IIIb at the Biological Station. Satisfies a Biology laboratory requirement. An introduction to ornithology with emphasis on field identification of the birds of northern Michigan. Field trips are to a variety of habitats in the region. Labs include classification, morphology, and identification of study specimens.
Lectures cover a variety of topics in the evolution, physiology, behavior, and ecology of birds.
Each student participates in a group project that analyzes historical bird data from the UMBS region. Satisfies a Biology laboratory requirement. This course introduces the basic concepts and principles of ecology as applied to the study of individuals, populations and communities of both plants and animals. Course topics include the role of physical and biotic factors influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms, dynamics of single species populations, competitive, predator-prey, and mutualistic interactions, community organization, ecological succession, evolutionary aspects of ecology, and current applications of ecology to problems of environment and resource management. Biology 381 is a suitable prerequisite for intermediate and advanced courses in ecology.