BIOL 398 - Selected Topics in Ecology and Evolution

Credits: 3-4
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.

Prerequisites: BIOL 220, junior standing and permission of the instructor.Topics include ecology, behavior, evolution, and natural history of selected taxonomic groups. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different.

Topics for Winter 2011:

BIOL 398: Human-Wildlife Interactions (3). Prerequisites: BIOL 220, and at least junior standing or permission of the instructor. As the Earth’s human population increases, we are witnessing more wildlife habitat encroachment worldwide. Consequently, the incidence of human-wildlife conflict is escalating. These conflicts, caused through habitat destruction, poaching, and forced sharing of space can be disastrous for humans and wildlife species. In response, a growing number of conservation projects are seeking to find ways to mitigate such conflict. Through examination of case studies from the primary literature, students evaluate project efficacy and help develop additional solutions to these and similar problems arising in wildlife conservation. Of course, not all human-wildlife interactions are negative. We also investigate the more positive aspects of our species’ relationship with wildlife, from childhood fascination with animals to careers in wildlife biology. Wallis.Staff.