Biology 373: Community Ecology
This course will address G. Evelyn Hutchinson's foundational question: 'Why are there so many kinds of animals?' We will approach this question by studying the mechanistic drivers of biodiversity, how diversity is maintained, and the interactions between species in communities. This course will consist of a weekly seminar presentation based on a topic in community ecology interspersed with student-led discussions based on readings from foundational and modern papers related to the lecture topic. The lab will focus on quantification of biodiversity, use of computer and statistical tools to analyze ecological data, and experimental design for field studies. Lab will culminate with students designing and conducting an original field-based research project applying the skills learned in lab to a relevant hypothesis discussed in class. Three lecture and four laboratory hours per week.
Answer keys
Links for lab
Key to Hexapod Arthropod Orders
Key to non-Hexapod Arthropod Orders
Entomology Glossary: definition of terms and links to pictures
Invertebrate body structure: definition of terms and links to pictures