An advanced ecology course that examines how organisms interact with each other and with abiotic factors above the population level. This course explores community and ecosystem level phenomena in the regional landscape through self-designed field and laboratory experiments that are conducted by the class as a whole during the first half of the course. During the second half of the course individuals or small groups of students will undertake a term project. Extensive use of the College's Hopkins Memorial Forest and its databases will be utilized in the course. Field laboratories emphasize hypothesis-oriented experiments; field trips introduce the diversity of natural communities and ecosystems in New England. Format: lectures, discussions, workshops three hours a week plus laboratory three hours a week. One all-day field trip to Central New Hampshire is planned after spring break. Evaluation will be based on lab reports, the term project, and a public presentation of the project results. Prerequisite: Biology/Environmental Studies 203 or 220. Enrollment limit: 28 (expected: 22). Preference given to Biology majors and Environmental Studies concentrators. Satisfies distribution requirement in the major.