African Ecology (BIO 39) and Marine Biology (BIO 50)

This course will demonstrate the fundamental principles of ecology within the context of the South African environment.  Students will be exposed to a variety of habitats and vegetation types, such as thorn scrub, succulent thicket and coastal fynbos, one of the rarest vegetation types in the world.  In addition, students will have the opportunity to observe and study a diversity of African wildlife including the African megafauna: elephant, hippo, rhino, buffalo and lion.  Field demonstrations will compliment topics covered in lectures.  Further, students will gain hands on experience conducting field studies with both plants and animals.

BIO 50: Marine Biology

This is a field oriented course that will be taught in several laboratories and field stations in Florida and Belize.  The emphasis in laboratory, lecture, and in the field will be on biodiversity, ecology, and physiology of marine organisms, especially as they relate to organism adaptation to the environment. Another focus will be to emphasize human influence on the marine environment through comparisons of relatively pristine habitats in Belize with perturbed equivalents in Florida. The laboratory and field portions will include studies of subtropical and tropical marine communities, seagrass beds, coral reefs, tide pools, intertidal communities, hypersaline lakes, caves, salt marshes, cypress swamps, mangroves, freshwater springs, estuaries, and open beaches.  Snorkeling will be an integral part of the course, so all students must be comfortable in the water and become proficient snorkelers before December 30, 2004. SCUBA diving will be an optional part of the course that will be available to students that are already certified, or become SCUBA certified before December 30, 2004. The ultimate goal of the class will be to understand the nature of marine life.

COURSE INFORMATION:

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