WIS 2552
Biodiversity Conservation: Global Perspectives


INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Michael P. Moulton
318 Newins-Ziegler Hall
Phone: 846-0571
e-mail: moultonm@ufl.edu

Section 4111X - Tuesday Per 10 (5:10-6:00), Thursday Per 10-11 (5:10-7:05) - Complete Syllabus

Course Content:

This course satisfies 3 credits of the University of Florida's General Education requirements for Biological Science, and for International Studies and Diversity. The course is designed for students who wish to gain a global perspective of biodiversity patterns and issues. Students will learn about the origin, structure and measurement of biodiversity; the biology of species of different kingdoms; and patterns in species’ distributions.

Course Objectives:

This course is an introduction to the relationship between humans and the global biotic environment that supports them. The general goal of this course is to help students understand how humans affect global life support systems, and how individuals can contribute to environmental solutions. The specific goals of the course are: (1) to familiarize students with basic concepts and scientific principles of conservation (genetics and ecology) and global patterns in biodiversity, both phylogenetic and geographical; (2) help students understand the evolutionary basis for the five kingdom system; (3) develop an understanding of the future of biodiversity and the central role humans must play in this future.

A Few Course Topics: