ENTOM 2500

Biological Diversity of the Sonoran Desert

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2018-2019 Catalog.

The Sonoran Desert hosts an impressive array of biological diversity. This course will explore this diversity, with a focus on the insect fauna and the plants they utilize. Specific topics will include collection methods, insect biodiversity, biogeography, and Sonoran Desert plant communities. A one-week field trip will take place over spring break. Students will travel to Tucson, visit the Sonoran Desert Museum, and be housed at the Southwest Field Station.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: ENTOM 2120.

Fees Course fee: $1,000.

Outcomes

• Introduce students to the biodiversity of the desert southwest through a focused examination of insects (bees and flies) and their host plant communities.
• Develop skills in insect natural history observation.
• Formulate hypotheses for individual research projects. Collect ecological, behavioral, and natural history data in the field, Analyze these data to address the hypotheses posed.
• Apply basic statistical methods.
• Explain and present scientific results orally and in writing.
• Interpret, analyze, and discuss scientific literature relevant to desert ecology and plant and insect biodiversity.

When Offered Spring.

Comments This course includes a field trip to Tucson, AZ.

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