PLPR 364
RANGE ECOLOGY
(This course was terminated in 2006)
Course Content
PLPR 364 Range Ecology 2(2+0)
Rangeland ecosystem components. Rangeland ecosystem functions. Plant succession and retrogression. Plant competition in rangelands. Plant-animal interrelations.
Course Objective
This course aims at providing students majoring in Range Science and Forestry with good understanding of rangelands ecosystem as basis of range management, with emphasis on desert ecosystem.
Students are expected to:
- Have the broad knowledge interrelationships among ecosystem components.
- Have basic knowledge on vegetation dynamics.
- Have some knowledge on plant-animal relations in rangelands.
Textbook
Holechek, J.L., R.D. Pieper and C.H. Herbel 1998 (3rd.ed.). Range management: Principles and practices. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ 587p. (Chapter 6)
(Arabic Translation of this Book is Available)
Students Assessment
Students will be assessed as follows:
- One mid-term exam (30 %)
- One term paper on a selected subject of range ecology (30 %)
- Final exam worth 40 %
Lecture Schedule
|
Week |
Topic |
|
1 |
Introduction and definitions |
|
2 |
Rangeland ecosystem and components |
|
3 |
Rangeland ecosystem functions, energy flow |
|
4 |
Rangeland ecosystem functions, mineral cycling |
|
5 |
1st. Mid-Term Exam (One Hour) |
|
6 |
Plant succession and retrogression |
|
7 |
Plant succession and retrogression |
|
7 |
Term paper due |
|
8 |
Plant competition in rangelands |
|
9 |
Plant competition in rangelands |
|
10 |
Plant-animal interrelations |
|
11 |
Plant-animal interrelations |
|
11 |
Field Trip to a Desert Range Site |
|
12 |
Major plant communities of Saudi Arabia |
|
13 |
Major plant communities of Saudi Arabia |
|
14 |
FINAL EXAM |