) Behavioral Ecology of Vertebrates, Avian Social Behavior

Associate Professors

John F. Bruno (10) Ecology and Conservation of Marine Communities

Martin W. Doyle (45) Fluvial Geomorphology, Hydrology, Stream Ecology, Environmental Policy

John W. Florin (33) Population Geography, Medical Geography

Charles E. Konrad (54) Synoptic Climatology and Climate Change

Aaron Moody (12) Remote Sensing, Landscape Ecology, Biogeography, Geographical Information Systems

Seth R. Reice (16) Community Ecology, Disturbance Ecology, Stream Ecology, Sustainable Development

Maria Servedio, Evolutionary Ecology, Behavioral Ecology

Conghe Song (47) Remote Sensing of Vegetation; Ecological Modeling; Geographic Information Systems

Andreas P. Teske (53) Microbial Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

Stephen C. Whalen (7) Nutrient Cycling, Greenhouse Gas Production and Dynamics

Thomas M. Whitmore (42) Historical Agro-Ecology of Middle America

Assistant Professors

Charles Mitchell (56), Disease Ecology, Global Change, Biological Invasions

Karin S. Pfennig (50) Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, Speciation, Host-Parasite Interactions

Michael Piehler, Coastal Ecosystem Ecology and Nutrient Dynamics

Donna Surge (41) Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology, Low-Temperature Geochemistry

Adjunct Professors

Richard E. Bilsborrow (4) Economic Demography, Population, Development and the Environment

Douglas J. Crawford-Brown (43) Environmental Risk Assessment, Mathematical Modeling of Human Health, Philosophical Analysis of Evidence in Decisions, Strategies for Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Adjunct Assistant Professors

Cecil Frost, Fire Ecology, Plant Ecology, Landscape Ecology

Sam Pearsall, Conservation Planning, Adaptive Management, Riparian Landscapes

Johnny Randall, Conservation Biology, Restoration Ecology

James Umbanhowar, Theoretical Ecology, Dynamics of Species Interactions Webs, Host-Parasutoid Interactions

Jack Weiss (49) Biostatistics and Quantitative Ecology

Alan Weakley (51) Plant Systematics, Floristics, Biogeography, Conservation Biology, Bioinformatics

The Curriculum in Ecology is a multidisciplinary, degree-granting program that seeks to foster an understanding and appreciation of ecological systems and to demonstrate the value of ecological approaches to the solution of current and future environmental problems. With the participation of faculty and students from many disciplines and departments, emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary activities that explicitly consider the complexity of the environment and integrated approaches to problem identification and solution. In particular, it seeks to foster an understanding and appreciation of ecological systems, human and nonhuman, and to demonstrate the value of ecological approaches to the solution of current and future environmental problems in North Carolina, the United States and the world.

The Curriculum in Ecology places an emphasis on interdisciplinary activities, and derives one of its major strengths from the participation of faculty and students from many disciplines and departments. Current faculty come from the departments of Anthropology, Biology, Biostatistics, City and Regional Planning, Communication Studies, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Geography, Geological Sciences, Marine Sciences, Public Policy and Sociology. Whereas degree programs with a strong ecology component may be arranged in other departments, the curriculum—by combining many approaches and methods and by linking the social and natural sciences—explicitly considers the complexity of the environment and the need for integrated approaches to problem identification and solution.

Using the resources of many departments, the Curriculum in Ecology provides both broad and specialized training in ecology, human ecology and the study of environmental systems. Degrees available in the Ecology Curriculum are the master of science, the master of arts and the doctor of philosophy. Applications will be accepted from persons with varied backgrounds and goals with the specific program of study and research tailored to the needs of the individual.

Requirements for Admission

For admission to the Curriculum in Ecology, an undergraduate degree is required in a natural science such as physics, chemistry, biology, bacteriology, botany, zoology or geology; a social science such as anthropology, sociology or economics; a mathematical area such as statistics, mathematics or systems analysis; an engineering area; or environmental science. The deadline for a completed application in order for students to be considered for fall admission is March 1. However, students must submit all curriculum and Graduate School admission materials by January 1 if they wish to be considered for campus fellowships and other forms of graduate appointments. Late applications will cause students to miss out on some opportunities. Detailed information is available on the Curriculum in Ecology Web site at www.unc.edu/depts/ecology.

Degree Requirements

Every student must gain an understanding of the breadth and depth of the field of ecology as it is treated among various traditional disciplines. This is accomplished in two ways: first, through the ECOL 567 and 569 sequence; and second, through the composition of the student's advisory committee.

Doctor of Philosophy

Each Ph.D. student, in addition to taking ECOL 567 and ECOL 569, must register for ECOL 994 at least once for three hours credit. There are no other course requirements for the Ph.D. except for those designated by the student's graduate advisory committee.

Owing to the diversity of research methods and approaches within the field of ecology, the curriculum has no explicit research skill course requirements for graduate degrees. The student's graduate advisory committee is responsible for seeing that the student has gained the proficiencies expected of a degree candidate in the student's selected area of expertise.

