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Students travel to Mexico for Advanced Ecology Course

September 7, 2010

By UCSD Alamos Student Trip

cactus with a white flower

One of the most biodiverse regions of North America is the site for the Advanced Field Ecology course offered by Dr. Therese Markow. In southern Sonora, the state just below Arizona, the Sonoran Desert meets the Tropical Decidous Forest, affording students to study in two magnificent habitats in one week. Students will be lodged in the colonial town of Alamos, a former capitol of the entire Sinaloa-Sonora-Arizona-California region and the site of some of Mexico's largest silver mines.

Students will be examining tree and cactus biodiversity, studying hummingbird behavior, and investigating the insects associated with various types of fruits and plants. Participating students will be conducting original research projects on local flora and fauna during their stay.

They will be treated to guest lectures by Drs. Patricia Gowaty and Stephen Hubbell of UCLA and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Dr. Edward Pfeiler of Mexico's Centro de Investigaciones en Alimenacion y Desarollo (CIAD), and Dr. Maxi Polihrohanakis of UCSD.

Follow along as they report upon their experiences.

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