Seminar in Forest Ecology 1?
| Numbering Code | G-AGR01 5BB64 SJ80 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Year-round |
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| Number of Credits | 4 | Course Type | Seminar |
| Target Year | Target Student | ||
| Language | Japanese | Day/Period | Mon.3・4・5 |
| Instructor name |
KITAYAMA KANEHIRO (Graduate School of Agriculture Professor) OOSAWA NAOYA (Graduate School of Agriculture Associate Professor) AOYAGI RYOTA (Hakubi Center for Advanced Research Program-Specific Assistant Professor) |
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| Outline and Purpose of the Course | In this course, each graduate student will present his/her research proposal and/or research progress pertinent to forest ecology twice a year. Subsequently, all participants of the course will critically review the presentation to improve the research as well as skills of presentation. | ||
| Course Goals |
By completing this course, students will develop the ability to: Read, understand, and summarize the most current academic papers; Read scientific papers related to previous studies and understand the overall framework of the discipline and where their own research rests within that framework. |
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| Schedule and Contents |
Nutrient cycles in forest ecosystems (10 sessions) This segment will focus on phosphorous and nitrogen, the most important bioelements for the maintenance of forest ecosystems. Students will take turns reading textbooks and original studies written in English and gain an understanding of the fundamental physiological and ecological concepts related to the proportions of phosphorous and nitrogen in the soil, their decomposition characteristics and the role of decomposers, and the efficiencies of phosphorous and nitrogen utilization in trees. Traits and functions of trees (5 sessions) The sessions will provide students with an understanding of the traits and structures of tree leaves, branches, and trunks from an anatomical perspective. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the mechanisms underlying the diversity of these traits and structures from physiological and ecological perspectives, and how the functions of forests are produced by the assembly of such diverse traits and structures. Students will take turn reading research papers and review articles related to these topics in class, understand the key concepts, and gain practical experience in trait analysis methods. Forest community ecology (10 sessions) Students will understand the most current theories on the maintenance of species diversity and the development of ecological communities, by examining specific examples such as tree species, soil microbes, soil animals, and insects that constitute a forest ecosystem. Students will take turns reading research papers and review articles related to these topics, understand the theories behind them, and gain practical experience in community analysis methods. Forest ecosystem services and sustainable forest management (5 sessions) Students will take turns reading research papers on various problems we face today related to forest ecosystem services, and discuss approaches to sustainable forest management to solve such problems. |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | Grading will be based on an overall assessment of criteria such as attendance, the content of presentation, and commitment to research projects. | ||
| Course Requirements | None. | ||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | All students are expected to go through assigned materials to prepare for in-class reading. | ||
