ENV22731

This intensive course will provide both descriptive and quantitative tools of analysis as applied to ecosystems within the state of Arizona. Students will learn natural history skills such as field identification of organisms, use of dichotomous keys, record-keeping, basic sampling techniques, and the fundamentals of writing a scientific paper. These skills will be developed within the context of ecological principles such as natural selection and evolution, homeostasis, population dynamics and life-history patterns, community organization and structure, ecosystem functioning, and biogeographic concepts. Students will practice the art of thinking ecologically and will consider how ecological principles can be applied.SPECIAL NOTES: See phase 1 for all required details