BIOL 55 Ecological Research in the Tropics I
The Biology Foreign Studies Program (BIOL 55, BIOL 56, BIOL 57) exposes students, through intensive, full-immersion study, to Earth's most diverse biological communities. BIOL 56 is a continuation of BIOL 55; these courses comprise the first two-thirds of the FSP, and focus on land (tropical forests) and tropical freshwater ecosystems in Costa Rica. BIOL 57 focuses on coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean. Students are challenged to know, understand and appreciate the diversity of form and function in organisms, and the interactions that generate the often-spectacular patterns they see in the field. Habitats in Costa Rica include lowland rain forest, cloud forest, dry forest, montane forest, alpine paramo, streams and wetlands. The schedule is full, including fieldwork, laboratories, lectures and discussions, with emphasis on original research, mostly in small groups of 2-3. Faculty and advanced graduate TAs share field accommodations with students, and are in continuous contact as mentors, day and evening, throughout the program. Students master field and analytical methods (including hypothesis testing, statistical and software skills) for observational and experimental research. We pursue a great variety of research topics, including plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore interactions, processes driving coral reef structure (and coral reef decline), determinants of species distributions, animal behavior, and conservation ecology. Students practice the classic scientific approach: making observations, asking testable questions, generating hypotheses, developing experimental protocols, collecting data, making statistical inferences, writing scientific papers, and presenting seminars. Research papers are published in an annual book. Accommodations are at field stations in Costa Rica, and at a marine laboratory in the Caribbean. Acceptance into Program is required. In addition, BIOL 15 & BIOL 29 are recommended.
Instructor
Ayres
Prerequisite
BIOL 16, one course from among
BIOL 21 -
BIOL 32; acceptance into program, BIOL 15 and BIOL 29 recommended