BIOLOGY 359 TERRESTRIAL FIELD STUDIES

TEXTBOOK:  Field Guide to the Piedmont: The Natural Habitats of America's Most Lived-in Region, from New York City to Montgomery, Alabama.  By Michael A. Godfrey.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This course provides experience in the techniques required for research in the terrestrial environment.  Aspects of organism identification, community classification, soil study, and sampling techniques will be included.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:   Students will:

• Have basic field knowledge of the North Carolina piedmont
• Know how to carry out terrestrial field work safely.
• Build confidence in their ability to carry out field studies on their own.
• Learn to avoid the pitfalls that are commonly encountered by beginners in the field.
• Know the materials and methods necessary fro carrying out field studies.
• Be able to identify the common plants of the region.
• Know the various habitats of the region. 

TOPICS COVERED:

• Land Use History - Meredith College Campus
• Twig Terminology and Identification
• Trees in Winter/Observations of Eastern Limits of the Piedmont
• Farmland in Piedmont North Carolina
• Succession in Piedmont North Carolina
• The Mesosere/Ephemeral Pools
• The Mesosere/Spring wildflowers
• The Xerosere
• The Hydrosere
• The Urban Environment
• Bird Observations