College of the Atlantic offers depth and breadth in Field Ecology & Conservation Biology. Next to Acadia National Park and the Gulf of Maine, our shore-front campus and two offshore field stations provide a wide range of educational settings and natural habitats. Students have gone on to do internships, research, and graduate work around the globe.

Students focusing on Field Ecology & Conservation Biology choose a set of foundational courses that afford a solid base for advanced studies. In all biology classes, we emphasize the importance of understanding the organism in its natural environment and the role humans have played in shaping that environment. To study nature, it is critical to spend time not just in the laboratory or library, but in the field as well. Given the educational value of these experiences we get students in the field as soon as possible, often in their first term. Introductory classes are small-typically fifteen students, rarely above twenty-and are taught by faculty who are active researchers, skilled naturalists, and passionate teachers.

COA takes an ecological approach throughout the curriculum: students discover interrelationships between organisms and their environments. Unlike at most other colleges, sciences at COA are not insulated from other areas of study. At COA, we believe that historical, aesthetic, economic, political, and literary analysis and modes of thought enhance the scientific method. Students are therefore encouraged to design a course of study synthesizing knowledge from different disciplines.

Students work with faculty during the academic term, as well as during breaks, assisting in ongoing studies and developing their own programs of research. Students also have opportunities to get involved in environmental politics and conservation policy. With faculty mentors, COA students come up with their own research questions, write grant proposals, and present their results at meetings of national and international science conferences and policy meetings.

Courses

ES005Animal Behavior

This course reviews how simple and stereotyped actions may be built into complex behaviors and even into apparently sophisticated group interactions. Emphasis is placed on contemporary understanding of Darwinian selection, ethology, behavioral ecology and sociobiology. There are two classes a week. Extensive readings are chosen from a text and articles from scientific and popular periodicals. Evaluations are based on participation in discussions and several quizzes. Level: Intermediate/Advanced. Requires a previous intermediate-level course in species zoology, and signature of the instructor. Offered every other year. Class limit: 15. Lab fee $10. *ES*

ES396Conservation Biology

This course examines the causes, extent, and ecological significance of the endangered species "crisis." We examine the role of extinctions in evolutionary history and compare "natural" extinctions to current events in the Neotropics, Orient, and Oceania. We also discuss the significance of successful introductions of exotic species into different regions and their effects on native forms. Changes in land use patterns and the science of Landscape Ecology are investigated. Finally, we examine current conservation techniques in an effort to establish a workable synthesis for specific case histories. There are two lectures/discussions per week, occasional evening lectures. Level: Advanced. Pre-requisites: One intermediate Ecology course and/or signature of instructor. Class limit: 15. Lab fee $10. *ES*