All Courses Offered at UMBS

SPRING TERM

May 18 to June 14,* 2008

Students in Spring session take one five-credit course, which meets five days per week for four weeks (*with the exception of ANTHRARC 487, which meets for five weeks, May 18–June 19, and is six credits)

bio 104, Introduction to Natural Sciences

Prereq: None. 4 weeks (5 credits) Uthus

This course assumes no prior science background and is appropriate for all undergraduates. It offers a “hands-on” introduction to natural science taught directly in the field. Classes are held in natural habitats including dunes, forests, streams, bogs, and meadows. Topics include identification of common native plants and animals of the region, glaciation, history of forest development, collection and identification of fossils, observation of carnivorous plants, identification and ecology of birds. Aquatic plants and animals will be studied in Douglas Lake. This course offers an unparalleled opportunity to become acquainted with nature and science. Students earn five credits toward the Natural Sciences distribution requirement. Click here for a class flier.

EEB 38, General Ecology

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162. 4 weeks (5 credits) Karowe/Pillsbury

In this course, students study the factors influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms in nature. Course topics focus on individual ecology (physiological ecology, foraging strategies) and population ecology (population dynamics, life history strategies, evolution, competition, herbivory, predation, and mutualism). The course also addresses community ecology and ecosystem ecology. Lecture and discussion are supplemented by field laboratory exercises designed to test ecological questions in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Students will conduct group research projects and present their results in a symposium at the end of the term. Fulfills biology distribution requirement. Equivalent to EEB 281–282.

EEB 455, Ethnobotany

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162. 4 weeks (5 credits) Herron 

Ethnobotany is the direct cultural use of plants by people. Ethnobotany is an integrated course utilizing an ecological framework to explore the botany, mycology, anthropology, natural resource management, history, linguistics, and American Indian studies of the human-plant relationships. This course provides an intensive northern Michigan field botany/mycology experience, followed by an applied ecology laboratory experience to test the constraints and opportunities of specific plants and fungi. Lectures explore the cultural use of plants from a local to global perspective, with a focus on the Great Lakes American Indian perspective. Students learn to identify, classify, harvest, and culturally process many of the northern Michigan plants utilized during pre- and post- European-American contact for food, medicines, crafts, cordage, firewood, teas, smudging/smoking, and ceremonies. Local American Indian cultural experts provide several guest lectures and/or applied workshops.

ANTHRARC 487, Field Studies in Archaeology*

Prereq: None. 5 weeks
(6 credits) Howey

Through this intensive course, involving field and lab work, students receive in-depth training in archaeological techniques of excavation, site mapping and artifact recording and analysis. By investigating Native American cache pits (storage features) and associated habitation sites in University of Michigan Biological Station property along Douglas Lake, students have a unique opportunity to understand the ways communities in northern Michigan engaged with the natural landscape prior to European contact. Field and laboratory work are closely integrated with lectures on archaeological method and theory, as well as the prehistory and history of Michigan and the Upper Great Lakes region. Public archaeology forms another important component of this course. In previous years, students shared information about their field work with students in area schools, members of the broader UMBS and UM community, local residents, and regional tribal members. Class meets for five weeks (extended to June 19, 2008); students receive six credits.*

Summer TERM

June 21 to August 16, 2008

Summer students are required to take two five-credit courses, or one course and three credits of independent research. Each course meets two days per week.

ENG 317 & 323/ENVIRON 377 & 300, Environmental Writing & Great Lakes Literature

Prereq: None. Tuesday & Friday (5 credits) Taylor

Combining discussion of some classic examples of nature writing from this region (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry) with significant attempts by students to write essays and personal narratives about their experiences with the natural world, this course takes advantage of the resources of the Biological Station—habitat, trails and lake—to stimulate more impressionistic responses. Recognizing that students at UMBS are involved in research and genuine scientific inquiry, the course combines that work with a medium designed for an intelligent but uninitiated reader. The reading list includes A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, The Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway, and other books. Students keep a journal that includes their reading response, their essay ideas, and observation exercises. Four shorter papers of observation, description, and narration, and one 10-page paper that incorporates personal experience, observation of the natural world, and research (either from the field or from the library) is required. Fulfills Upper Level Writing Requirement.

