Wetlands Ecology and Mgmt

Catalog description

This course reviews the importance of wetland ecosystems and the ecological features that define wetlands and where they occur on the landscape. The course will begin with a review of the perception of wetlands in modern society and subsequent modern-day conservation efforts. Other course topics will include the principal defining features of wetlands and how geology, hydrology, and climate patterns determine what types of wetlands occur where. A considerable amount of the course will be spent outside at our campus wetland and at other wetland ecosystems in middle Tennessee. One of the central themes of this course will include wetland conservation and restoration with a specific emphasis on understanding rules and regulations surrounding wetland mitigation. Emphasis will be placed on the ecological roles and ecosystem services that wetlands provide and how human disturbances impact these roles and functions.