Global Arc

This intensive field course provides an in-depth introduction to the biology of tropical coral reefs, with an emphasis on reef fish ecology and behavior. Students learn to identify fishes, corals, and invertebrates, and learn a variety of field methods including underwater censusing, mapping, videotaping, and the recording of inter-individual interactions. Two hours of lecture/discussion, six hours of laboratory, and two hours of data analysis daily. Snorkeling in open ocean and walking in wild terrain is common. Limited to students in the Tropical Ecology Program in Panama. Prerequisite: 321.

This intensive field course addresses the life-history characteristics of tropical vertebrates and the physiological traits that underlie them. Students will learn how tropical life histories differ from those in the temperate zone and will use eco-physiological techniques while conducting experiments and observations at a Smithsonian Institute field station. Two hours of lecture/discussion, six hours of laboratory, and two hours of data analysis daily. Limited to students in the Tropical Ecology Program in Panama. Prerequisite: 321.

Open cast mining causes severe environmental damage, and regulating this process is difficult, especially in developing countries. Students will study the role of corporate responsibility in managing mining to achieve economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The course will highlight principles of ecological rehabilitation for restoring ecological functions while enhancing economic value. Topics include: biological and environmental controls of vegetation; community composition and succession; and restoration of ecological functions, biological diversity and ecosystems. Students will gain an in-depth view of the economics involved.

In this course we will develop an appreciation for the landscape-scale diversity of the tropical forests in Panama. We will examine the climate, geology, soils and hydrology, and explore the implications of landscape diversity for plant and animal communities, with a special focus on vertebrates (mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles) and how and why different groups vary across the landscape with different habitats. We will use GIS and remote sensing and analyze aerial photos and satellite images of local forests, focusing on the anthropogenic changes in the landscape, and analyze how these changes affect vertebrate communities.

An introduction to the basic principles and methods of studying evolution using molecular approaches, with examples taken from organisms in the Panamanian tropics. Topics covered in lectures include: population genetics, basic principles of molecular evolution, and molecular phylogenetics. The laboratory component will involve the collection of molecular data taken from specimens in the tropical forest, and the analysis of those data using the latest computer software. Students will pool their data to answer larger biological questions.

Only six percent of Africa's land area (containing a fraction of its biodiversity) is protected, and these areas are rarely large enough to sustain 'charismatic megafauna'. Mostly, wildlife must share land with people also facing survival challenges. This course will explore how wildlife and people interact in the Ewaso Ecosystem in central Kenya where new approaches to conservation are being developed. Lectures will cover the ecology of tropical grasslands and first principles underlying the forces shaping biodiversity patterns. Field trips and projects will examine the dynamics between human actions and biodiversity patterns.

Kenya has some of the most diverse set of crops and farming systems in Africa allowing students to compare productivity, diversity, and ecological processes. Students will spend their time exploring the varied agro-ecosystems, crops, livestock, climates, and soils under which agriculture is practiced in Kenya. The course includes key readings and discussions, intensive field sampling, GIS applications, and modeling. In addition, students will be exposed to the various ecological processes and ecosystem services provided by or interfered with by agriculture. Limited to students in the Tropical Biology and Sustainability Program in Kenya.

Terrestrial paleoecology is the study of vegetation and animals in ancient ecosystems. The paleoecology of eastern Africa is significant because it can shed light on the potential role that climate played in human evolution. This course aims to teach students the principles of paleoecology primarily through fieldwork, lab work, and research projects. In the first half of the course, students will be introduced to basic methods in the modern Mpala ecosystem. In the second, they will explore the rich record of human evolution in the Turkana Basin. Students will study bones, teeth, plants, or soils to reconstruct modern and ancient ecosystems.

Malaria, trachoma, leishmaniasis and other vector¬borne diseases take a huge toll on social and economic spheres in developing countries. Huge numbers of work days and lives are lost due to diseases that continue to challenge the technologies and adaptations of humans. Basic research is an essential part of building a range of further scientific questions as well as laying the groundwork for making applied changes based on sound knowledge. Understanding the biology of vectors and the links with climate, demographic and environmental change will enable the development of more effective tools toward disease control and prevention.

This course will cover genomic tools that can be used to study ecology and evolution in the field. Students will use the latest sequencing technologies (Illumina and Oxford Nanopore) to study ecological communities. Together, the students will design a set of studies that will use molecular barcoding to assess the composition of both animal and bacterial communities. They will conduct field trips to collect target samples for our experiments, and then they will extract DNA, amplify target loci, sequence their samples in the field, and analyze the resulting data. This course is offered as part of the semester abroad program in Kenya.