EEB 330, Biology of Birds

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162. Wednesday & Saturday (5 credits) Dietsch

This course provides an introduction to ornithology with emphasis on field identification of the birds of eastern North America, including field trips to a variety of habitats in the region.Labs include classification, morphology, and identification of study specimens. Lectures cover a variety of topics on the evolution, physiology, behavior, ecology and conservation of birds. Each student participates in a group project.

EEB 320/ENVIRON 311, Rivers, Lakes, & Wetlands

Prereq: None. Monday & Thursday (5 credits) Schrank

This field course introduces fundamental physical, chemical, and biological concepts and basic techniques necessary for the study of aquatic ecosystems.

Topics include physical-chemical processes, an overview of aquatic fauna and flora, and surveys of major types of aquatic ecosystems, including rivers and streams, lakes, and wetlands. Interactions between the hydrological cycle and the landscape provide the basic theme around which ecosystem presentations are organized. Field trips and laboratory exercises focus on sampling representative environments, the collection/identification of biological specimens, and learning research techniques.

EEB 348 /ENVIRON 348, Introduction to Forest Ecosystems

Prereq: One college-level course in biology or by permission of instructor. Wednesday & Saturday (5 credits) Albert

Students investigate forest-atmosphere interactions in a field setting at the UM Biological Station. This course is aimed at providing advanced undergraduate and graduate students with an integrated understanding of: 1) factors determining forest community composition and structure; 2) feedbacks between the atmospheric and biological processes in forested landscapes; 3) controls on nutrient cycling and carbon storage within forest ecosystems, and; 4) interactions of forests with the climate system across time and space. Ecological, atmospheric and biogeochemical processes will be investigated
at scales ranging from regional (land area >1000 km2), to individual forest stands, to small plots. The course utilizes historical and current data available in the UMBS archives and from other sources, information from ongoing atmospheric and ecological research being conducted on-site, and new data collected during class exercises to investigate processes that influence the structure and function of ecosystems, landscapes, and the climate system. Synthesis and student research projects are emphasized.

EBB 381, General Ecology

Prereq: Two college-level
courses in biology or BIO 162. (5 credits) Monday & Thursday, Bach; Wednesday & Saturday, Scholtens

This course studies the factors influencing the distribution and abundance of animals and plants, including hypothesis testing, design, collection, analysis and interpretation of ecological data. Topics include individual ecology (abiotic and biotic limiting factors), population ecology (population dynamics, competition, predation, and other species interactions), community ecology (species diversity and succession), ecosystem ecology (nutrient cycling and energy flow), and human impacts on ecosystems. Lecture and discussion are supplemented by field projects designed to test a variety of ecological questions in a range of terrestrial and aquatic communities. Students conduct a research project as part of the course. Fulfills the Upper Level Writing Requirement, as well as the biology distribution requirement. (Equivalent to BIO 281-282)

BIO 390, Natural History & Evolution

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162. (5 credits) Tuesday & Friday, Pruett-Jones; Wednesday & Saturday, Price

This course is intended for students who wishboth to learn about evolutionary biology and be exposed to the natural history of a region. Lectures emphasize evolutionary theory as the explanation of observed organic diversity in the northern Michigan region. Field experiments involve plants and animals, aquatic and terrestrial situations and utilize observational, experimental, and statistical techniques. Numerous field trips are taken to understand the importance of human modifications of the environment, biological diversity, and differential survival of organisms. BIO 390 is a required course for Biology and General Biology concentrators.

EEB 431, Biology of Animal Parasites** (Offered Even Years, i.e. 2008, 2010, etc.)

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162. Monday & Thursday (5 credits) Blankespoor

In this course, various ecological aspects of animal parasite populations (including those infecting humans) are studied, such as life cycles, species diversity, diel and seasonal periodicity, intra- and inter-specific competition, host specificity, longevity, recruitment, pathology, and parasite-induced behavioral changes in the host. Field and laboratory techniques for studying these host-parasite relationships areemphasized.

