All coursework takes place on Maui, Hawaii. Advanced standing in Biology and permission of the instructor. Consideration of plant and animal populations in relation to physical, chemical, and biological factors affecting their interaction and productivity. Considerable laboratory time will be devoted to the study of local ecosystems, field sampling techniques, and field trips to ecological research stations. A study of the ecological relationships of marine life in several major habitat types.
Emphasis is on productivity, food webs, nutrient cycling, and community ecology.
Ecosystem parameters are investigated through field and laboratory studies. Part of course work takes place at Seattle pacific University field station on Blakely Island. The reciprocal relationship of people to their environment, locally, nationally and globally. The need to develop a wise and socially just environmental ethic consistent with the Christian faith. Topics include acid rain, global warming, species extinction, and rainforest destruction.