Fire Ecology Seminar

Catalog Label:
RNR 496B/696A
Course Category:
Other Environmental Science & Global Change Courses
Level:
Both Undergraduate and Graduate
Year Offered:
2012
Semester or Session:
Spring Semester
Instructors:
Donald Falk
Primary Room: Times:
Tuesdays 2:00 – 3:50 PM
Units:
2
Prerequisite:
Open to any student who has passed RNR 355 (Introduction to Wildland Fire) and/or WS M 508 (Wildland Fire Management); students with background in fire science may also apply. Other students should contact one of the instructors for permission to register

Course Description

Fire ecology is the study of roles that fire plays in ecosystem function and structure. Fire is a keystone process in grasslands, shrublands, savannahs, and many forested systems. Recent anthropogenic changes — such as the spread of invasive species — are changing the fire regimes of many ecosystems, including the Sonoran Desert. In the Southwest, recent large fires may be pushing ecosystems past tipping points into new configurations.
We will study these and other topics in a student-led seminar format, reading and discussing papers in classic and current literature. Students in this seminar will obtain a broad, informed view of the roles that fire plays in a variety of ecosystems in a changing world.