Syllabus of M.S environmental science Kerala University

My daughter is a student of the M.S environmental science of the Kerala University? Her exams are coming very close so will you please tell me from where I can donbwlaod the syllabus of the M.S environmental science of the Kerala University? Also tell me from where I can get the last year question paper of it s it will be easy for my daughter to study?

Can you provide me the syllabus of M.Sc. Environmental Science Program offered by the Department of Environmental Sciences of University of Kerala?

[sumit]

The syllabus of M.Sc. Environmental Science Program offered by the Department of Environmental Sciences of University of Kerala is as follows:

Semester : I
Course code : ENS-C-411
Course Title : ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS
Credits : 4

COURSE CONTENT

MODULE I: Concept and scope of Environmental Science, Environmental Biology, ecosphere and biosphere; ecological factors and variables. Biomes and Habitats: Classification of biomes–Terrestrial biomes–tundra, taiga, grassland, desert, evergreen and deciduous forests, tropical rain forests and their characteristics– flora and fauna. Classification of aquatic habitats – fresh water: ponds, rivers, lakes, wetlands– their characteristics, flora and fauna; marine habitats – pelagic, benthic, inter-tidal, estuarine, Mangroves – their characteristics, flora and fauna.

MODULE II: Ecosystem dynamics: Introduction - Concept, characteristics, kinds and structure, ecosystem functioning – food chain, food web, ecological pyramids of numbers, biomass, energy, inverted pyramids, ecological energetics – energy flow, ecological efficiency.

MODULE III: Development and evolution of ecosystems–biogeochemical cycles–gaseous and sedimentary cycles, food chain, food-web, ecotone, edge effects, ecological niche and ecosystem stability.

MODULE IV: Ecological interactions - Neutralism, symbiosis, commensalism, mutualism, antagonism, antibiosis, parasitism, predatism, competition – intra-specific and inter- specific, Ecological and environmental significance of interactions.

MODULE V: Population dynamics–concept of population, population growth–density, natality, mortality and growth curves, life curves, age structure, function and equilibrium; population regulation – biotic potential and environmental resistances; Factors of population regulation – density dependent and density independent; population crash and carrying capacity; the laws of population growth

MODULE VI: Limiting factors of environment: Concept of limiting factors, laws of limiting factors– laws of minimum and tolerance, combined concept of limiting factors, Earth’s carrying capacity. Ecoinformatics: concepts and principles.


REFERENCES
• Botkin, Daniel B. 2011. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, John Wiley and Sons, New Delhi.
• Chapman, J.L. and Re is s,M . J . 2005. Ecology P rincip l e s a n d Ap p licatio n s , Cambridge University Press, London.
• Dash, M.C. 1994. Fundamentals of Ecology, Tata McGraHill, New Delhi
• Gunther, O. 1998 Environmental Information Systems. Berlin, New York, Springer.
• Miller G.Taylor and Scott Spoolman. 2011. Essentials of Ecology, Brooks/ColeLearning, USA.
• Odum, E.P. 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology, W.B.Saunders Company, Philadelphia.
• Sharma.P.O. 1996. Environmental Biology, Rastogi Publications, Meerut.
• Verma.P.S. and V.K.Agarwal. 1985. Principles of Ecology. S.Chand and Company, New Delhi.


Syllabus M.Sc. Environmental Science University of Kerala