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Spotlights: Education

Ecology I: The Earth System (1.018J/7.30J)

See official MIT catalog listing for this course...

() key to symbols Prereq: --
Units: 3-1-8

Fundamentals of ecology, considering Earth as an integrated dynamic system. Coevolution of the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and oceans. Introduction to thermodynamics. The Earth's energy budget. Photosynthesis and respiration. The hydrologic, carbon and nitrogen cycles. Flow of energy and materials through ecosystems, regulation of the distribution and abundance of organisms, structure and function of ecosystems. Evolution and natural selection; metabolic diversity; productivity. Trophic dynamics; models of population growth, competition, mutualism and predation. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. 7.012-7.014 recommended.

S. W. Chisholm, E. Delong