Field Plant Taxonomy
Spring quarter
Faculty: Frederica Bowcutt ecology
Fields of Study: botany, ecology, field studies and natural history
Spring: CRN (Credit) Level 30066 (16) Fr; 30067 (16) So - Sr Signature Required Students should email a letter of interest to the faculty member (bowcuttf@evergreen.edu), including a description of preparation for the course and how this course will advance their academic goals. A letter of recommendation from former faculty should also be delivered via email. Applications received by the Academic Fair, March 2, 2011, will be given priority.
Credits: 16(S)
Class Standing: Freshmen - Senior; 25% of the seats are reserved for freshmenFreshmen - Senior
Offered During: Day
Prerequisites: introductory plant biology course (e.g. Botany: Plants and People program).
Description
In this program students will learn how to use Hitchcock and Cronquist's Flora of the Pacific Northwest, a technical key for identifying unknown plants. We will spend time in the field and laboratory discussing diagnostic characters of plant families. Seminar readings will be focused on floristics, biogeography and vegetation ecology. Students will learn how to collect and prepare herbarium specimens and apply this knowledge to a collaborative research project. Students will also learn about herbarium curation.
Several daylong field trips will give students an opportunity to learn about Pacific Northwest plant communities in the field, including prairies, coniferous forest, wetlands and coastal dunes. Students will be expected to maintain a detailed field journal and will be taught basic botanical illustration skills to support this work. One multiple-day field trip will give students an opportunity to learn about high desert vegetation and paleobotany. Through the field trips, students will learn basic vegetation sampling methods that they will apply to a field project. This project will allow students to develop data analysis and presentation skills in addition to learning about field methods. All field trips are required.
Maximum Enrollment: 24
Required Fees: Spring $500 for field trip
May be offered again in: 2011-12
Preparatory for studies or careers in: conservation, ecological restoration, floristic research methods, forestry, natural resource management, plant ecology, plant taxonomy, and vegetation ecology.
Campus Location: Olympia
Online Learning: Enhanced Online Learning
Books: www.tescbookstore.com