Course goals

1. To provide a synecological framework for examining and evaluating ecological generalizations and renewable resource management.
2. To provide an intermediate-level view of the major types of range ecosystems found in North America.
3. To provide an ecological context for comparisons among ecosystems with regard to resource management strategies.

Readings

    Texts

    Textbook

Vankat, J.L. 1979. The Natural Vegetation of North America: An Introduction, John Wiley and Sons, New York.

  Other useful texts

Ecology

Bailey, R.G., S.C. Zoltai, and E.B. Wiken. 1985. Ecological regionalization in Canada and the United States. Geoforum 16:265-275.

Smith, E.L. 1988. Successional concepts in relation to range condition assessment. p. 113-133. In Tueller, P.T. (ed) Vegetation Science Application for Rangeland Analysis and Management. Acad. Press.

West, N.E., and D.A. Shute. 1978, Alternatives for ecosystem classification and their implications for rangeland inventory. p. 174-176. In Hyden, D.H. (ed) Proc. First Int. Rangl. Congr., Soc. Range Manage., Denver, CO.

Forested Ecosystems

Chabot, B.F., and H.A. Mooney. 1985. Physiological Ecology of North American Plant Communities. Chapman and Hall, New York.

Walter, H. 1963. Climatic diagrams as a means to comprehend the various climatic types for ecological and agricultural purposes. p. 3-9. In A. J. Rutter and F.H. Whitehead (eds.). The Water Relations of Plants. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Grasslands and Deserts

Gartner, F.R. 1978. Resources of the North American Prairie. p. 6-12. In C. Johnson (general chairman), Proc of 1977 Rangeland Management and Fire Symposium, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, Univ. Montana, Missoula.

Lemon, P.C. 1970. Prairie ecosystem boundaries in North America. p. 13-18. In P. Schramm (ed), Proc. Symposium on Prairie & Prairie Restoration. Knox College Biol. Field Sta. Spec. Publ. No. 3.

Tundra and Western Shrublands

Sharp, L.A. 1978. Mountain and intermountain rangeland resources. p. 13-20. In C. Johnson (general chairman), Proc of 1977 Rangeland Management and Fire Symposium, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, Univ. Montana, Missoula.

West, N.E. 1983a. Intermountain salt-desert shrubland (Chap. 14). p. 375-397. In N.E. West (ed), Temperate Deserts and Semi-deserts, Ecosystems of the World 5. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co.

West, N.E. 1983b. Great-Basin-Colorado Plateau sagebrush semi-desert (Chap. 12). p. 331-349. In N.E. West (ed), Temperate Deserts and Semi-deserts, Ecosystems of the World 5. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co.

West, N.E. 1983c. Western intermountain sagebrush steppe (Chap. 13). p. 351-374. In N.E. West (ed), Temperate Deserts and Semi-deserts, Ecosystems of the World 5. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co.

West, N.E. 1984. Successional patterns and productivity potentials of pinyon-juniper ecosystems. p. 1301-1332. In National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences. Developing Strategies for Rangeland Management, Westview Press, Boulder, CO.

         Research and extension bulletins will be added to provide students with the latest technology and information. 

Lecture topics

Ecology

Ecology is the basic phase of biology dealing with the study of the mutual relationship between organisms and their environment. This section focuses on characteristics of ecosystems and factors that effect them.

Photo Courtesy of USDA NRCS.

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Forested Ecosystems

Forests are an important ecosystem providing oxygen to our atmosphere. They sequester large quantities of carbon and provide many products for our benefit. This section focuses on the different types, sizes, and components of forests.

Photo Courtesy of USDA NRCS

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Grasslands and deserts

Grasslands and deserts are found in many places in the world. Grasslands and deserts provide large quantities of herbaceous matter that can only be used by humans via grazing of ruminant animals. In this section we will discuss the different components and locations of grasslands and deserts.

Bureau of Land Management Photo by Richard H. Brown

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Tundra and western shrublands

Tundra and western shrublands make up most of the remaining land not covered by forests, grasslands, deserts, or mountains of glass and steel. This section will discuss the regions, topography, and climate of these areas.

Bureau of Land Management Photo by Nick Seifert

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