Landscape Ecology & Conservation: Patterns and Processes in New England

This course provides students with an introduction to the discipline of landscape ecology, in both theory and practice, with specific applied examples related to the New England landscape. Landscape ecology focuses on the interplay between scale, spatial pattern, and ecological processes; specifically, how to characterize spatial pattern, where it comes from, why it matters, and how it changes through time and/or scale. Theory and application will weave together throughout the course and students will use their knowledge of landscape ecology theory to better understand practices in land conservation, resource management, and urban planning. Students will also build skills in ecological spatio-temporal data analysis and modeling to analyze patterns and processes through space and time and gain an understanding of the power and limitations of these techniques.