1st Announcement
PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS: EXPERIMENTAL AND FIELD APPROACHES
FRIDAY HARBOR LABORATORIES (UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON), SAN JUAN ISLANDS,
WA, USA
Biology 533 (9 credits)
Summer Session B
July 17 - August 19, 2006 (5 weeks: M-F 8-5; S 8-12)
INSTRUCTORS: Dr. Michal Kowalewski & Dr. Lindsey Leighton
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will explore experimental and practical field approaches to
predator-prey interactions. Predation plays a key role in many ecosystems
and may have been critical in shaping the evolution of life on our
planet. Predator-prey interactions affect nearly every animal and provide
a rich source of data of interest to biologists and paleobiologists. The
lectures will review optimization models (ESS, OFT, etc.),
behavioral/ecological aspects of predator-prey interactions, the
long-term evolutionary consequences of predation (e.g., Escalation
Hypothesis), experimental/field methods used to study predation in modern
environments, and data acquisition strategies used by paleontologists in
the fossil record. Lectures, laboratory exercises, and field activities
will be explicitly integrated. Students will also be required to conduct
a small, independent research project during the course. Several
field trips (including boat dredging) will be included to acquaint
students with practical aspects of research on predator-prey
interactions. The field trips may also serve to obtain data for
individual student projects. Enrollment limited to 12. For
additional information, contact
michalk@vt.edu or
leighton@geology.sdsu.edu.
APPLICATIONS AND FINANCIAL AID
Applications will be due on MARCH 1st 2006 and financial aid will be
available for qualified applicants (anticipated expenses may include
tuition, room and board, travel and other education or living expenses).
To download forms and obtain more information visit
http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/.
If you have any questions regarding application and financial aid
procedures, please contact FHL at fhladmin@u.washington.edu.
ABOUT FRIDAY HARBOR LABORATORIES
(selected excerpts from the FHL
website)
The Friday Harbor Laboratories are located on San Juan Island, part of an
archipelago that lies between the mainland and Vancouver Island. The
Laboratories are well situated for research on many aspects of marine
biology and oceanography. The waters around San Juan Island are
relatively free from pollution, and although the salinity is in general
like that of the open ocean, there are a few estuarine situations of low
salinity. There are swift tideways as well as quiet bays and lagoons. A
tidal range of about 4 meters exposes diverse intertidal areas of rock,
sand, and mud. The flora and fauna are exceptionally rich.
Representatives of nearly all major groups of marine algae and
invertebrates can be obtained by collecting at the shore, and depths down
to 300 meters can be explored by dredging and other collecting
techniques. Many of the organisms available are important for research in
physiology, development, and ecology. The islands of the San Juan
Archipelago are generally rocky, forested, and rimmed by precipitous
shores. Some are deeply cut by fjord-like inlets. The islands were
strongly glaciated and have valleys with lakes, swamps, and bogs. The
varied terrestrial and freshwater habitats offer a diverse flora and
fauna. The 484-acre tract of land on which the Laboratories are sited,
and the marine waters of the region in general, are biological preserves.
The Laboratories also control biological preserves at False Bay and
Argyle Lagoon on San Juan Island, at Point George and Cedar Rock on Shaw
Island, and some other areas. These preserves provide a wide range of
protected terrestrial and marine environments available for short- and
long-term research projects. In 2004 the Friday Harbor Laboratories of
the University of Washington will have been in operation for one hundred
years, supporting research and education in a broad variety of marine
related disciplines. These have engaged hundreds of national and
international scholars. For more information please visit the FHL website
at
http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/.
Should you have any questions regarding this course, its content,
logistic aspects, and its educational and research goals, please contact
the instructors as indicated below.
We are looking forward to hearing from you,
Sincerely yours,
Michal Kowalewski
Department of Geosciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
EMAIL: michalk@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-5951
Fax: (540) 231-3386
AND
Lindsey Leighton
Department of Geological Sciences
San Diego State University
MC-1020
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182, USA
EMAIL: leighton@geology.sdsu.edu
Phone: (619) 594-6978
Fax: (619) 594-4372