| Course Description Return Ecological Research in the Tropics I (Bio 55). The Biology Foreign Studies Program (Biology 55, 56, 57) exposes students, through intensive, full-immersion study, to Earth’s most diverse biological communities. Biology 56 is a continuation of Biology 55; these courses comprise the first two-thirds of the FSP, and focus on land (tropical forests) and tropical freshwater ecosystems in Costa Rica. Biology 57 focuses on coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean. Students are challenged to know, understand and appreciate the diversity of form and function in organisms, and the interactions that generate the often-spectacular patterns they see in the field. Habitats in Costa Rica include lowland rain forest, cloud forest, dry forest, montane forest, alpine paramo, streams and wetlands. The schedule is full, including fieldwork, laboratories, lectures and discussions, with emphasis on original research, mostly in small groups of 2-3. Faculty and advanced graduate TAs share field accommodations with students, and are in continuous contact as mentors, day and evening, throughout the program. Students master field and analytical methods (including hypothesis testing, statistical and software skills) for observational and experimental research. We pursue a great variety of research topics, including plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore interactions, processes driving coral reef structure (and coral reef decline), determinants of species distributions, animal behavior, and conservation ecology. Students practice the classic scientific approach: making observations, asking testable questions, generating hypotheses, developing experimental protocols, collecting data, making statistical inferences, writing scientific papers, and presenting seminars. Research papers are published in an annual book. Accommodations are at field stations in Costa Rica, and at a marine laboratory in the Caribbean. Ecological Research in the Tropics II (Bio 56):A continuation of Biology 55 Ecological Research on Coral Reefs (Bio 57): Field and laboratory investigations of marine organisms and coral reef communities. Lecture and research topics include studies of algae, aquatic plants, invertebrates, and fish, with emphasis on populations, species interactions, community structure and energetics, and reef conservation and management. The course is based at the Little Cayman Research Center, Little Cayman Island. Scuba diving is optional. See Biology 55 for an overview of the Biology Foreign Study Program. Each group publishes a book containing the reports (~50) from student research projects that were conducted during the term. All prospective applicants are encouraged to look through these books. They represent the academic core of the BioFSP experience. These books are available in the Biology office (Gilman Hall) and the Dana Library (in the serials section as "Dartmouth Studies in Tropical Ecology"). Recent years online at: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Bio FSP publications in Dartmouth Journal of Undergraduate Science; Bio FSP publications in the primary literature Accomplishments of Bio FSP alumni See study locations in Google Earth. Links to some of the field sites: Palo Verde, Santa Rosa, Monteverde, Cerro de la Muerte, Corcovado, Las Cruces, La Selva, Little Cayman Research Center. |
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| Course structure: The three courses
are taken as a package during winter term of each year. The schedule
is intensive, and includes extensive fieldwork, laboratories, lectures,
discussions, and research projects. Accommodations are at assorted field stations
in Costa Rica (6 weeks) and at a marine laboratory on Little Cayman Island (3
weeks).
Readings.
Online application More details from Office of Off-campus Programs Return to Bio FSP Homepage |
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| Schedule: Winter term of each year. Applications due in January of previous year. Interviews required for all applicants. Inteviews are normally in the winter term, contact staff in the fall if you expect to be off-campus during the time of interviews. | |
| Distributives: SLA. Culminating experience for seniors. Instructors: Ayres, Irwin, Peart. | |