Taught In English

There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level.

45 contact hours in class + 15 contact hours in lab = 60 total contact hours

An introductory course to Ecology, the study of the natural environment and of the relations of organisms to each other and to their surroundings, with emphasis on the tropical setting and Costa Rican models of conservation. Description of different tropical ecosystems and their main problems. A primer information about population demography and landscape ecology; biological interactions, competition, predation, community development, biodiversity, biogeography. With a combination of lectures, class exercises, individual research projects, students will be immersed in the ecology and evolution of Neotropical forests.

This Tropical Ecology course seeks to provide students with:
a) an introduction to the ecological complexity of tropical forests, and to the natural history, evolutionary biology, and conservation status of the animals and plants found in the major ecosystems of the Neotropics.
b) an understanding of the causes of the origin of the diversity of the Tropics in general, and Costa Rica in particular (primer biogeography and brief general plate tectonics).
c) an understanding of present-day ecological factors affecting the distribution of tropical organisms (climatic and topographic heterogeneity).
d) an understanding of the richness of life forms, regeneration strategies, and biological interactions (herbivory, seed dispersal, pollination, coevolution).
e) an understanding of how a Tropical Forest functions (nutrient cycling, regeneration and response to disturbances, and the physiological characteristics of tropical plants that determine their economic use).
f) an understanding of current threats to tropical biodiversity (deforestation, habitat fragmentation, agricultural and urban sprawling) and their consequences for the dynamics of tropical species and their conservation status.
g) the generation of alternatives to the destruction of tropical ecosystems (restoration ecology, ethnobotany, organic agriculture, tropical forestry, design of biological reserves, genuine ecotourism).

1. OBJECTIVES

GENERAL OBJECTIVES SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
1. An ecology primer: Description of ecology and related fields  To define Ecology, Biodiversity and their interactions
 To describe protected areas and their management categories
 Human interactions within the ecology
2. Descriptive ecology: Description of interaction in ecosystems  To explain an overview of the different ecosystems Worldwide
 To recognize some of the most important tropical ecosystems
 To analyze the human role in the ecological systems
3. Introductory landscape ecology: Conservation in tropical areas.  Biodiversity and conservation importance.
 To understand conservation management in Costa Rica.
 To analize fragmentation, linkages and human interactions.

3. COURSE METHODOLOGY AND SYLLABUS

We will attempt to follow the pedagogical methodology in the PAULO FREIRE sensu, mainly by means of the dialogue. This means any subject will be presented using handout materials, and eventually questions will be asked prompting and motivating participation. Also, some videos will be used in an interactive way. It will be necessary to read some papers or chapters of books. It is expected that students will participate actively through questions, answers or comments during this class.

Students will learn by:

1. Active participation doing an undergraduate basic research in an interesting subject.
2. Observation and analytical discussion of videos, CDs, and readings.
3. Creating comparative tables, rich pictures and other pedagogical tools.
4. Participating in field city-trips in the Central Valley area.

On site practicing exercises will allow students open their minds for a better and deeper understanding of ecology and the real world.

4. SYLLABUS: A DETAILED PROGRAM

SESSION 1 UNIT 1: ECOLOGY CONCEPT AND COURSE INTRODUCTION
2,5 h. Program´s scope and explanation
Expectatives´ evaluation
Introduction to the course
• Why ecology?
• Ecology definition
• Different levels of study ecology: species, population, communities.
• Relation with other sciences and fields:
 Approaching ecology from lab/field areas
 Approaching ecology from a descriptive since a landscape views.
SESSIONS 2 & 3 UNIT 2: AN INTRODUCTION TO COSTA RICA
5 h. Costa Rica: A general overview from a practical point of view.
 INBIO-Park field trip.
 An introduction to some fauna and flora species present in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: A general overview (socio-ecological information)
• An ecological, cultural and geographical overview of Costa Rica
• Political division, demography, culture, history.
SESSION 4 UNIT 2: AN INTRODUCTION TO COSTA RICA
2,5 h Costa Rica: A general overview (socio-ecological information)
• Climate, life zones, geography
• Environmental situation in Costa Rica
• Butterflies´farm and their ecological interactions
• People and ecology
SESSION 5 UNIT 3: PRIMER ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

2,5 h
Primer concepts in Ecology
• Different definitions
 Ecosystem
 Biome
 Habitat, niche
 Dispersion, distribution
 Life zones and differt forest types
Recap in Guide: Pp. 7-17 (CR) and 18-31 (concepts)
SESSION 6 UNIT 3: PRIMER ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
2,5 h Starting an undergraduate research (term paper)
• Individual or in groups
• Clouds of areas of interest
• Finding ecological interactions on our own backyard (open class-room activity)
• SMART decision tool
• Research topics
Final results: Students and their term papers.