Master's Degrees

Two master's degrees are offered by the curriculum: the master of science degree requiring independent research and a thesis, and the master of arts degree requiring a written library report. All master's degrees are terminal degrees at UNC-Chapel Hill. Master's students must request readmission for Ph.D. work following completion of all requirements for the master's degree.

Master of Science: The master of science course requirements are determined by the student's advisory committee. They must include a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit (of which no less than 24 hours must be earned in courses, and at least three hours in research), and completion of the thesis. One semester of registration is required in ECOL 567 and ECOL 569, and M.S. students must register for three hours in ECOL 993.

Master of Arts: Requirements for the master of arts are the same as those for the master of science, except a master of arts paper is prepared (ECOL 992) in place of a master's thesis (ECOL 993).

Courses in the Ecology Curriculum

461 [112] FUNDAMENTALS OF ECOLOGY (BIOL 461, ENST 461) (4). Prerequisite, BIOL 201. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the field of ecology, including modern and emerging trends in ecology. They will develop literacy in the fundamental theories and models that capture ecological processes; emphasis will also be placed on the relevance of ecology and ecological research for human society.

563 [145] STATISTICAL ANALYSIS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION (BIOL 563, ENST 563) (4). Prerequisites, BIOL 201 and STAT 151 or 155. A modern introduction to the statistical analysis of data in ecology and evolutionary biology. Emphasis is on computer-intensive methods and model-based approaches. Familiarity with the standard parametric approaches to statistical analysis is assumed. Weiss.

567 [190] ECOLOGICAL ANALYSES AND APPLICATIONS (ENST 567) (3). This course provides an overview of natural and social science approaches to addressing biodiversity conservation and resource management. Concepts and methods from population biology, evolutionary ecology, community ecology and conservation biology will be complemented with approaches from common property theory, indigenous resource management and human evolutionary ecology. Fall. Holt.

569 [199] CURRENT ISSUES IN ECOLOGY (ENST 569) (3). Prerequisites, previous course work in ecology and permission of the instructor required. Topics vary but focus on interdisciplinary problems facing humans and/or the environment. Repeatable. Holt.

669 [255] SEMINAR IN ECOLOGY (BIOL 669) (2). Prerequisite, BIOL 201 or permission of the instructor. Repeatable. Peet, Reice, White, Bruno.

765 [202] FIELD EXPERIENCE IN ECOLOGY (2). Prerequisite, graduate standing in ecology. Organized field work in remote environments with a faculty instructor as approved by student's supervisory committee. Repeatable. Staff.

891 [250] SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECOLOGY (2–4). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Repeatable. Staff.

961 [300] RESEARCH IN ECOLOGY (2 or more). Staff.

992 [392] MASTER'S NON-THESIS (3–5). Staff.

993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3–6). Staff.

994 [394] DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (3 or more). Staff.

Ecological courses in other departments that are considered appropriate for graduate students in the Curriculum in Ecology:

Anthropology

317 [117] EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN ADAPTATION AND BEHAVIOR (3). Holt.

703 [203] EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY (3). Fall. Staff.

704 [204] EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY (3). Spring. Staff.

755 [255] SEMINAR IN CULTURAL ECOLOGY AND POPULATION (3). Leslie.

766 [266] SEMINAR IN ETHNOBOTANY (3). Scarry.

Biology

350 [126] OCEANOGRAPHY (MASC 401, ENVR 417, GEOL 403) (3). Marine Sciences staff.

453 [150] ANIMAL SOCIETIES AND COMMUNICATION (3). Spring. (Alternate years.) Wiley.

459 [195] FIELD BIOLOGY AT HIGHLANDS BIOLOGICAL STATION (1–21). Summer. Staff.

462 [146] MARINE ECOLOGY (MASC 440) (3). Spring. Bruno.

463 [147] FIELD ECOLOGY (4). Spring. (Alternate years.) Reice.

469 [151] BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY (3). Fall. (Alternate years.) K. Pfennig.

471 [132] EVOLUTIONARY MECHANISMS (4). Fall. Kingsolver, D. Pfennig.

476 [114] AVIAN BIOLOGY (3). Spring. Wiley, Feduccia.

476L [114L] AVIAN BIOLOGY LAB (1). Spring. (Alternate years or on demand.) Wiley.

514 [133] EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT (3). Fall. D. Pfennig, Goldstein.

561 [143] ECOLOGICAL PLANT GEOGRAPHY (3). Fall. (Alternate years.) Peet.

563 [145] STATISTICAL ANALYSIS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION (4). Fall or spring. Weiss.

565 [184] CONSERVATION BIOLOGY (3). (On occasion.) White.

657 [140] BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (ENVR 520, MASC 504) (4). Summer. IMS staff.

661 [142] PLANT ECOLOGY (4). Fall. (Alternate years.) Peet.

662 [247] FIELD PLANT GEOGRAPHY (2). Spring. (Alternate years.) Peet.

666 [186] COMMUNITY AND SYSTEMS ECOLOGY (3). Spring. (Alternate years.) Reice.

666L [186L] LAB IN COMMUNITY AND SYSTEMS ECOLOGY (BIOL 666) (1).

