NTRES 4100 - Advanced Conservation Biology: Concepts and Techniques

Fall. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: CALS math requirement; NTRES 3100 and NTRES 2830 or equivalent or permission of instructors. Limited to 30 students.

E. G. Cooch, M. P. Hare.

Decision making in conservation biology requires measurement and analysis of variation at the genetic, population, and landscape or system levels. Emphasis in this course is on quantitative tools for the formal analysis of variation at all three levels and principles guiding maintenance and management of biological and genetic diversity.

Outcome 1: Students will be able to use conceptual and analytical tools to describe demographic and genetic factors influencing population persistence.

Outcome 2: Students will be able to quantify the relative importance of various demographic factors affecting population size projections.

Outcome 3: Students will be able to understand and use fundamental analytical methods to quantify genetic structure at the individual, population and metapopulation scale and infer demographic and evolutionary processes shaping patterns of variation.

Outcome 4: Students will be able to make predictions about population viability based on their knowledge about demographic and genetic factors influencing population size and mean population fitness.

Outcome 5: Students will be able to integrate conceptual and theoretical understanding to reach specified conservation management objectives.

Outcome 6: Students will be able to articulate in written and oral form their understanding of both the concepts and analytical tools, and the role of sources of uncertainty, in application to problems in conservation.