Understanding Ecology

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Originally appears in the Summer 2019 issue.

Introduction
At the core of all environmental science classes are the concepts that underlie ecology. These concepts comprise the foundation for understanding the problems and eventual solutions regarding human interaction with and impact on the environment. With this in mind, a review of ecological concepts early in the course is arguably important, if not essential. The field of ecology is, however not always adequately reviewed prior to the beginning of environmental science courses. The below lesson was designed to help students review and summarize central concepts in ecology. It is organized into two sections. The first section involves students’ categorizing structural concepts in ecology and includes an introductory engagement activity in which students organize and map the structural components of our ecosystem . The second section involves students’ again mapping and organizing functional components of our ecosystem, and connecting these terms to their constructed structural term maps. A transition activity helps link the two sections. This interactive and discussion-based lesson is designed to be used for high school or introductory-college-level environmental science courses.

Engagement
Prior to the beginning of the first section of the lesson, ask students to write down their definition of ecology. Have students share their definitions with others in small groups and have them construct a common group definition on a piece of paper. Next, have student groups brainstorm and write down on the paper common terms they associate with the study of ecology. Groups then share their definitions and associated terms with the whole class. As students share their work, the instructor helps identify that there are two broad categories in the definition of ecology: structural components and functional components. Next, hand out a list of structural and functional terms commonly explored in introductory ecology classes for students to review and discuss (Appendices A and B). The terms are organized alphabetically, not conceptually, and most students find the list overwhelming. Explain that in this course we do not have the time to go in-depth into each concept presented on the list; however, students’ focus should be on understanding how these terms are related and organized. This emphasis on understanding relationships and organization will help students not only be able to define the concepts, but also enable a deeper comprehension of the terms and the field of ecology in general.