669 [255] SEMINAR IN ECOLOGY (BIOL 255) (2). Peet, Reice, White, Bruno.

857 [259] SEMINAR IN COMPARATIVE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR (2). Fall or spring. Lohmann, Wiley.

859 [265] SEMINAR IN MARINE BIOLOGY (2). Fall or spring. Kier, Podolsky.

Biostatistics

664 [164] SAMPLE SURVEY METHODOLOGY (4). Spring. Kalsbeek.

670 [170] DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES I (3). Fall. Suchindran, Bilsborrow.

City and Regional Planning

585 [185] AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (ENST 585, ENVR 585, PLCY 585) (3). Fall. Andrews.

641 [141] ECOLOGY AND LAND USE PLANNING (3). Fall. Berke.

685 [219] WATER POLICY IN LESSER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (3). Whittington.

710 [210] MICROECONOMICS FOR PLANNING AND POLICY(1–3). Whittington.

740 [240] LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (3). Fall. Berke.

744 [244] DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (3). Fall. Staff.

745 [245] DEVELOPMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT (3). Spring. Berke, Burby.

781 [234] WATER RESOURCES PLANNING AND POLICY ANALYSIS (ENVR 781) (3). Fall. Moreau.

784 [233] ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (ENVR 784) (3). Fall. Heath.

785 [232] PUBLIC INVESTMENT THEORY (ENVR 785, PLCY 785) (3). Whittington.

786 [236] ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY PLANNING (ENVR 785) (3). Spring. Moreau.

Communication Studies

675 [175] ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE (ENST 675) (3). Spring. Cox.

Economics

454 [165] ECONOMICS OF POPULATION (3). Fall or spring. Turchi.

855 [265] ECONOMICS AND POPULATION (3). Spring. Turchi.

Environmental Sciences and Engineering

403 [110] ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES (ENST 403) (3). Fall. Staff.

412 [112] ECOLOGICAL MICROBIOLOGY (3). Spring. Pfaender.

413 [113] LIMNOLOGY (3). Fall. Whalen.

415 [115] BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES (ENST 450, GEOL 450, MASC 450) (4). Fall. (Alternate years.) Arnosti.

417 [117] OCEANOGRAPHY (BIOL 350, MASC 401, GEOL 403) (3). Spring. Staff.

419 [119] CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIA IN NATURAL WATERS (3). Fall. Singer.

430 [130] HEALTH EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AGENTS (3). Fall. Ball.

461 [160] ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS MODELING (GEOL 415, ENST 415, MASC 415) (3). Spring. Staff, Rial, Werner.

585 [185] AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (ENST 585, PLCY 585, PLAN 585) (3). Fall. Andrews.

701 [216] ECOLOGY OF AQUATIC PLANTS AND WETLAND ECOSYSTEMS (3). Spring. (Even years.)

765 [275] MODEL-BASED EXPOSURE MAPPING AND RISK ASSESSMENT (3). Spring. Christakos.

767 [279] MODELING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ANALYSIS (POLI 767, PLCY 767) (3). Fall. Staff.

781 [291] WATER RESOURCES PLANNING AND POLICY ANALYSIS (PLAN 781) (3). Fall. Moreau.

784 [290] ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (PLAN 784) (3). Fall. Heath.

786 [292] ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY PLANNING (PLAN 786) (3). Spring. Moreau.

Environmental Science and Studies

403 [110] ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES (ENVR 403) (3). Fall. Staff.

411 [102] OCEANIC PROCESSES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS (GEOL 411, MASC 411) (4). Spring. Shay.

415 [106] ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS MODELING (ENVR 461, GEOL 415, MASC 415) (3). Spring. Staff, Rial, Werner.

470 [198] ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT (ENVR 470) (3). Spring. Crawford-Brown.

480 [120] ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION MAKING (PLCY 480). (3). Spring. Andrews.

520 [184] ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (PLCY 520) (INTS 520) (3). Rabindran.

585 [185] AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (ENVR 585, PLAN 585, PLCY 585) (3). Fall. Andrews

675 [175] ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE (COMM 675). (3). Spring. Cox.

520 [184] ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (ENST 520) (INTS 520) (3). Fall. Rabindran.

585 [185] AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (ENST 585, ENVR 185, PLAN 585) (3). Fall. Andrews.

Sociology

453 [153] SOCIAL CHANGE IN LATIN AMERICA (3). Smith.

707 [207] MEASUREMENT AND DATA COLLECTION (3). Entwisle.

803 [218] HUMAN ECOLOGY (3). J. Blau, Nielsen.

830 [212] DEMOGRAPHY: THEORY, SUBSTANCE, TECHNIQUES, PART I (3). Rindfuss, Uhlenberg, Entwisle, Harris.

831 [213] DEMOGRAPHY: THEORY, SUBSTANCE, TECHNIQUES, PART II (3). Rindfuss, Uhlenberg, Entwisle, Mouw.

832 [287] MIGRATION AND POPULATION DISTRIBUTION (3). (On demand.) Uhlenberg.