Laboratory Course in Forest Ecology 1?
| Numbering Code | G-AGR01 5BC64 EJ80 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Year-round |
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| Number of Credits | 5 | Course Type | Experiment |
| Target Year | Target Student | ||
| Language | Japanese | Day/Period | |
| 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, students will learn various research tools pertinent to forest ecology such as the use of a data logger, GIS, remote sensing and GPS. Students will also learn how to use various statistics software packages. Overall goals of the course are to improve research skills of forest ecology. | ||
| Course Goals |
By completing this course, students will be able to: Develop their original hypotheses and prepare a research design to validate the theory; Validate their hypotheses by analyzing and statistically processing the data obtained; Collect and summarize information from literature; Summarize the results and write a scientific paper; Summarize the research results in slides and present them at an academic conference in an efficient manner. |
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| Schedule and Contents |
Nutrient cycles in forest ecosystems (10 sessions) This segment of the course will focus on phosphorous and nitrogen, the most important bioelements for the maintenance of forest ecosystems. Students will learn the analysis methods for 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) Students will learn the methods of analyzing the traits and structures of tree leaves, branches, and trunks from an anatomical perspective. Forest community ecology (10 sessions) Students will learn the methods of analyzing forest communities with a focus on multivariate analysis, by using such examples as tree species, soil microbes, soil animals, and insects that constitute a forest ecosystem. Forest ecosystem services and sustainable forest management (5 sessions) Students will discuss various problems we face today related to forest ecosystem services, and discuss techniques that help achieve sustainable forest management, including GIS and vegetation analysis methods. |
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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) | Apply the data obtained from research and learn analysis techniques. | ||
