Module 29

York University
Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology

Course Title :
The Ecology of Mediterranean and Coastal Systems in California.
Instructor(s) :

Dr. Christopher Lortie 
Department of Biology, York University.
4700 Keele St. Toronto, Ontario.  M3J 1P3

Phone:  416.736.2100 ext 20588,  Email: lortie@yorku.ca,  www.onepoint.ca                                        
Date(s) : August 20th-31st, 2012 (two weeks)
Location :

University of California Rancho Marino Reserve.
http://RanchoMarino.ucnrs.org/
Cost : $750 [$250 deposit to home university; $500 balance]. This includes accommodation, meals, and onsite transportation costs (including to and from LAX airport).  You must arrange for your own transportation to California (we will pick up at LAX).
Prerequisites :

A university course in plant or animal biology or ecology.

Enrollment :

18 students

Description :

Additional course info (with photos) will be posted online at: www.onepoint.ca (including reminders closer to the date).
Week 1.  Field trips, lectures, and discussions.
We will visit many major ecological systems unique to Central Coastal California such as coastal terrace prairie, coastal scrub, Monterey pine forests, marine intertidal, estuarine and sand dune areas.  This week will also include discussions, readings, and project design.
Week 2.  Self-direct research project.
Groups of 4 will design, and carry out a self-directed research project on any of the following topics/systems.
Grasslands, invasive plants, seedbanks, fragmentation, earthworms.
Small mammals & birds.
Pollinators & arthropods.

Marine intertidal organisms.
Assignments: Participation in discussions & short reading summary (Week 1).        20%
Experimental design proposal (Week 2).                                             30%
Independent research paper on projects (Sept 10th, 2012 via email). 50%
Evaluation: Participation & reading summary (20), experiment design (30), submission of paper and dataset (50).