COURSE INFORMATION:

BIOL 341: General Ecology - 4 credits

PROGRAM INFORMATION:

This combined lecture and lab course in Ecology is a Biology core course and is required for Marine Biology majors. The proposed course will be offered in May 2015, with approximately 0.4 weeks spent in Charleston and 2.6 weeks in Panama. The lecture portion of the course will focus on fundamental ecological concepts and terminology, with Caribbe-an/Central American examples whenever appropriate. The main incentive for the study abroad is to offer a significant portion of the laboratory in a tropical setting. The basic format of the lab consists of natural history labs, independent research projects, and class field experiments that demonstrate common ecological methods of data acquisition and analysis. A wide variety of terrestrial and marine habitats will be examined including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, sandy beaches, rocky shores, wet and dry caves, tropical rain forest, and cloud forest.

Field work will require hiking in extreme high heat and humidity, and snorkeling; optional activities will include SCUBA and tree climbing (w/ rope system for canopy research). Students will also gain exposure to diverse local cultures and will have opportunities to learn about archaeology and Panamanian history.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR:

Dr. Craig Plante
Department of Biology
plantec@cofc.edu
843-953-9187

Dr. Plante is a tenured professor at the College of Charleston in the Biology Department. He has taught General Ecology (and lab) for 19 years. He also has taught Introductory Biology, and Environmental Studies at CofC, and is a faculty member in both the Masters in Environmental Science and Marine Biology Graduate Programs. In this capacity, he has taught Marine Ecology and Benthic Ecology and has contributed to graduate level courses in Oceanography, Deep-Sea Biology, and Environmental Biology. Dr. Plante has directed this program to Panama the past several summers.