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Tropic Field Courses, Winter 2003: Section 1Notice: Tropic Field Ecology is not currently being offered but we may offer a section in 2003. |
Dates in the field:
- Section 1: Caribbean
Islands: Mona and Puerto Rico. December __, 2003 to January __, 2004
(course number to be
announced).
Tropic Field Ecology, a new undergraduate
course offered by the University of Minnesota Itasca Field Biology Station,
will conduct one session this summer for three weeks on the islands of Mona
and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean.
The course will be an exploration of variation in tropic ecosystems along elevational gradients of temperature and moisture, and include a component linking Traditional Ecological Knowledge with current concepts in ecology. We focus on landscape and ecosystem ecology, particularly environmental controls on vegetation and biodiversity patterns and ecosystem processes.
We
will begin by camping for a week on the beaches of the uninhabited island
of Mona, off the west coast of Puerto Rico, exploring the coastal and dry
inland habitats known for their rich biodiversity and cultural heritage.
The second two weeks will be spent investigating ecosystems along a transect on the island of Puerto Rico, from coastal mangrove swamps, through lowland dry and moist forests to the rain forests and cloud forest of El Yunque national park.
The final week of the course we will also meet with local residents who have some traditional ecological knowledge of Caribbean ecosystems. Puerto Rico is a mix of African, Caribbean, and Spanish cultures with a large increase in U.S. influence in the last several decades. We will look for traces of earlier cultures with strong ties to the tropic landscape, and learn about traditional uses of these ecosystems for food, medicine, and crafts, and how this knowledge relates to our current understanding of ecology.
The
course dates are December __, 2003 to January __, 2004. The course will be taught in English.
We will meet in San
Juan, PR to begin the course. Cost including tuition, course material,
food and lodging during the course is $____. Four upper division credits
will be offered through the University of Minnesota Itasca Field Biology
Station.
The course will be led by Dr. William Gould, who has been teaching field ecology for many years. He will be joined by Puerto Rican soil biologist Dr. Grizelle Gonzalez.