Goals: Plant Communities Biology 345

The goals of the course are twofold: First, to acquaint the student with many of the common plant species in northern Virginia and to develop a grasp of their role in succession. Second, to help the student envision the general vegetation types of North America and their interaction with climate and geology. Pursuing these goals requires careful observation of plants, the ability to determine relationships between specimens and thus successfully identify the plants, the ability to memorize scientific names and to be able to physically move through marshes, up mountain trails and to be available for weekend day trips on three occasions.

The course is basically ecological with the additional required correlation of plant species.

Evaluation will be by means of exams over the lecture material, written summaries of field trip observations and data collected and recognition of the plant species observed in the lab and the community of plants in which they would most likely be found.

Instruction is in the form of lectures, slide presentations and field trips to see the plant species. Examples of the plant species observed on the field trips will be available in the lab from Monday through Friday. There is no suitable text that covers the specific information in the course. Field guides to trees and shrubs are suggested as useful to students with limited experience with field botany.