EEB 453, Field Mammalogy** (Offered Even Years)

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162. Tuesday & Friday (5 credits) Myers

This course provides an introduction to the study of mammals. Students learn methods of studying mammals in the field by carrying out a series of research projects on the wild mammals of northern Michigan. These projects are designed to give familiarity with areas of active research on the ecology of mammals and practical experience with the excitement and headaches of formulating hypotheses, carrying out fieldwork, and analyzing data. Some familiarity with elementary statistics is helpful but not necessary.

EEB 457, Algae in Freshwater Ecosystems

Prereq: One course in ecology. Tuesday & Friday (5 credits) Lowe & Kociolek

In this course, students will conduct a survey of the algae of northern Michigan with an emphasis on taxonomy and ecology. Students become familiar with the algae of streams, bogs, fens, swamps, beach pools, and the Great Lakes. Special attention is given to field investigations of periphyton and phytoplankton community ecology and their application to water quality assessment.

BIO 482, Limnology: Freshwater Ecology

Prereq: One course in ecology. Wednesday & Saturday (5 credits) Moore & Meadows

This course introduces the fundamentals of aquatic ecology (with an emphasis on lakes) from an ecosystem-level approach. General limnological principles as well as physical, chemical, and biological parameters of lakes will be studied, with a focus on advanced aquatic sensors instrumentation. Biological investigations include an introduction to the ecology and taxonomy of the algae, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, macrophytes, and fishes. Field studies include a comparative lake survey in which students will gain experience in field sampling, laboratory analysis of samples, statistical analysis and interpretation of data for several types of lakes. Click here for an information sheet.

EEB 556, Field Botany of Northern Michigan

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology (or BIO 162) and some previous experience with plant taxonomy/identification, or permission of instructor. Monday & Thursday (5 credits) Davis & Gunn

This course offers a comprehensive field approach to vascular plants of the region, including characteristic species of terrestrial and wetland habitats as well as species known for their rarity or distinctive distribution patterns. Topics covered include the major plant families of the Great Lakes area, basic terminology and techniques useful in plant identification, the general phytogeography and ecology of the region especially as these relate to recent geological history of the landscape, and field recognition of more than 300 selected species. Prior familiarity with at least some families and species is extremely helpful.

EEB 492, Behavioral Ecology (Summer 2009)**

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162.

Class exercises, field techniques, and an individual research project are used to develop skills in taking behavioral data under field conditions and to test functional hypotheses about behavior from current ecological theory. Topics include: behavior in an evolutionary context, parental care and mating systems, and predator-prey interactions.

EEB 486, Biology and Ecology of Fishes (Summer 2009; Offered Odd Years, i.e. 2009, 2011, etc.)**

Prereq: Two college-level courses in biology or BIO 162.

This class features field and laboratory studies of fish communities. Field trips sample a variety of aquatic habitats in the area, with analysis of habitat characteristics and fish community composition. Laboratories and lectures examine physiological, behavioral, and functional morphological factors that determine possible (“fundamental”) habitat range, and modifying organismic interactions such as predation and competition leading to actual (“realized”) distributions. Strengths and weaknesses of various research approaches to analysis of communities are evaluated.

EEB 474, Ecology of Wetlands (Summer 2009; Offered Odd Years)**

Prereq: None.

In this course, students study a wide range of wetland habitats found around the station. Students examine basin morphology, hydrology, chemistry, human impacts, wetland plants and animals, biological adaptation, and energy pathways. The class also looks at the complex issues involving the values of wetlands, wetland delineation, management and restoration. Students are also involved in projects designed to provide greater depth of research on subjects or techniques of interest to them specifically.

**These classes are offered every other year.

Research & Advanced Studies

Both courses listed below require permission of the instructor. Students make arrangements with a mentor related to their research project before the term begins.

  EEB 400, Advanced Research in Biology (1–3 credits)

  EEB 700, Advanced Studies in Biology (1–3 credits)