| Course ID: | PBIO(ECOL) 4750/6750. 3 hours. |
| Course Title: | Tropical Ecology and Conservation |
Course
Description: | Patterns and processes in the origin, maintenance, and loss of the high biological diversity in the tropics, emphasizing particular communities and ecosystems, including tropical rainforest, tropical savannas, tropical islands, and coral reefs. |
| Oasis Title: | Tropical Ecology and Conserv |
| Undergraduate Prerequisite: | (BIOL 1108 and BIOL 1108L ) or (BIOL 2108H and BIOL 2108L) or (PBIO 1220 and PBIO 1220L) |
| Graduate Prerequisite: | (BIOL 1108 and BIOL 1108L ) or (BIOL 2108H and BIOL 2108L) or (PBIO 1220 and PBIO 1220L) or permission of department |
Semester Course
Offered: | Not offered on a regular basis. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | Students will learn about the theories and supporting data for
the origin and maintenance of high species richness in tropical
ecosystems, with particular ecosystems examined in greater
detail, especially tropical rainforests, African savanna eco-
systems, tropical islands, and tropical coral reefs. Students
will also examine the particular conservation issues that
apply to each of these ecosystems. |
| Topical Outline: | Geological and paleobiological history of the tropics
Tropical climatology and soils
Tropical biogeography and latitudinal gradients in diversity
Tropical mountains
Rarity: a tropical phenomenon
Tropical evergreen rainforests: a global perspective
Case study: Barro Colorado Island
Animals of tropical rainforests; plant-animal interactions
Tropical rainforest conservation: trends, issues and prospects
Tropical deciduous forests and savannas: a global perspective
Case study: East African grasslands and their wildlife
Tropical islands: Case studies: Hawaii, Galapagos
Extinction patterns and processes ontropical islands: lessons
Tropical coral reefs
Conservation of coral reefs: trends, issues and prospects
Tropical rivers
The future of the tropics |
| Honor Code Reference: | The booklet, A Culture of Honesty: Policies and Procedures
on Academic Honesty, describes policies of UGA regarding
academic honesty. Students will be encouraged to be familiar
with it. Students suspected of cheating will be reported
to the VP for Academic Affairs. Students found to have cheated
will receive a mandatory "F" and a note about their cheating
in their student record. |