Landscape Ecology- Principles.

Catalog description

A course for biology majors and students who plan to take additional courses in biology. The study of landscape ecology expands on student knowledge acquired in the General Ecology course. The objective of this course is to introduce students to the transformative era of landscape ecology, including the Anthropocene. Students gain fundamental knowledge of landscapes as examined across spatial and temporal scales. Ecological dynamics such as disturbance, connectivity, range shifts, and epidemiology are examined in relation to the key roles the play in species richness and extinction, community structure, persistence at the landscape scale, and the spread of disease. The human affects on meta-ecosystems and its consequence on landscape function is explored. Included are discussions that focus on adaptation and future directions in the rapidly changing content that currently exists. Prerequisite: BIOE 370 /371 General Ecology Lecture and Lab.