Relationship to "Lithosphere" , "Fluid Envelope", and Biology courses; "Scientific reasoning"; What are the parts of a system; Heredity; Life as a non- Equilibrium systems - Biogeochemical physiology, Distribution of Life; Biosphere II as an experimental system; Description of Biosphere; On-line with Biosphere II; Interactions with Mosaic; The take home computer.
What is a rate; Simple growth equations; Feedback and limits to growth; Logistic growth equations; Deterministic vs. probabilistic systems; Feedback, and Chaos; Comparisons with real organisms; Ant takeover in Biosphere II .
Nature of heredity; Nature of a species; Darwinian Natural selection; Darwin's Finches; Evolution of key innovations; Dawkin's Blind Watchmaker program; Minimum viable population size; Selection and rapid evolution in insect pests; Implications of policy in Agriculture.
Concept of Hierarchy, Holon, and Emergent Properties; Flow charts; Self organization; Higher taxa; Prokaryotes; Symbiosis and eukaryotes; Examining Hierarchies and Feedbacks within Hierarchies; Variability of properties at different scales; Generation time; Evolution time; Deep time; Can communities evolve? Daisy World program; Sim Ant.
Sources of energy (phototrophs and chemotrophs); Oxidation - reduction; Heterotrophy; Respiration and Fermentation; Anaerobic and aerobic systems; Wine and Beer Production; Photosynthesis and Fermentation; Self limiting systems models.
Components (living and non-living); Measures of system state (I/O, productivity, respiration, diversity, efficiencies); Perturbation experiments; Some basic ecosystems.
Components (living and non-living); Measures of system state (I/O, productivity, respiration, diversity, efficiencies); Perturbations; Biosphere II flow paths and measurements.
Developing simple box models; Bulk compositions and abundances; Isotopes; Tracers; Census taking; Manipulative experiments; Natural (historical) experiments, Geological records of ecosystem processes; On Line data from Black Rock Forest lakes; Model of lake and comparison with model.
Aquatic sediment profile; Mats and Stromatolites; The water column; Soil; The gut; The upper Lithosphere; Hydrothermal vents.
Oceans; Lakes; Groundwater; Rivers and Streams; Atmosphere; On-line data from ocean of Biosphere II; The record of productivity - d13C; d13C model.
Transitional; Forests; Grasslands; Deserts; Tundra; Major changes in state viewed by d13C; Cenozoic C3-C4 transition.
Long term cycle model - Geocarb II; Short term cycle model; Global warming; SIM Earth; Other planets as experimental systems without life; Other major element cycles (Slow cycles - BLAG model; Fast cycles; Origin of "hot-house" - "green house" cycles; "Pollution"; Implications of policy.
Climate cycles and evolution; Processes of Extinction; Conservation practices; Corridors; Biodiversity Crisis; Diversity and conservation models; Lake Victoria; Tropical Rain forests; Mass extinction in our time? Implications of regulation and legislation.
Prokaryotes; Eukaryotes; Animals; Plants; Viruses
General Similarity; Cladistics; Maximum Parsimony methods.
Archeobacteria etc.; Microbial communities; Stromatolites; BIFs; Algal mats; The first 4 BY of ecosystem history; Microbial mat aquarium; Measuring ecosystem material and energy flow.
As communities of prokaryotes; Origin of Eukaryotes; Protoctista - major groups; Protoctista communities
Origins; As communities of Protoctista; and Prokaryotes; History and Major Groups; Bauplans; Major ecosystem metabolic roles; History of major groups.
Extrinsic - evidence; K-T as natural experiment; intrinsic; Measuring biodiversity and extinction; Pleistocene.
| Life System | EES | Climate Group | LDEO | Columbia |