Vertebrate Ecology-Mammalogy

Catalog description

This course explores the class Mammalia and the diversity, phylogeny, morphology, physiology, biogeography, and ethology of mammals worldwide, with an emphasis on the species of the Northeast and their ecology and conservation. Students will learn the diagnostic characteristics and habitat associations of mammals of the northeastern U.S., and we will evaluate and implement methods that are used to study mammals in the field. Students will design a field-based research project and apply quantitative techniques to analyze data collected in the field. Through a combination of lectures, class discussions, student presentations, field trips, lab exercises, and delving into the scientific literature, we will investigate threats facing at-risk mammals as well as conservation and management efforts currently underway in the region and across the globe.