WMU: Tropical Biology in Belize (Faculty-led)

The course intent is expose students to the world’s most diverse ecosystems: tropical rainforests and coral reefs. The course will also provide experience in the design and implementation of scientific studies to understand the diversity and functioning of ecological interactions in a tropical environment. The class will spend ~2 weeks in the field in Belize, Central America, with one week spent at a field station set in the largest tract of pristine rainforest in Central America, and one week at a field station on a small island off the coast of Belize situated on the finest barrier reef in the western hemisphere.  During the week at the rainforest site, students will explore a diversity of terrestrial habitats including wet lowland and montane forest, tropical savanna, streams and rivers, and study some of the many biotic interactions unique to the tropics. There is strong emphasis on spending time in the field to observe as many of the organisms in the tropical rainforest and their interactions as possible. From the marine location, students will snorkel all day, every day in a variety of coral reef ecosystems and learn about coastal marine ecology and the biology of organisms living on coral reefs. In between these two locations, in an effort to appreciate human interactions with surrounding ecosystems, the class will travel to a Mayan village where students will have a home stay with local villagers and receive presentations on sustainable agriculture and chocolate production from cacao. The class will also visit Mayan ruins to gain an appreciation of historical land use and the long-term influence humans have had on tropical ecosystems. Students should note that before leaving for Central America, participants will have several evening sessions to orient them on the ecosystems the group will visit and what to expect in Belize. Once in Belize, daily activities will vary and include group hikes or boat trips to observe particular habitats, time alone or in small groups to make observations on interactions among diverse organisms, and time working in defined groups to design and execute scientific field projects to test hypotheses the students have generated based on their observations. Students will give presentations on their findings while in Belize.