Syllabus (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE)

Course Type: MAJ-2

Semester: 2

Course Code: BENVMAJ02T

Course Title: ECOSYSTEM & BIOMES

(L-P-Tu): 5-0-1

Credit: 6

Practical/Theory: Theory

Course Objective: To develop Basic concept on ecosystem; its types To impart basic knowledge on population ecology, community ecology and biomes

Learning Outcome: Students will know about the concept of Ecosystem, Major Ecosystem types, Population Ecology, Community Ecology and Biomes

Concepts of Ecosystem: (LECTURE – 20)

Ecosystems: Concept & classification (terrestrial and aquatic); Structure and function of ecosystems: trophic levels, food chain, food web and ecological pyramids; Energy flow in ecosystem: Energy flow models (single and double channel model); Productivity (concept & types: primary and secondary); Biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous cycle)

Major Ecosystem Types: (LECTURE – 15)

Grassland ecosystem, forest ecosystem, agro-ecosystem, lentic and lotic ecosystem, wetland ecosystem, estuarine ecosystem, and marine ecosystem.

Population Ecology: (LECTURE – 20)

Concept and characteristics of population (natality, mortality, age structure, population pyramids, population density, population dispersion, population growth, life table and survivorship curves); Population interactions (competition, predation, parasitism, symbiosis, commensalism, mutualism, and ammensalism)

Community Ecology: (LECTURE – 15)

Concept of community & classification; Community structure (horizontal and vertical stratification); Community Characteristics (qualitative and quantitative); Ecological Succession (concept, processes, stages and types of successions); Concept of Climax

Biomes: (LECTURE – 20)

Concept & characteristics of biome; Types and distribution of major biomes (e.g., desert, grass lands, tropical evergreen rain forests and tundra); Endemism and endemic species of India

Suggested Books

1. 1. Environmental Science: S.C. Santra, New Central Book Agency
   2. Ecology and Environment: P.D. Sharma., Rastogi Publication.
   3. Fundamental of Ecology: E.P.Odum, W.B.Sauders Company, USA
   4. Elements of Ecology: Thomas M Smith & Robert Leo Smith; LPE, Pearson Education
   5. Ecology and Environmental Biology- -T K Saha, Books and Allied Publisher
   6. Botkin & Keller (1998): Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet; John Wiley & Sons
   7. Elements of Ecology: Thomas M Smith & Robert Leo Smith; LPE, Pearson Education
   8. Concept of Ecology, E. J. Kormondy, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd.
   9. Environmental Biology, Biswarup Mukherjee, Tata McGraw Hill Co. Ltd., New Delhi.
   10. Ecology a bridge between science & society, by E. P. Odum, Sinauer associates