Readings and Articles
For this module, please read the following short articles:
- Read Chapter 4 on Ecology and Geology.
- For section 4.2, just be able to use the examples to explain what biodiversity represents in general terms
- You do not need to read the case studies in this chapter, instead focus on the two articles below.
- Read the online article Urban Sprawl (note the textbook references are to another textbook). Focus on the general idea of the article, not specific facts or figures.
- Read the online article Water Pollution by Agricultural Chemicals (note the textbook references are to another textbook). Focus on the general idea of the article, not specific facts or figures.
These wetlands near Elkhart, IN and other wetlands in Indiana provide an important role in balancing out regional ecosystems, are highly productive (a great diversity of life), and manage flooding hazards (IUPUI Earth Sciences).
Additional resources you may check out:
- View Earth from Space, a series of collections of space images from NASA. You can view specific cultural features, climatic features, and habitats. Google Earth is similar, but Earth from Space highlights the unique features for you.
- Visit Find Your Spot. This website (run by a collection of real estate agencies) will ask you a series of 100+ questions, than provide a list of the top 25 cities or towns (urban ecosystems) in the United States that best fit your personality, preferences and goals.
In case you are bored this weekend:
- Visit Hueston Woods State Park east of West College Corner, Indiana. This park preserves the orignal hardwood forests present in Ohio and Indiana prior to European settlement. The park has been a preserve for over 200 years.