CourseSource | Evidence-based teaching resources for undergraduate biology education

Ecology Learning Framework

Society Learning Goals	Articles	Sample Learning Objectives

Biological Diversity
How can you explain the change of biodiversity over short and long (geological) timescales?	Coevolution or not? Crossbills, squirrels and pinecones	show Develop an argument that there has been a change in global biodiversity over the last 100 years. Explain why there are multiple species of finches in the Galapagos.
What is biodiversity at the genetic, species and functional (niche) level within an area, a biome or on Earth?	Teaching Biodiversity with Museum Specimens in an Inquiry-Based Lab	show Create a morphological key to identify taxa. Use molecular biology techniques identify functional groups of organisms (e.g., soil, stream, human microbiome, ocean water). Conduct a biological inventory of a specific habitat. Develop and use a biotic index to show the quality of an environment. Predict and justify where you would find a specific species in a particular habitat.
What is the relationship between phenology and biodiversity?	Quantifying and Visualizing Campus Tree Phenology	show Collect data and create a phenophase representation for selected species. Predict the implications at the local and global scale for observed changes in phenology. Relate changes in phenology to local and/or global disturbances.