ENY 5212 Insects and Wildlife

Description

Insects and other arthropods and their relationships with wild vertebrate animals.

Prerequisites

This is an introduction to entomology that focuses on the interrelationships of insects and vertebrate animals. Some background in biology is useful, but there are no prerequisites. If you have not taken an entomology course, you should enroll in ENY 3002L or ENY5006L, the introductory entomology laboratory, while enrolled in ‘Insects & Wildlife’. This will give you hands-on experience with insects, and will enhance your diagnostic abilities.

Course Format

Location: Online

Course Goals

By the end of this course, students will develop an understanding of the ecological relationships of arthropods and pesticides with natural resources, particularly the roles of arthropods as food, nuisance pests, vectors of animal disease, and in natural resource and wildlife conservation. Students will be able to identify the groups of insects (and other arthropods) that are most important as food, nuisance pests, and vectors of animal disease. They will learn methods of arthropod diet assessment and know how different methodologies affect the outcomes of research. They will learn how arthropod populations can be manipulated to favor wildlife, and will create a wildlife management plan that applies the principles and practices provided in the course.