Tropical Biology

Catalog description

This course introduces the concepts of ecology and organismic biology through an intensive field oriented approach. Students examine both tropical rainforests and coral reefs from the organismic, population, community, and ecosystem levels through hands on field activities, lectures, and Internet activities. The course is conducted at a field station in a Costa Rican, Belizean, Amazonian, Caribbean, or Hawaiian location. Multiple field excursions will introduce students to the biodiversity and conservation of tropical ecosystems, while lecture and laboratory activities will introduce concepts in taxonomy, basic organismic biology and adaptive physiology, and tropical ecosystem processes. This course has both a lecture and laboratory (field) component and is intended for non-science majors or as an elective for science majors.