Teaching

CLIMATE CHANGE ECOLOGY
(FWE and ZOO 660)
Offered FALL semesters

Lectures
September 9th, 2019 – December 18th, 2019
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Russell Laboratories Room 150

Course Purpose, Goals, and Objectives
Modern climate change poses an unprecedented environmental threat affecting species and communities across all of Earth’s biomes. The biological impacts of global climate change transcend political and jurisdictional boundaries and add significant uncertainty to the conservation and management of wildlife populations and natural resources. With a focus on wildlife ecology and management, the goal of this course is to provide an understanding of the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on organisms, species and communities. The course has three interconnected learning objectives for developing a comprehensive understanding of climate change ecology:

First learning objective: gain a basic understanding of the observed and predicted trends in climate within an ecological context.

Second learning objective: identify the ecological and evolutionary impacts of climate change on natural communities and wildlife populations (including changes in phenology and ranges, community dynamics, and altered trophic interactions).

Third learning objective: develop hands-on experience in developing a climate change vulnerability assessment for a given species or community.