Description
Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara
Level: Upper division undergraduate, 2 units
Role: Head Teaching Assistant
Quarters taught: Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Winter 2024
Organismal ecology and evolution can be understood in the same terms used to describe distinguishing features - for example, bill shape, foot type, and dentition are common “clues” for identifying animals, but these all contribute to a species’ “ecology”: what role does it play in an ecosystem?
By the end of the class, students will feel confident in their grasp of the following basics of vertebrate ecology:
- To identify terrestrial vertebrates using “ecological clues”: habitat, behavior, morphology
- To understand animal survey methods and how they fit into experimental design
This class fulfills these goals with a combination of nature walks, monitoring of local field sites, assignments, and assessments for students to track their progress throughout the quarter.
Links
Syllabus: Winter 2024
Media coverage: UCSB Current