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Tropical
Field Biology 407/507 Home Page
(5 credits) Tom Walla Ph.D.
Summer
and Winter Terms
Mature
biological adventurers of all ages are invited to apply (interest
in biology required)
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| It is no exaggeration to say one
young man's departure from a humble life to explore this remote
wilderness formed his ideas on the origin of life, and thereby
influenced the ideas of every naturalist that has since pondered
the evolution of diversity. It is the purpose of this course
to provide each participant with the same sense of wonder and
inspiration that Charles Darwin enjoyed in his adventures. We
will explore patterns of ecology and evolution among the most
diverse and inspirational habitats on earth including Amazon
rainforest, Andean montane (cloud) forest, Andean paramo (alpine),
and the remarkable Galapagos Islands. After five successful
rainforest courses with over 50 Mesa State participants, the
addition of the Galapagos makes this year a unique adventure.
Explore our website! |
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**Links to descriptions-photos**
June 1,2:Arrive Quito - Day trip Andes
Lab
June 3,4,5,6,7,8, Amazon Rainforest
Lab
June 9,10,11,12 Montane Cloudforest Lab
June 13 Otavalo Market
June 14-21 Galapagos Islands
June 22 Return to U.S.
This course will be offered as part of the Extended Studies
Program at Mesa State College. Tuition and Fees are currently
estimated to be $3800 but vary with the itinerary, and include
all course expenses with the exception of international airfare
(approx. $900) and $200 required spending money for occasional
meals and Ecuadorian Taxes.
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Course Objectives
The goal of this course is to provide students an intensive,
field-based, introduction to evolution and ecology in tropical
habitats found in the upper Amazon Basin in Ecuador and the
Galapagos Islands. During the 19 day course period we will
travel to several different habitat types along an elevation
gradient formed by the slope of the Andes including: Lowland
Rainforest, Montane Forest, and Paramo. We will then explore
the inspiration of Darwin's theory of natural selection during
a 5 day cruise of the Galapagos Islands. Emphasis will be
placed on recognizing the major structural and functional
differences between habitats and how these are reflected in
the composition of plant and animal communities. We will also
consider the contributions of habitat specialization and environmental
conditions to evolutionary processes such as speciation. Coursework
will include structured group field investigation problems,
small group field investigations, student presentations of
research, observational studies, lectures, guest lectures
by local researchers, and field identification of tropical
plant and animal families. Students are required to keep a
field notebook and a field journal.
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Biology Department
Andean Plants Website Butterflies of Yanayacu Caterpillars
of Eastern Andes
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