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.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be asked to read additional primary literature on a topic in tropical ecology after topic approval by the instructor. They will then be required to write a review article on the topic in a form appropriate for publication. Typically a paper will be based on a subject on which more than twenty original research articles have been written. Examples of possible topics might be: (1) the evolutionary ecology of the ant-fungus mutualism in tropical leaf-cutting ants; (2) levels of animal and plant endemism on tropical mountains; (3) the ecology of soil seed banks in tropical forests; (4) comparison of the ecology of african and indian elephants; or (5) the causes and consequences of coral bleaching.
Athena 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