Honors Program: A pathway to excellence.

Coral Reef Ecology

Tropical coral reefs are hosts to some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, and decline of coral reefs worldwide is a pressing concern. This course will address the complex ecological relationships of coral reefs in order to predict how this diverse ecosystem will respond to current and future threats. Material will be presented from a global perspective, with a focus on Caribbean coral reefs.

This course in organismal biology introduces major concepts in ecology, evolution, classification and biodiversity. Tropical coral reefs are hosts to some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, and therefore decline of coral reefs worldwide is a pressing concern. It is important to understand the complex ecological relationships of coral reefs in order to determine how this diverse ecosystem will respond to current and future threats. This course will introduce students to diversity, classification, evolution and ecology via coral reefs and associated ecosystems (seagrass and mangrove communities). Material will be presented from a global perspective, with a focus on Caribbean coral reefs.

Students will learn about threats to coral reef and associated tropical communities including recent worldwide coral bleaching events, heavy fishing pressures and pollution, review recent coral reef, seagrass and mangrove community restoration efforts based on state of the art research, and deliver a professional presentation based upon their their literature reviews.
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Substitutions:
BIOO 101 Wildlife and Habitats
BIOB 170 Principles of Biological Diversity
BIOE 250 Conservation Biology

Instructors: DR. WENDY RIDENOUR
Time: Spring, BLOCK 6, 2018.