This course provides an introduction to ecology, covering interactions between marine organisms and the environment at scales of populations, communities, and ecosystems. The course culminates with a field-based research project with students working in the intertidal zone of Appledore Island and test concepts and theories learned in the classroom.

Students taking this course will:

• Gain knowledge about how plants and animals cope with environmental variation through a variety of adaptations;
• Develop a basic understanding of biogeographical patterns of species distributions and the application of the theory of island biogeography;
• Learn the major pathways and mechanisms of nutrient cycling and the human impacts on these cycles.

Internship opportunities: This course is recommended experience for SML's Intertidal Ecology Internship, Aquatic Ecology Internship, and Parasite Ecology Internship.