BIOL 318 - Soil Ecology

This course surveys the ecology of soil, focusing on the physical structure of soil, the communities of organisms that inhabit it, the ecosystem-level processes they perform, and the human processes such as agriculture that they support. Emphasis is placed on the diversity of soils and soil organisms, on the complexity of abiotic and biotic interactions in and around soil, and on the contribution of modern molecular methods to the current revolution in our knowledge about soils. Some of these methods are investigated in the lab component, which also includes an independent project. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170 and BIOL 180, and either CHEM 111 or CHEM 115 Offered occasionally, fall semester. (4 Credits)