ENTOM 4550 - Insect Ecology

(crosslisted) BIOEE 4550
(OPHLS-AG) (CU-SBY)

Fall (offered in even-numbered years only). 4 credits. Student option grading.

Prerequisite: introductory biology or permission of instructor recommended.

J.S. Thaler.

You will learn to think like an ecologist by studying the fundamental principles of insect ecology and the types of questions ecologists ask, seeing how ecology can be used to understand and solve environmental problems, and putting this knowledge into action during group activities in the lab and field.

Outcome 1: 1.1 Students will be able to explain the fundamental principles of population and community ecology.
1.2 Students will be to identify what interactions are important for insects.
1.3 Students will learn natural history of local insects.

Outcome 2: 2.1 Students will be able to interpret data presented in graphs.
2.2 Students will be able to pose their own questions and design and execute experiments to answer these questions.
2.3 Students will be able to read and interpret the scientific literature.
2.4 Students will be able to use basic statistical methods to interpret their data.

Outcome 3: 3.1 Students will participate actively in debate with peers using information they research in the primary literature

Outcome 4: 4.1 Students will write full reports based on the field and laboratory projects they conduct.
4.2 Students will have opportunities to summarize and evaluate the important factors in insect ecology