BIO 532 L Tropical
Field Studies: Costa Rica
Course Description
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Course Description
BIO 532 L – Tropical Field Studies: Costa
Rica
This project-based field studies course will explore
the ecology and geology of Costa Rica, Central America. During a two-week trip,
students and faculty will examine three principal tropical ecosystems: Tropical
Dry (Seasonal) Forest at Palo Verde
National Park, Tropical Rain Forest
at Selva Verde Biological Station, and Tropical Cloud Forest in the Los Santos Forest Reserve. We will also visit
several other tropical habitats including Transitional Forest, Alpine Páramo, Tropical Wetland, and Tropical
Riparian. Field projects on birds
and frogs will be conducted at selected sites. The class will also explore
geological features such as Arenal and Póas volcanoes, and examine the links
between ecological habitats, geology, and climate. We will travel in a
24-passenger, air-conditioned microbus with a professional driver and
experienced naturalist guide. Fieldwork will involve daily hiking and several
river trips on small boats. Lodging will range from rustic field stations to
comfortable eco-tour lodges. This 500-level field course is open to graduate
students and advanced undergraduates. Students are responsible for paying all
travel costs. All participants are required to attend a series of planning
meetings before the trip. Students will submit field notebooks and final
project reports for a grade.
Course Information
Summer 2006
Travel Dates: June 22 – July 6
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Faculty: |
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Biological Sciences |
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Biological Sciences |
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Geological Sciences |
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Biological Sciences |
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Naturalist Guide |
Costa Rica Expeditions |
Assignments
- Field Notebook
- Frog Project
- Bird Project
- Geology Project
Recommended Texts
Stiles,
F.G., Skutch, A.F., and Gardner, D., 1989, A Guide to the Birds of Costa
Rica, Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press.
Forsyth,
A., and Miyata, K., 1987, Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rainforests
of Central and South America, Carmichael, California, Touchstone Books.
Franke,
J., 1993, Costa Rica's National Parks and Preserves: A Visitor's Guide, Seattle,
Washington, The Mountaineers.
Web Links
Lodges and
Nature Reserves we will visit:
OTS
Palo Verde Biological Station, Hacienda Palo Verde, Guanacaste
Arenal Lodge, Laguna de
Arenal
Selva Verde
Lodge, Chilamate de Sarapiquí
La Selva
Biological Station, Horquetas de Sarapiquí
Savegre Mountain Lodge
(Cabinas Chacón), San Gerardo de Dota
Hotel Buena Vista,
Pilas de Alajuela
General
information on Costa Rica:
La Nacion - Costa Rica's Most
Popular Daily Newspaper
- If you speak Spanish, you may want to monitor this web site
daily before our trip to keep on top of Costa Rican news, weather, and World
Cup soccer!
The Tico Times -
Costa Rica's English Language Weekly
- Highly respected for quality journalism, this paper provides a
look into Costa Rica's vibrant ex-patriot community. Excellent coverage of
environmental issues.
Costa
Rica Land of Pure Life - PBS The Living Edens Series
- The articles on this web site provide lots of information on
Costa Rican wildlife, and feature several locations that we will visit on our
trip. There are also some good links to other sites.
Costa
Rica Background Information - Lonely Planet Guide
- Useful and interesting overview of Costa Rica from the
quintessential travel guide.
OTS - Organization for Tropical
Studies Home Page
- A highly respected tropical science research consortium. OTS
runs three major biological research stations in Costa Rica. We will visit two
of them, Palo Verde and La Selva.