Ecosystem Nutrient Cycles

Catalog description

Ecological theory and applications related to water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and cation cycling in managed and unmanaged terrestrial ecosystems. SOILS 571 Ecosystem Nutrient Cycles (3)This course is designed to benefit basic and applied environmental scientists that want to understand how nutrients cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Students will develop knowledge of the biologically important nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, including linkages between nutrient cycling and energy (carbon) and water flow. The material covers the major theoretical advances in ecosystem ecology and applications of ecosystem theory to environmental management and problem solving. The water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and nutrient cation cycles will be covered. For each nutrient, inputs, outputs and internal cycling in plants and soils are discussed. Class time will include a mixture of lectures, discussions of primary literature and case studies, and group projects. Each student will write a paper on a topic related to their research that will be reviewed by student peers. Field and laboratory experiences will expose students to methods used by ecosystem ecologists. Students will complete the class with an understanding of: (1) classic and contemporary theories of nutrient cycling at the ecosystem scale, 2) variability in nutrient cycling among the major unmanaged and managed ecosystem types, 3) ecosystem responses to natural disturbance and human management, and 4) common and cutting-edge methods of ecosystem analysis.