SPRING TERM
All spring courses are 5 credits and meet five days a week for 4 weeks (with the exception of ANTHRARC 487, which meets for five weeks and is 6 credits).

BIO 104 Introduction to Natural Sciences
Prereq.: None.

This course assumes no prior science background and is appropriate for all undergraduates. It will offer a hands-on introduction to natural science taught directly in the field. Classes will be held in natural habitats including dunes, forests, streams, bogs and meadows, and field trips include a tour of a fish hatchery and at least one trip to the Upper Peninsula. Lab topics include identification and ecology of common plants and animals of the region, glacial history of the region, forest development, and plants and animals of Douglas Lake. Lectures range in topic from basic biology to conservation and global climate change. This course offers an unparalleled opportunity to become acquainted with nature and science in an idyllic setting and earn 5 credits toward the LSA Natural Science distribution requirement.

EEB 381 General Ecology
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

The study of the factors influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms in nature. Course topics will focus on individual ecology (physiological ecology, foraging strategies), and population ecology (population dynamics, life history strategies, evolution, competition, herbivory, predation, and mutualism), and will also address community ecology and ecosystem ecology. Lecture and discussion will be 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 permission of instructor.

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 Great Lakes American Indian perspective. Students will learn to identify, classify, harvest, and culturally process many of the Northern Michigan plants utilized for food, medicines, crafts, cordage, firewood, teas, smudging/smoking, and ceremonies during pre- and post- European-American contact. Local American Indian cultural experts will provide several guest lectures and/or applied workshops.

ANTHRARC 487 Field Program in Archaeology
Prereq.: None.

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 will 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 will be 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, field school students have had the opportunity to share information about their field work with students in area schools, members of the broader UMBS and UM community, local residents, and regional tribal communities.
Note: Meets for 5 weeks and is for 6 credits.

SUMMER TERM
Summer students are required to take two 5-credit courses, or one course and 3 credits of independent research. Each course meets two days per week.

ENG 317 & 328 or ENVIRON 377 & 300 Environmental Writing and Great Lakes Literature
Prereq.: None.

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 will take advantage of the resources of the Biological Station—habitat, trails and lake—to stimulate more impressionistic responses. Recognizing that students at UMBS will be 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 responses, 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) are required. Fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement.

EEB 320 or ENVIRON 311 Rivers, Lakes, & Wetlands
Prereq.: None.

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 will focus on sampling representative environments, the collection/identification of biological specimens, and learning research techniques.  Fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement.

EEB 330 Biology of Birds
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

This course provides an introduction to ornithology with emphasis on field identification of the birds of eastern North America. Field trips are 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 348 or ENVIRON 348 Forest Ecosystems
Prereq.: One college-level course in biology or permission of instructor.

This field course is focused on the ecology of forest species and the characteristics of ecological systems which support them. Basic concepts of ecosystem structure and function are emphasized in lectures, discussions, and twice-weekly field trips to diverse upland and wetland forests in and surrounding the Biological Station. These include some of the finest old-growth hardwood and conifer forests in Michigan as well as dry, fire-prone pine plains, mesic northern hemlock-hardwood forests on moraines, diverse forested wetlands, and red oak forests which are the legacy of Native American agriculture. Emphasis is placed on the integration of topography, soil, and vegetation at each field site. The dynamics of fire ecology, regeneration ecology, and forest succession are stressed. Knowledge of forest species and ecosystem components through hands-on field work provide the basis for understanding why plants grow where they do. This ecocentric approach is applicable in temperate forest ecosystems around the world.

EEB 381 General Ecology
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

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 will be supplemented by field projects designed to test a variety of ecological questions in a range of terrestrial and aquatic communities. Students will conduct a research project as part of the course.   (Equivalent to BIO 281-282.)  When taken in the Summer term, this course fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement as well as biology distribution requirement.

EEB 390 Natural History and Evolution
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

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

EEB 431 Biology of Animal Parasites
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

In this course,various ecological aspects of animal parasite populations (including those infecting humans)will be studied, such as life cycles, species diversity, diel and seasonal periodicity, intra- and interspecific competition, host specificity, longevity, recruitment, pathology, and parasite-induced behavioral changes in the host. Field and laboratory techniques for studying these host-parasite relationships will be emphasized. Fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement.

EEB 442 Biology of Insects
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

This course introduces students to entomology, emphasizing the diversity of insects and their ecology and conservation biology. Extensive field work will include trips to major habitats of the area for class projects on conservation and ecology questions. Laboratory work will include examining basic insect structure, applications to conservation biology, and specimen preparation. Lecture topics will include conservation biology of insects, evolution and phylogeny, ecology, behavior and physiology. Fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement.

EEB 453 Field Mammalogy
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

This course provides an introduction to the study of mammals. Students will 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 will be 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.  Fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement.

EEB 457 Algae in Freshwater Ecosystems
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

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

BIO 482 Limnology: Freshwater Ecology
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

This course introduces the fundamentals of aquatic ecology (with an emphasis on lakes) from an ecosystem-level approach. General ecological principles as well as physical, chemical, and biological parameters of aquatic habitats will be studied. A special focus will be provided on advanced aquatic sensors instrumentation with the ability to use state of the art technology. Field studies include comparative aquatic habitat surveys in which students will gain experience in field sampling, laboratory analysis of samples, statistical analysis and interpretation of data for several types of habitats. Fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement.

EEB 486 Biology & Ecology of Fishes
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

Field and laboratory studies of fish communities. Field trips will sample a variety of aquatic habitats in the area, with analysis of habitat characteristics and fish community composition. Laboratories and lectures will 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 will be evaluated. Next scheduled to be offered in 2011.

EEB 492 Behavioral Ecology
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology or permission of instructor.

This course emphasizes the fascinating behaviors that animals use to solve ecological problems. We have good theoretical reasons to expect male animals to try to mate with many females; do males do that, and if so, what behaviors lead to success? Predators searching for prey ought to abandon areas that seem to be unproductive; can we successfully predict what their "optimal giving-up time" is? Sibling animals fight with each other; after taking the course, you'll understand how natural selection produces these aggressive behaviors. Class time is split between lectures and ambitious, original research projects. Next scheduled to be offered in 2011.

EEB 556 Field Botany of Northern Michigan
Prereq.: Two college-level courses in biology and some previous experience with plant taxonomy/identification, or permission of instructor.

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 over 300 selected species. Prior familiarity with at least some families and species will be extremely helpful.

Research & Advanced Studies

The 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)