BIO 123 - Fundamentals of Ecology Travel Study 23 credit hours - Two hours lecture weekly; 2 weeks travel study lab This course meets the Biological and Physical Sciences General Education Requirement.
Make comparisons to ecosystems studied in BIO 122 by applying the scientific method to principles of ecology, evolution, conservation, and human impacts. Explore contrasting ecosystems through travel to study the evolution, structure, and function of additional ecosystems. Examine geology, hydrology, climate, organism dynamics, and human cultures that affect example ecosystems. Travel fee.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 122 or permission of department chair.
Note: This course requires pre- and post- travel meetings in addition to the instruction given during the travel experience. Students must sign up for the corresponding travel section and pay all travel fees separately. Students traveling to international destinations are required to have a valid passport 90 days prior to departure and valid 90 days following the return date.
Course Outcomes: 1. Compare and contrast ecosystem parameters from different travel locations (visited during BIO122 and BIO 123) through the application of the scientific method to test ecological principles using observation, measurement, identification, and data analysis.
2. Compare the results of evolutionary processes in the different locations.
3. Explain how the fundamental principles of ecology at the levels of population, community, and ecosystem have resulted in the unique species sets found in the two travel locations.
4. Identify common effects of human impacts on the ecosystems in the two travel locations.
5. Compare and contrast geology, hydrology, climate, organisms, and human impacts of the ecosystems visited during both trips of the travel course in terms of historical background and future prospects for these ecosystems.
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