ERS 130 Introduction to Environmental Science. (4)
fall
Introduction to soil resources, their physical and chemical properties, classification, energy dynamics, and the role they play in environmental quality. Lecture, lab.
General Studies: SQ
ERS 191 First-Year Seminar. (1 – 3)
selected semesters
ERS 207 Applied Plant Taxonomy. (3)
spring
Introduction to identification of vascular plants. Surveys plant families. Lecture, lab, field trips. Prerequisite: BIO 187.
ERS 225 Soils. (3)
fall
Fundamental properties of soils and their relation to plant growth and the nutrition of man and animals. Relation of soils to environmental quality. Prerequisite: CHM 101 or 113 (or its equivalent).
ERS 226 Soils Laboratory. (1)
fall
Selected exercises to broaden the background and understanding of basic soil principles. Lab. Corequisite: ERS 225.
ERS 246 Environmental Conservation and Ecology. (3)
spring
Principles of environmental conservation from global, historical, and ecological perspectives. Considers development/sustainability issues.
General Studies: G
ERS 294 Special Topics. (1 – 4)
selected semesters
ERS 301 Ecology. (3)
fall
Introduces the principles of ecology emphasizing vegetation community ecology. Field trips. Prerequisite: BIO 187.
ERS 307 Plant Identification. (4)
fall
Identification of key plants of western rangelands and forests. Laboratory emphasis on grass identification. Lecture, lab. Prerequisite: ERS 207 or PLB 310 (or its equivalent).
ERS 311 Applied Ecology. (4)
spring
Ecological principles and their implication for management of ecosystems. 3 hours lecture, 1 hour lab. Prerequisites: ERS 225, 301, 350.
ERS 333 Water Resources Management. (3)
selected semesters
Sources, their development, and conservation in arid regions for agricultural, natural resources, and urban uses. Prerequisite: CHM 101 or 113.
ERS 350 Environmental Statistics. (3)
fall
Statistical methods with applications in natural resource management and the environmental sciences. Uses computers and the internet. Prerequisites: CSE 180; MAT 117.
General Studies: CS
ERS 353 Wildlife Nutrition. (3)
selected semesters
Principles of nutrient metabolism in wildlife species, with emphasis on understanding the interaction of wildlife with their environment. Prerequisites: a combination of BIO 187 and 188 and CHM 101 or only instructor approval.
ERS 364 Surface Water Hydrology. (3)
fall in even years
Hydrologic principles in an ecological context. Discharge measurements, open channel hydraulics, bed forms, sediment transport as applied to ecological problems. Lecture, lab, field trip. Prerequisite: ERS 350.
ERS 365 Watershed Management. (3)
selected semesters
Hydrologic, physical, biological, and ecological principles applied to watershed management. Impact of ecosystem manipulations on water yield and quality. 1 weekend field trip. Prerequisites: ERS 225, 246.
ERS 402 Vegetation Measurement. (4)
spring
Vegetation sampling and inventory as related to animal-habitat relations. Lecture, lab, 1 weekend field trip. Prerequisites: a combination of ERS 301 and 307 and 350 and program major or only instructor approval.
ERS 415 Wildlife Life Histories. (4)
spring
Life histories of the major mammal, reptile/amphibian, and avian species found in the Southwest, with emphasis on management. Lecture, lab. Prerequisite: BIO 370 or 385
ERS 420 Ecological Restoration. (3)
spring
Techniques of ecological restoration applied for the improvement of arid and semiarid land and sensitive habitats. Weekend field trips.
ERS 425 Soil Classification and Management. (3)
selected semesters
Principles of soil genesis, morphology, and classification. Presents management and conservation practices. Prerequisite: ERS 225.
ERS 433 Riparian Ecosystem Management. (3)
selected semesters
Examines the functions and components that make up riparian ecosystems and the management of these ecosystems. Lecture, field trip. Prerequisite: ERS 225 or instructor approval.
ERS 434 Wetland Ecosystems and Soils. (3)
selected semesters
Wetland ecosystems structure and function including hydrology and biogeochemistry with special emphasis on soils. Lecture, weekend field trip. Prerequisite: ERS 225 or instructor approval.
ERS 448 Soil Ecology. (3)
selected semesters
Soils viewed in an ecosystem context, soil-plant relationships, nutrient budgets, and abiotic factors that influence soil processes. Prerequisites: a combination of BIO 320 and ERS 225 and 226 or only instructor approval.
ERS 449 Landscape Ecology. (3)
selected semesters
Causes and ecological consequences of spatial and temporal patterns in the environment. Prerequisite: ERS 301.
ERS 460 Applied Systems Ecology. (3)
selected semesters
Systems approach applied to analysis and management of natural resource ecosystems. Uses simulation models. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours lab. Prerequisites: ERS 350 (or its equivalent); a course in ecology.
