The ecosystem approach to ecology treats organisms and the physical aspects of their environment as components of a single integrated system. Terrestrial ecosystem functioning is governed by interactions amongst animals, plants, and soil organisms, as well as exchanges of energy and resources with the atmosphere, soils, rocks, and aquatic environments. This advanced undergraduate level ecology course is focused on plant-soil interactions as being a fundamental determinant of the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems around the world. As a group, we will attempt to synthesize recent advances arising from the ecosystem approach with established ecological theory to describe and explain ecosystem-level patterns and processes in the terrestrial environment.
The course content for 2016/17 in particular will be centered around developing and applying terrestrial ecosystem ecological concepts to address the following thematic question: What feasible changes in agroecosystem management would be most effective to meet global food demands in 2050?
Learning outcomes:
By the end of this course, the student should be able to:
- Explain and evaluate the major concepts underlying terrestrial ecosystem ecology
- Describe and contrast the major processes and features that distinguish local terrestrial ecosystems, including farm-types
- Present a synthetic, logical and individualistic seminar on a fundamental issue in agroecosystem ecology
- Develop, conduct, analyse, and write a lab/field research study on a student-inspired question in agroecosystem ecology
- Synthesize, evaluate and critique the potential solutions to meeting future global food demand
Professor: Paul Grogan
Lecture times: Wednesdays 10.00-11.30; Fridays 8.30-10.00
Lab/field trip times: Tuesdays: 8.30-11.30; Overnight weekend field course on October 22-23
Lab Instructor: Harris Ivens (E-mail: 15hi2@queensu.ca; Office: Room 2507)
Location: Room 3110, (Labs 3311) Biosciences building
Assessment:
10% Participation in discussions
15% Seminar questions
25% Seminar
5% Field trip presentation
25% Research report
20% Final writing assignment
Required textbook: Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. 2011. 2nd edition. Chapin, F.S. III, Matson, P.A. and Vitousek, P. Springer.
Schedule (to be updated throughout the course):
Lecture/Seminar sessions are 80 minutes; Labs up to 3 hours
| Week beginning | Day and time | Convenor | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sept. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris/Paul | Introduction to the course theme | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Paul | Introduction: The Ecosystem Concept | Chapin et al, Chapter 1: 1-12,17-22. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Dr. Gary Van Loon (Queen's Env.Sci./Chemistry) | Global Food Security | Foley et al. 2011. Solutions for a Cultivated Planet. Nature 478: 337-342. | |
| 19 Sept. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | No meeting | ||
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Paul | The State Factor Framework for understanding Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology, and Soil Development | Chapin et al, Chapter 1: 13-17; Chapter 2: 23-26, 38-41, 50-61; Chapter 3: 63-69. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Mara Shaw (Exec. Director - The Loving Spoonful) | Local Food Security and Food Waste | The Loving Spoonful | |
| 26 Sept. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Farm field Trip - The Kitchen Garden, Wilton | The Kitchen Garden |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Paul | Soil Development continued, and field trip to Miller Hall Geological Museum | ||
| Friday, 8.30 | Paul | Soil Transformations, and Physical Properties | Chapin et al, Chapter 3: 73-78, 82-85. | |
| 3 Oct. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Lab tour, guest lecture by John Serafini (M.Sc. candidate), and initiation of Group Research Projects | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Paul | Soil Chemical Properties | Chapin et al, Ch. 3: 86-89; Ch. 7: 204-206; Ch. 9: 287-290; 293-296. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Paul | Group Research Project brain-storming discussion | ||
| 10 Oct. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Group Research Project proposal development | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Paul | The Biology of Soils I | Chapin et al, Chapter 7: 183-190; 243-244; Chapter 9: 271-280 (overview). | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Paul | The Biology of Soils II | Chapin et al, Chapter 7: 183-194; Chapter 11: 321-324; 334-335. | |
| 17 Oct. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Group Research Project proposal development | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Paul | Decomposition, and Plant-Soil interactions | Chapin et al, Chapter 7: 190-204; Chapter 8: 229-233, 238-241, 253-255. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | No class - Field trip prep | |||
| 22 Oct. | Overnight field trip | Harris/Paul | ||
| 23 Oct. | Overnight field trip | Harris/Paul | ||
| 24 Oct. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Group Research Project | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Andrew McCann (guest lecturer) | Origins of Capitalism in Agriculture and its Future | ||
| Friday, 8.30 | Hudabia Ahmad | Increasing agricultural production by enhancing crop biodiversity: Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages? | Minns, A. et al. 2001. The functioning of European grassland ecosystems: Potential benefits of biodiversity to agriculture. Outlook on Agriculture 30(3): 179-185. | |
| 31 Oct. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Group Research Project- book time with Harris | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Victoria Guba and Samantha Boyko | Consumer demand has a major influence on agricultural practices. How can we shape consumer decision-making so there is a shift toward purchasing sustainable food? | Vermeir I. and Verbeke, W. 2006. Sustainable food consumption: Exploring the consumer 'attitude - behavioural intention' gap. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 19:169-194. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Madi Mueller and Faustine Quiles | Why is the G.M.O. debate so polarised? Does this polarisation prevent us from meeting global food demand in 2050? | Gaskell, G et al. 1999. World's apart? The reception of Genetically Modified Foods in Europe and the U.S. Science. 285 (5426)384-387. | |
| 7 Nov. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Group Research Project- book time with Harris | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Holly Jones and Amanda Marshall |
How can agroforestry be more successfully implemented as a means to meet future food demands for small-holder tropical farmers? |
Rosenstock et al, 2014. Agroforestry with NN2-fixing trees: sustainable development's friend or foe? Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 6:15-21. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Kaitlyn Wallis and Rhett Andruko |
How does the current organic certification connect consumer narratives with agricultural practices, and how can this system be improved to help achieve sustainable food production? |
Mazzacano D'Amato and Falzon, 2015. Why do some consumers prefer organic food? A discourse analytical perspective. Journal of Food Products Marketing 21:255-273. | |
| 14 Nov. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Group Research Project- book time with Harris | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Matt Smith | How can we maximise the benefits and minimise the disadvantages of GM crop use to help us meet 2050 global food demand? | Klumper and Qaim, 2014. A meta-analysis of the impacts of Genetically Modified Crops. PLoS ONE 9(11):e111629. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Gabrielle Gillett and Derek Maclean | Are current organic farming trends hindering the development of effective sustainable agriculture? | Hirel et al. 2011. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crops for sustainable agriculture. Sustainability (3):1452-1485. | |
| 21 Nov. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Group Research Project- Presentations and Discussion | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Allen Tian | How can we overcome the technical and economic restraints of hydroponic agricultural systems that would allow us to alleviate malnutrition in lower income urban populations? |
Joseph and Muthuchamy. 2014. Productivity, Quality and Economics of Tomato |
|
| Friday, 8.30 | Claire McPolin and Connor Mitchinson |
Should animals be completely eliminated from agro-ecosystems, what strategies would effectively shift us towards reduced meat consumption and would this be an effective way to meet global food demands in 2050? |
Reijnders and Soret. 2003. Quantification of the environmental impact of different dietary protein choices. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 78(suppl):664S–8S. |
|
| 28 Nov. | Tuesday, 8.30 - LAB | Harris | Report writing time - No lab session | |
| Wednesday, 10.00 | Paul | Sustaining socio-ecological systems | Chapin et al, Chapter 15, 423-446. | |
| Friday, 8.30 | Paul | Synthesis |
Last Updated: 23 December 2016