Plant Ecology, North Carolina Botanical Garden

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Teaching Pages

In this course, we explore plant ecology from both a conceptual perspective and first hand field experience. Ecological relationships at the organism, population, community, and ecosystem levels will be examined, using examples from the rich and diverse North Carolina flora. Students learn about nutrient and energy cycling within ecosystems, as well as about current threats and trends for the conservation of ecosystems. We also learn how to identify many of the local plants of the North Carolina piedmont.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1:
  • Introduction to Ecology
  • Plant Communities, Ecosystem Energy Flow, and Succession
  • Introduction to Plant Identification & Systematics
  • Field trip to Bottomland Forest, Piedmont Levee Forest, and gradient into Piedmont Mixed Mesic Hardwood Forest Communities

    • Week 2:
  • Natural Selection and Plant Adaptations
  • Competition & Predation
  • Co-Evolution
  • Field trip to Longleaf Pine and Coastal Cypress Swamp Communities, then into Piedmont Mixed Mesic Hardwood Forest Community

    • Week 3:
  • Student 2-minute presentations
  • Ecosystems, Biomes & Biogeography
  • Extinction and Plant Conservation
  • Field trip to Piedmont Bottomland Forest, Piedmont Mixed Mesic Hardwood Forest, and Dry-Mesic Oak Hickory Forest Communities

    • LECTURE POWERPOINTS

  • Week One
  • Week Two
  • Week Three

    • PHOTOS from Year One

    In the classroom
    North Carolina Botanical Garden
    1 Mar 2014
    Field trip into the woods
    Orange Co., NC
    15 Mar 2014
    Jeff's Nature Page

    Created on ... Jan 19, 2015 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com