BIOL 302(F) Communities and Ecosystems (Same as Environmental Studies 312)

An advanced ecology course that examines how organisms interact with each other and with abiotic factors. This course emphasizes phenomena that emerge in complex ecological systems, building on the fundamental concepts of population biology and ecosystem ecology. Lectures and workshops explore how communities and ecosystems are defined, and how theoretical, comparative, and experimental approaches are used to elucidate their structure and function. Field laboratories emphasize hypothesis-oriented experiments; field trips introduce the diversity of natural communities and ecosystems in New England.
Evaluation will be based on lab reports, a term project with presentation, a midterm paper, and a final exam.
Lectures and laboratory: six hours a week.
Prerequisites: Biology/Environmental Studies 203 or 220 or permission of instructor.