Biology 4254: Principles of Ecology

This course is about learning to conduct research with natural populations and communities. This lab is a practical, but independent extension of the lecture (Biol 4253). It is a hands-on course in which students will apply a number of field and analytical techniques to the study of ecological systems. The semester will be divided into two projects: spider ecology and land management of protected natural areas. For each project, students will work in teams to develop and refine project proposals, and then implement their studies. The first project, spider ecology, will be basic research. That is, building knowledge to address curiosities and answer scientific questions that don't necessarily relate to specific human or environmental needs. Applied research, the focus of the second project, builds on basic research to address practical problems. These projects require teamwork and field work.