Earth at the crossroads : understanding the ecology of a changing planet / Eric G Strauss

Course no. 1720.
Six discs in three containers. Contains lectures 1-36.
Course guidebook includes lecture outlines and notes, a time line, glossary, biographical notes, and bibliography.

"Science & mathematics"--Container

Disc 1. lecture 1: An ecological diagnosis of the living earth --
lecture 2. Humanity and the tragedy of the commons --
lecture 3. Ecology- natural history to holistic science --
lecture 4. Ecology as a system- presses and pulses --
lecture 5. Climate and habitat- twin ecological crises --
lecture 6. Human society as ecological driver --
Disc. 2. lecture 7. Movement of energy through living systems --
lecture 8. Humans as energy consumers --
lecture 9. Nutrient cycling in ecosystems --
lecture 10. The challenges of waste and disposal --
lecture 11. The water cycle and climate --
lecture 12. Human water use and climate change --
Disc. 3. lecture 13. Rain and heat- forces that shape climate --
lecture 14. The ecology of global climate change --
lecture 15. How living organisms acquire food --
lecture 16. The ecological consequences of agriculture --
lecture 17. Food, energy flows, biomagnification --
lecture 18. The human ecology of biomagnification --
Disc. 4. lecture 19. The ecological community as a living mosaic --
lecture 20. Wildlife adaptation to human landscapes --
lecture 21. Biodiversity, disturbance, invasive species --
lecture 22. Biodiversity decline and restoration ecology --
lecture 23. Microevolution and biological variation --
lecture 24. Human impacts on ecological space and time --
Disc 5. lecture 25. Population growth and its natural limits --
lecture 26. The human shift to an urban lifestyle --
lecture 27. The ecology of dispersal and migration --
lecture 28. Human impacts on animal migration --
lecture 29. Ecology and economy of sex and reproduction --
lecture 30. Cities and the human demographic transition --
Disc 6. lecture 31. Coevolution among species --
lecture 32. The coevolution of human diseases --
lecture 33. Strategies for reversing ecosystem decline --
lecture 34. Designing spaces for wildlife --
lecture 35. Toward sustainable urban ecosystems --
lecture 36. Recovering ecosystems- hope for the future.

Ecology is to reveal the nature of ourselves and of our relationship with the species around us. The lectures in this course are often in pairs, with basic ecological principles discussed in the first lecture and the human role or human implications addressed in the second.