2010-11 Course Offerings for EES Degree

Plant Physiological Ecology

BIOL 533

Physiological Plant Ecology Lab

A research project in physiological plant ecology will be chosen, carried out and reported in scientific journal format.

Microbial Physiological Ecology

LRES 552

Advanced Soil and Environmental Microbiology

Advanced laboratory course. Microorganisms are targeted for isolation and characterization, emphasizing those not normally encountered in general microbiology laboratory. Biogeochemical cycling, contaminant biodegradation, extremophiles, and plant-microbe interactions are typical topics investigated. Students employ classic and novel cultivation approaches, identifying microbes based morphology, physiology, and phylogeny

Plant and Animal Physiological Ecology

ARNR 541

Range Ecophysiology

Lectures and selected readings on the response of range plants and animals to daily and seasonal changes in their environment, including physiology, animal behavior, and plant population biology.

Plant Population Ecology

LRES 543

Agroecology/
Applied Plant Ecology

Focus on the principles and theories of population and community ecology as they relate to invasive plant species in natural and agroecosystems. Measuring plant interference and assessing population interactions and dynamics through empirical and theoretical models. Review theory and methodology concerning plant population demographics, dispersal , and natural trait selection. Examine the role of biodiversity and evolution in determining sustainable management of ecosystems.

Animal Population Ecology

BIOL 506

Population Dynamics

Techniques for modeling the growth, regulation, harvesting and persistence of populations

F&WL 501

Applied Population Ecology

An in-depth review of (1) animal population ecology and (2) the application of theory in contemporary population management. Computer lab.

F&WL 502

Analysis of Population & Habitat Data

Study of the theory and methods of sampling and analyzing population and habitat data for vertebrates. Estimation of population size, survival, recruitment, habitat selection and home range with contemporary software packages. Computer lab.

Behavioral Ecology

ENTO 514

Behavioral Ecology

Functional and evolutionary aspects of the behavior of insects and vertebrates, concentrating on the structure and tests of present-day theory; optimal foraging theory, habitat selection, mating systems, parental investment, game theory and social behavior.

Conservation Biology

BIOL 521

Conservation Biology

Examines issues relevant to conservation of wild populations, focusing primarily on animals.  Emphasis is on approaches that use demography, population biology and genetics to address conservation questions.  Readings are from the primary literature, rather than a textbook, including case studies.

BIOL 548

Conservation Genetics

Introduces the theory and practice of conservation genetics, focusing primarily on animals.  Case studies will be used liberally, and emphasis will be place on interpreting genetic data.  Readings will include primary literature.

Community Ecology

BIOL 534

Vegetation Ecology

Considers the composition, structure, function, distribution in time and space, ecology and classification of communities. Emphasizes universal methods, current studies and Rocky Mountain systems.

BIOL 542

Community Ecology

Focuses on the origin, maintenance, and consequences of Biological diversity within local communities by examining studies of natural patterns, explorations of Mathematical models and direct experimentation.  The complexities of species interactions are explored in multispecies assemblages.

LRES 543

Agroecology/
Applied Plant Ecology

Focus on the principles and theories of population and community ecology as they relate to invasive plant species in natural and agroecosystems. Measuring plant interference and assessing population interactions and dynamics through empirical and theoretical models. Review theory and methodology concerning plant population demographics, dispersal , and natural trait selection. Examine the role of biodiversity and evolution in determining sustainable management of ecosystems.

Ecosystem Ecology

LRES 561

Belowground Plant Ecology

Application of basic ecological principles to belowground interactions of plant communities. Topics include plant competition, belowground herbivory, plant-microbe interactions including mycorrhizae, and diversity/productivity links in soil systems. Case studies will include invasive species, plants growing on metal-contaminated substrates, and grassland species interactions.