SESSION 7 UNIT 3: PRIMER ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
2,5 h. Recap & fun-technique
Review of primer concepts in ecology
More concepts in ecology
• Roles of organisms
 Interactions I: food chains and webs (different trophic levels, pyramids and biomagnification)
 Interactions II: biotic relationships (symbiosis, mutualism, comensalism and parasistism)

SESSION 8 UNIT 4: DESCRIPTIVE ECOLOGY (TROPICAL FORESTS)
2,5 h. • Different ecosystems in the world
• Costa Rica: More than Tropical Rain Forests
 TRF: Tropical rain forest
 TCF: Tropical cloud forest
 TDF: Tropical dry forest
 CF: coastal forest
• Tropical Ecosystems: Rainforest, Cloud Forest, Dry Forest, Coastal Forest
• Forests of the world: primary and secondary forests.
SESSION 9 UNIT 4: DESCRIPTIVE ECOLOGY (TROPICAL FORESTS)
2,5 h. Zooecology in Costa Rica (different books and field guides)
Mammals and birds
 Interaction and problems
Reptiles and amphibians
 Interaction and problems
Video: Costa Rican National Parks
• Pre-video activity
• Video
• Post-video activity
SESSION 10 UNIT 4: DESCRIPTIVE ECOLOGY (TROPICAL FORESTS)
2,5 h Rainforests
• Definition: Origin (geological history of the neotropical ecosystems) and main characteristics
• Observing some ecological interactions
• Species identification on slides
• Economic and social importance
Keystone species (flora and fauna) and ecological integrity
Quiz review
SESSION 11 UNIT 5: PRIMER LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
2,5 h. SINAC
• Definition and history
• Management categories
• Research Management Policies
• Conservation Areas in Costa Rica: Structure and differences of Conservation Units
• Open-class exercise or slides overview: problems perceived in ACCVC, ACOPAC.
• Exercise: findings and discussion
Review for the quiz.
SESSION 12 UNIT 5: PRIMER LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
2,5 h QUIZ I
Conservationist Approach and Pressure over Ecosystems
• Socio-economical problems related to the ecology and conservation in Costa Rica
 Population
 Landscape uses
 Water uses
 Waste
 Contamination and Ecology
• New conservationist trends
 Some solutions: genuine ecotourism, organic agriculture, agroforestry, community organization.
SESSION 13 UNIT 5: PRIMER LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
2,5 h. Flora, fauna and ecology
• Flora and fauna species identification on class
• Biodiversity in Costa Rica
• Selected flora and fauna species conservation problems
Preparation for final oralpresentation
SESSION 14 & 15 ACTIVITIES
5 h. STUDENTS PRESENTATION OF “POR UN HOGAR COMÚN” (final oral presentation)
• Oral presentations
• General Discussion
Coastal Ecosystems
• Mangroves
• Coral Reefs
• Turtles
Ecotourism in tropical forests
• Conservation and social problems
SESSION 16 UNIT 5: PRIMER LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
2,5 h. Applied Ecology Overseas and Main Focus of International Concern
• Rio and Rio + 10
• Climatic change, Kioto Protocol
• GAIA thesis
SESSION 17 UNIT 5: PRIMER LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
2,5 h. • A whole review of what they have learned through the course
• Course evaluation in an open-classroom environment
• Understanding the SINAC , and the management categories definitions
• Understanding different species identification of field and different ways to approach ecological studies.
SESSION
18 ACTIVITIES
2,5 h. FINAL EXAM (oral presentation of field trip report in groups, each student will have a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 minutes for explaining an answer)
Deliver written term paper (same topic as oral presentation “Por un Hogar Común”)
Deliver Field Trip Journal (a general individual journal of activities done plus critical opinions)
Deliver Field Trip Report (a report written in groups and based on different units and their links to field applications, as a way to also study for final exam).
5. EVALUATION

• Quiz I 20 points
• Final Oral Presentation 15 points
• Term paper 15 points
• Homeworks, attendance and class participation 20 points
• Readings and discussion 10 points
• Final exam 20 points

LAB: Attendance and participation 20 points
Field Trip Journal 15 points
Field Trip Report 15 points

 Maximum grade will be 150 points (100%)
 Minimum passing grade 105 points (70%)

LA MARTA FIELD TRIP ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY TO PASS THIS CLASS

In the “learning cone” it has been shown that we learn the most when we actually DO things, much more than when we are reading, leasening to or watching at a subject. This only will be possible through the term papers and through La Marta Wildlife Refuge one week-end field trip.