Spring 2006
Biology 303, General Ecology
Textbook: Ecology. 5th Edition. Robert E. Ricklefs. W.H. Freeman and Co., New York.
Course Description: Investigation of ecological processes and patterns at the individual, population, community, and ecosystem level. Three hours lecture, three hours lab.
Course Web-site: http://courseinfo.bu.edu/courses/06sprgcasbi303_a1/
Fall 2006, Spring 2008
Biology 306, Biology of Global Change
Textbook: Ecology of a Changing Planet (with supplemental readings from the primary literature)
Course Description: This course introduces students to the study of global change biology. Covers the ecological impacts of human activity on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Topics include a review of the fundamentals of ecology (physiological, population, community and ecosystem ecology), environmental pollution (eutrophication of fresh waters, pesticides in the environment, ecotoxicology, trace metals) and biodiversity, conservation and global change (conservation and restoration ecology, infectious disease, ozone depletion, climate change and biodiversity).
Spring 2007
Biology and Geography 530, Forest Ecology
Textbooks: 1. Forest Ecology. BV Barnes, DR Zak, SR Denton and SH Spurr. Johnn Wiley and Sons. 2. Forests in Time. The Environmental Consequences of 1,000 Years of Change in New England. Eds DR Foster and JD Aber. Yale University Press.
Course Description: This course introduces students to the concepts and important topics in forest ecology. We will cover the major biotic and abiotic factors that influence forest ecosystem composition, structure and function. We will also examine how forest ecosystems have changed as a result of natural environmental variation and due to human activities. The foundations for the course are lectures, readings from the text, readings from the scientific literature and in-class discussions.