Teach the fundamentals of ecology to non-ecology majors. The course covers all aspects of ecology, from autoecology, developmental and behavioral ecology, through population and community ecology, ecosystems, biogeography and global change.

Complements Course Biol 3410. Practices in some aspects of Cellular Biology, Anatomy and Morphology, Physiology and Taxonomy of the Botanical Area at a descriptive and at an experimental level.

This is an advance class on limnology including both theoretical principles and laboratory practice.  It focuses on the studies of the physical, chemical and biological properties of inland waters (i.e., lakes, rivers, creeks, estuaries, and groundwater).

By:Alonso Ramírez andJorge R. Ortiz Zayas

Study of plant reproductive biology with emphasis on flowering plants, ecological and evolutionary proceses, hypotheses testing and field techniques.

The goal of this course will be to connect principles of tropical forest ecology with relevant management issues. However, the emphasis will be on ecology, as a prerequisite for thoughtful consideration of management. Subjects will include, for example: tropical forests in the global context; tree life histories, populations, and communities; forest dynamics; plant-animal interactions; evolution and biodiversity; deforestation and fragmentation; indigenous people; economics of exploitation; conservation strategies. Student writing and speaking skills will be emphasized.

Introduction to probability and probability distributions, parameter estimation and hypothesis testing.  Analysis of variance, regression, and analysis of discrete data.  Introduction to circular statistics and topics in multivariate analyses.

A readings course in which students selected a classic article on tropical ecology, added two to four more recent articles to amplify the theme, and then led a discussion among the class. Topics covered included tropical biogeography and palaeoenvironments, species diversity, forestry, conservation, extinction, resource economics, and restoration, among others.

Teach the foundations and advanced techniques of landscape ecology to biology graduate students. The course covers the conceptual background and history of landscape ecology, patch dynamics, landscape mosaics, and management and conservation at a landscape scale. Students are required to write a research paper on an advanced issue within landscape ecology. Topics have included tropical landscape restoration, how herbivory structures tropical landscapes, and landscape ecology concepts applied to marine systems and microcosms, among many others.

During the last two decades, tropical environmental issues have attracted a great deal of scientific and public attention.  These issues include, for example, tropical deforestation linked with global warming, and land use changes associated with sustainability of plant primary productivity and maintenance of tropical biodiversity.  This course will introduce some of the fundamental biogeochemical principles which are used in studies of tropical ecological issues.  A strong theme of this class will examine how natural biogeochemical processes operate and how human activities can alter these processes.  The subject has been divided roughly into two parts: natural biogeochemical processes, and interactions between natural and anthropogenic processes.  In the first part, we will discuss biogeochemical processes occurring in atmosphere, land, and in ocean.  In the second part, we will use all that covered thus far to understand the anthropogenic effects on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, cations, and sulfur and the implications to a variety of environmental issues.  Thus the course will analyze biogeochemical cycles from several different points of view, emphasizing an integrated approach.

Principles of evolution with emphasis on current theoretical models and experimental approaches to the study of population-level proceses. Topics include natural selection, genetic drift, migration, mutation, adaptation and speciation.

This class covers the basic principles of hydrology, geomorphology, water chemistry, stream and lake ecology, and water resources management.  It includes field trips to rivers, lakes, and to sewer and aqueduct systems.

This course focuses on the ecology and management of rivers, particularly those in tropical islands.  It covers both theoretical and practical applications of stream ecosystem concepts, stream restoration, and water policy

Introduce students to the basic laws of physics governing the behavior of electromagnetic radiation, techniques of satellite image capture, image pre-processing, image classification, and post-classification analysis. The students conduct a studio-style lab for the class, in which they classify the land cover in a satellite image of part of Puerto Rico.

This is primarily a laboratory course, in which students learn the advanced techniques of image analysis and apply them to images of regions of Puerto Rico. Topics covered include principal components analysis, resolution merging, RADAR imagery, texture analysis, hybrid classification schemes, and neural nets

Teach the fundamentals of landscape ecology to environmental science majors. The course covers the conceptual background of landscape ecology, patch dynamics, landscape mosaics, and management and conservation at a landscape scale. The lab part of the course is a problem-solving studio, in which teams of students address a current environmental problem facing Puerto Rico and determine how to resolve it, using their understanding of landscape principles.

Introduction to the basic principles of general chemistry with emphasis on atomic and molecular structure, matter status and thermochemistry.

Introduction to the basic principles of general chemistry with emphasis on solutions, kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, ionic equilibrium, thermodynamics, electrochemistry and nuclear chemistry.

Basic principles and concepts of environmental chemistry focusing on atmospheric and water pollution.  Special emphasis is given to the situation of air and water pollution in Puerto Rico.

Discussion of different topics in the area of atmospheric chemistry, focusing on the sampling, analysis and characterization of atmospheric aerosols and on the impact they have on the environment.

Chemistry and Physics of Atmospheric Aerosols - This is a graduate course that presents an introduction to the chemistry and physics of atmospheric aerosols. The topics discussed include aerosol fundamentals; sources and sinks; formation; physical, chemical and optical properties; sampling methods; analytical techniques; and aerosols’ impact on the environment, focusing on climatic effects.