K Students undertake an in-depth study of vertebrate systems with special emphasis on nervous responses, endocrine control, circulation, respiration, digestion, excretion, and reproduction in man. Students study the classification and life histories of birds with an emphasis on North American species. The relationship between avian anatomy, physiology and the constraints of flight are understood. Students identify common local species by sight and vocalizations. Students investigate the relationships between avian behaviors, distributions, adaptations and the habitats in which the birds are found.
Students investigate population changes using mathematical methods.
Common models incorporating and describing parameters such as fecundity, mortality and competition are investigated. Students identify the assumptions that must be met for validity that underlay these population analyses and assess the appropriateness of different models for varying experimental uses. Students then use these models in understanding and quantifying the effects of such symbiotic relationships as predation and competition on various populations.