Terrestrial Ecology and Biology

ENVR 163 Terrestrial Ecology and Biology builds upon the concepts from ENVR 162 with further studies of local forest ecosystems. Students will identify key forest structural components and study the role that disturbance (such as fire), environmental gradients, and competition play in defining a species' niche. Participants will also examine the role of primary and secondary growth, nutrient uptake, reproduction, and survival mechanisms for plants. Winter plant identification, ecosystem form and function, and plant adaptations to timberline will also be examined. A practical field based assignment will form a major portion of the term assessment. This project includes collecting the data in the field, entering and analyzing the data in the computer lab, and presenting the data in a written scientific report.