Ecology, Ethology, Environmental Science and Wildlife - पारिस्थितिकी, नृविज्ञान, पर्यावरण विज्ञान और वन्यजीव विज्ञान

Program Class: Degree / B.Sc

Year: Third

Semester: Six

Subject: ZOOLOGY

Course Title: Ecology, Ethology, Environmental Science and

Wildlife

Course Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this course, learners will be able to:

·       Complexities and interconnectedness of various environmental levels and their functioning.

·       Global environmental issues, their causes, consequences and amelioration.

·       To understand and identify behaviours in a variety of taxa.

·       The proximate and ultimate causes of various behaviours.

·       About the molecules, cells, and systems of biological timing systems.

·       Conceptualizing how species profitably inhabit in the temporal environment and space out their activities at different times of the day and seasons.

·       To interpret the cause and effect of lifestyle disorders contributing to public understanding of biological timing.

·       To understand the importance of wildlife conservation.

Credits: 4

Core Compulsory

Max. Marks: –25+75

Min. Passing Marks: 33

Unit

Topics

I

Introduction to Ecology

·       History of ecology, Autecology and synecology,

·       Levels of organization, Laws of limiting factors,

·       Study of physical factors

II

Organization of Ecosystem

·       Levels of organization, Laws of limiting factors, Study of physical factors,

·       Population: Density, natality, mortality, life tables, fecundity tables, survivorship curves, age ratio, sex ratio, dispersal and dispersion ,Exponential and logistic growth,

·       Types of ecosystems with one example in detail, Food chain: Detritus and grazing food chains, , Food web, Energy flow through the ecosystem,

·       Ecological pyramids and Ecological efficiencies, Nutrient and biogeochemical cycle with one example of Carbon cycle

III

Community Ecology

Community characteristics: species richness, dominance, diversity, abundance, Ecological succession with one example

IV

Environmental Hazards

·       Sources of Environmental hazards

·       Climate changes. Basics of environmental impact assesement

·       Greenhouse gases and global warming

·       Acid rain, Ozone layer destruction

V

Effects of Climate Change

·       Effect of climate change on public health

·       Sources of waste, types and characteristics, Sewage disposal and its management, Solid waste disposal, Biomedical waste handling and disposal,

·       Nuclear waste handling and disposal, Waste from thermal power plants,

·       Case histories on Bhopal gas tragedy, Chernobyl disaster and their aftermath.

VI

Behavioural Ecology and Chronobiology

·       Origin and history of Ethology,

·       Instinct vs. Learnt Behaviour

·       Associative learning, classical and operant conditioning, Habituation, Imprinting,

·       Biological clocks, Circadian rhythms; Tidal rhythms and Lunar rhythms, circannual rhythms

·       Chronomedicine

VII

Introduction to Wild Life

·       Values of wild life – positive and negative; Conservation ethics; Importance of conservation; Causes of depletion; World conservation strategies.

VIII

Protected areas

·       National parks & sanctuaries, Community reserve; Important features of protected areas in India; Tiger conservation – Tiger reserves in

              India; Management challenges in Tiger reserve