2 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Upper Division
Advanced lecture- and discussion-based class examining how disturbance shapes the composition and structure of communities and landscapes across major terrestrial biomes. Students will examine and discuss the relationships between disturbance intensity, frequency, and spatial extent and how these characteristics affect ecological processes and ecologically-based management of forest and grassland ecosystems. The class will also examine the synergistic effects of multiple disturbances and the restoration of endemic disturbance regimes in contemporary ecosystems. Course is reading intensive; students will read and discuss on average 3-8 journal articles per week. Typically offered in even years.
Learning Outcomes1Describe how disturbance shapes community composition and structure for several major terrestrial biomes.
2Understand how disturbance regulates biological diversity across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
3Understand the relationship between disturbance intensity, frequency, and spatial extent and how those factors affect management of forest and grassland ecosystems.
4Describe the synergistic nature of disturbance and identify how disturbance factors interact across a landscape.
5Describe how contemporary and restored disturbance regimes may facilitate or suppress the spread of invasive species.
6Understand how management activities can mimic endemic disturbance regimes to promote biodiversity and sustainability.
Prerequisites
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.