BIOL 1011 OR BIOL 1030 OR BIOA 1003 OR SCIE 1505 OR ENVS 1000MATH 1060 OR STAT 1060 OR MATH 2080 OR STAT 2080
Create scientific questions, propose a written hypothesis as a tentative answer to that question and generate observable predictions consistent with that hypothesis in the context of a particular experiment. [BIOL 1010] [BIOL 1011] [BIOL 1030] Design a simple experiment and identify the design elements of an existing experiment. [BIOL 1010] [BIOL 1030] Provide examples of how biological interactions (competition, predation, mutualism) structure communities [BIOL 1011] Recall basic chemical concepts: bonding, formulas, concentration, the principle of balancing chemical equations, radiometric dating/radioactive decay Write a properly formatted CSE-style (Council of Science Editors) citation for a website, article or book; quote from and/or cite published material as appropriate; read an article from a scientific journal and discuss its content with classmates. [BIOL 1010] [BIOL 1011] Analyze data using basic statistical techniques (mean, standard deviation, n, chi-square test). [BIOL 1010] [BIOL 1011] [BIOL 1030] Explain how humans are altering the global nitrogen (biogeochemical) cycle [BIOL 1011] Generate and interpret appropriate tables and graphs used to represent data [BIOL 2020] Provide an example of a life history trade-off [BIOL 1011] Use simple models to describe unlimited (exponential) and limited (logistic) population growth [BIOL 1011] [BIOL 1030]
Describe how abiotic factors influence the distribution and abundance of organismsDescribe major drivers of, and differences among, terrestrial, marine and freshwater biomesDescribe the effects of disturbance on species diversity and other aspects of community structureDescribe the mechanisms that drive primary and secondary successionExplain how connectivity can influence extinction of metapopulationsExplain major gradients of species diversity in terrestrial and marine ecosystemsExplain top-down and bottom-up control of primary productivityUnderstand the fundamentals of disease dynamics and transmissionApply the scientific method to approach a research questionCommunicate research results as a formal report in the style of a scientific paperExplain the concept of a fundamental and realized ecological nicheInterpret food-web diagrams in terms of indirect interactions including trophic cascadesOutline examples of positive (e.g. mutualism, symbiosis, facilitation) and negative (e.g. competition, predation, parasitism) biological interactionsUnderstand the basic principles of experimental design and apply that knowledge to design or critique a laboratory or field studyConduct regression analysis and t-tests on ecological dataGenerate and interpret appropriate tables and graphs to represent ecological dataInterpret the evolution of animal behaviour and life history in light of natural selection and inclusive fitnessManipulate and interpret results of the Lotka-Volterra competition and predator-prey modelsOutline the major biogeochemical cycles on the planet (e.g. water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus)Predict major human impacts on natural ecosystems and global biogeochemical cyclesRead and interpret a scientific paper describing a straightforward experimental or observational studyUse the BIDE (births, deaths, immigration, emigration), exponential and logistic population growth models to make predictions