LRES 515

Microbial Ecology

Critical review of literature on the distribution and activity of microorganisms in natural microbial communities based on microbial adaption and physical, chemical and biological features of the microenvironment. A critical discussion of literature and approaches

Landscape Ecology

BIOL 515

Landscape Ecology and Management

Principles on landscape pattern, change, and function. Application of theory to conservation including population viability, reserve design, multiple-use landscapes. Lab introduces GIS, GPS, and simulation models

BIOL 524

Frontiers in Landscape Ecology

Students and instructor will write a scientific paper for publication that synthesizes an important question in landscape ecology. Students will select the topic, review and synthesize current knowledge on the topic, and write a scientific manuscript.

LRES 554

Soil-Landscape Modeling

Quantitative soil-landscape modeling with an emphasis on multivariate spatial statistics, digital terrain modeling, and underlying landscape processes. The course is built around "hands-on" projects and discussions of peer-reviewed literature.

Paleoecology

GEOG 505

Bioclimatography

The distribution of plants, as controlled by climate, geologic history and geographic location. Changes over time in distribution patterns as related to climate change and other human activities.

GEOL 581

Quaternary Environments

The last two million years of earth history as interpreted from geologic, biologic, and pedologic proxy data. Includes both global and regional analyses of changing climates and their effects on earth surface processes and land forms.

ESCI 582

Quaternary Paleoecology and Vegetation History

Examination of the history and development of modern biomes and the causes and consequences of long-term environmental change; introduction to the principles of paleoecology and the data used to reconstruct past vegetation.

ESCI 583

Topics in Paleoecology (not offered in 2009)

Focus on topics of special concern in the field of paleoecology through discussion of literature and individual investigation. Topics in the past have included: Geography of Natural Disturbance, Humans and Fire, and Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future.

ESCI 584

Quaternary environments of the western U.S

Examines the history of the western U.S. over the last 2 million years to provide information on past climatic, environmental, and biotic changes and their role in shaping the current landscape.

Quantitative Ecology

F&WL 502

Analysis of Population & Habitat Data

Study of the theory and methods of sampling and analyzing population and habitat data for vertebrates. Estimation of population size, survival, recruitment, habitat selection and home range with contemporary software packages. Computer lab.

BIOL 504

Quantitative Biology

Applications of mathematical models to biological phenomena with examples drawn from physiology, ecology and bioengineering. The course is intended to develop facility with optimization techniques, numerical methods, matrix operations, complex variables and simple statistical ideas. Computer lab.

BIOL 505

Environmental Analysis

Theory of ecological dynamics and introduction to multivariate methods for ecological analysis. Computer lab.

BIOL 518

Parameter Estimation for Ecological Models

Statistical methods to quantify uncertainty, and to plan data collection for cost-efficient reduction in uncertainty, in application to ecological models where data are often sparse and processes are often noisy, and management decision must take account of uncertainty.

BIOL 540

Analysis of Ecological Communities

Multivariate statistical analysis of data from terrestrial or aquatic, plant or animal communities. Classification, ordination, and predictive modeling of species and communities, emphasizing a hands-on approach and practical problem solving in community ecology.

LRES 535

Techniques of Spatial Analysis

Exploration and understanding of analytical techniques needed to deal with spatially correlated data. Emphasis is placed on practical applications within geographic information systems and image processing.

Remote Sensing

LRES 525

Applied Remote Sensing

Applications of remote sensing for graduate students, including advanced studies of multispectral and hyperspectal sensors and image processing algorithms. Emphasis is on using remote sensing technologies for solving applied land resource issues. Students will participate in discussions of current remote sensing literature.

Geobiology

ESCI 505

Geomicrobiology

he course will examine geochemical and microbial interactions that control earth surface processes and ultimately major bigeochemical cycles. The course will study integrated approaches to research problems using geochemistry, stable isotope geochemistry, culture-based and molecular microbial techniques

ESCI 585

Advances in Geobiology

Weekly seminar to discuss current literature and other “hot topics” in the fields of paleontology, paleoecology, geomicrobiology, and biogeography.

Social & Political Sciences

F&WL 525

Human Dimensions of Fisheries and Wildlife Management

This course provides fisheries and wildlife management graduate students with an understanding of how social, cultural, behavioral, and demographic characteristics of humans affect fisheries and wildlife management.