BIO 300 Terrestrial Ecology

This course provides an introduction to the study of the relationships of organisms to their environment and each other as a means for understanding their distribution and abundance. Topics of study include: autecology (dispersal, habitat selection, abiotic tolerances), population dynamics (structure, growth, life history variation), community ecology (species diversity, equilibrium, succession) and species interactions (competition, predation). Both field-based laboratories and lecture material focus on developing skills in observation, logical scientific inquiry, and written reports. 3 hours lecture. 1 three-hour laboratory. Prerequisite: BIO 290

4 credit hours