Courses
Conservation Biology
BIOL 4805/9104
This course is an introduction to conservation biology, which is a field that seeks to study and protect the living world and its biological diversity (Primack 2014). Students learn about biodiversity, threats to biodiversity, conservation strategies and challenges, and basic ecological and evolutionary principles related to conservation. This course aims for students to: 1. Test ideas using scientific evidence gathered from the natural world. 2. Learn fundamental facts, concepts, and theories in Conservation Biology. 3. Identify relationships among conservation biology concepts (organize) 4. Clearly write and speak about science with peers (communicate) 5. Interpret and evaluate scientific claims/knowledge, interpret and evaluate claims in the media and scientific press, and inform your decisions as citizens (use) and 6. Understand how humans interact with their environment and their impacts on the environment.
Evolutionary Ecology
BIOL 3255
Introduction to the ecology of individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems, with emphasis on sub-ecosystem levels of organization and with an evolutionary approach that stresses ultimate explanations. Lectures cover environmental conditions, biomes, physiological adaptations, behavioral ecology, life history, population growth and regulation, species interactions, community structure and dynamics, ecosystem principles, and selected topics in applied ecology and conservation.
Previous courses
Methods in Marine Ecology
UGA ECOL 4225/4225L
This course provides an in-depth understanding of ecological processes and interactions in marine and estuarine environments through hands-on studies in the field and in the lab on Sapelo Island, GA. Students learn the basic physical, chemical, geological, and biological oceanographic and ecologic processes and that operate in the coastal zone. Students (1) run experiments across diverse estuarine habitat types, (2) gather and analyze data as a class and (3) each student designs and conducts an independent research project adapted from skills learned throughout the course.
Advanced Ichthyology
MLML MS 113/213
Graduate level course where students gain comfort with: (1) the concepts underlying the evolution, systematics, physiology, and ecology of marine fishes; (2) using a variety of field techniques to sample and identify fishes from various marine habitats, and (3) practice skills in the laboratory to understand taxonomic relationships among fish groups and the external and internal anatomy of fishes.
Projects in Marine Ecology
CSUMB MSCI 455
Capstone course where undergraduate students:
(1) assess what is known about abalone on the west coast and factors that affect their populations through critical review of peer-reviewed literature and technical reports, (2) pose a scientific question and develop a hypothesis related to gaps in our knowledge of abalone populations, (3) design and conduct an ecological monitoring project that will answer their hypotheses, (4) work as a team to collect, analyze, and interpret ecological data, (5) understand appropriate statistics for analyzing data and (6) apply results to conservation and management of abalone populations.