ERS 465 Surface Water Quality. (3)
spring in odd years
Examines factors that impact water quality. Surface water sampling and analysis with interpretation for wildlife, humans, and other users. Prerequisites: ERS 364, 365.
ERS 474 Wildlife Ecology. (3)
selected semesters
Integrates ecological concepts as applied to wildlife populations and their interaction with the habitat and other species. Lecture, lab, 1 weekend field trip.
ERS 475 Wildlife Management. (4)
spring
Principles and techniques of applied ecology for the management and wildlife populations. Lecture, lab. Prerequisites: ERS 311 and 474 (or their equivalents).
ERS 477 Environmental Risk Assessment and Management. (3)
selected semesters
Survey of methods related to identification, evaluation, comparison, and management of environmental risks. Prerequisite: senior standing.
ERS 480 Ecosystem Management and Planning. (3)
spring
Planning for management and conservation of wildland ecosystems. Ecological, economic, and social constraints on long-term sustainable resource development. Computer tools for resource planning. Lecture, 1 weekend field trip. Prerequisites: ERS 402 (or its equivalent); senior standing.
General Studies: L
ERS 484 Internship. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 485 GIS in Natural Resources. (3)
fall
Principles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) utilized in natural resource management. Use of computers for spatial analysis of natural resources. Lecture, lab. Prerequisite: CSE 180 (or its equivalent).
ERS 486 Remote Sensing in Environmental Resources. (4)
spring
Principles and application of remote sensing technologies in natural resource management. Integration of computerized data from aerial photography and LanSat imagery in resource management. Lecture, lab. Prerequisite: ERS 485 (or its equivalent).
ERS 489 Undergraduate Research. (1 – 3)
fall and spring
Undergraduate research under the supervision of an environmental resources faculty member. Prerequisite: junior or senior status.
ERS 490 Recent Advances in Environmental Resources. (1)
fall and spring
Current literature and significant developments involving environmental resources. May be repeated for credit.
ERS 492 Honors Directed Study. (1 – 6)
selected semesters
ERS 493 Honors Thesis. (1 – 6)
selected semesters
ERS 494 Special Topics. (1 – 4)
selected semesters
ERS 498 Pro-Seminar. (1 – 7)
selected semesters
ERS 499 Individualized Instruction. (1 – 3)
selected semesters
ERS 500 Research Methods. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 533 Riparian Ecology. (3)
selected semesters
Review of recent literature, developments, and methods related to riparian ecology. Applications of soil and landscape ecology to riparian systems. Lecture, discussion, field trips.
ERS 540 Plant Responses to Environmental Stresses. (3)
selected semesters
Reaction of plants to environmental stresses; aerial pollutants, fire, herbivores, mechanical treatments, pesticides, and soil amendments. 1 weekend field trip. Prerequisite: instructor approval.
ERS 550 Vegetation Dynamics. (4)
fall
Dynamics of vegetation emphasizing ecological succession, applications of landscape ecology and GIS, and analysis of vegetation data. Field trips, studio. Prerequisite: a course in introductory statistics.
ERS 551 Advanced Environmental Statistics. (4)
spring
Advanced statistical procedures for environmental resources. Techniques for analyzing research data that do not meet assumptions. Studio. Prerequisite: ERS 350 (or its equivalent).
ERS 553 Advanced Animal Nutrition. (4)
selected semesters
Metabolic and physiological interactions of nutrients in wild and domesticated animals consuming natural feeds. Lecture, lab.
ERS 560 Systems Ecology. (3)
selected semesters
Quantitative description and mathematical modeling of ecosystem structure and function. Techniques for model construction and simulation. Lecture, lab. Prerequisites: ERS 350 (or its equivalent); computer programming; 6 hours in ecological studies.
ERS 561 Spatial Statistics and GIS. (3)
fall
Dependent spatial data, analysis and description, semivariograms, variograms, kriging, and GIS analysis. Lecture, lab. Prerequisites: ERS 350 and 485 (or their equivalents).
ERS 580 Practicum. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 584 Internship. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 585 Spatial Modeling with GIS. (3)
fall
GIS technology for spatial modeling of natural resources. Practical application of GIS technology for problem solving. Lecture, lab. Prerequisite: ERS 485 (or its equivalent) or instructor approval.
ERS 590 Reading and Conference. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 591 Environmental Resources Seminar. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 592 Research. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 593 Applied Project. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 594 Conference and Workshop. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 595 Continuing Registration. (1)
selected semesters
ERS 598 Special Topics. (1 – 4)
selected semesters
ERS 599 Thesis. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
ERS 691 Seminar. (1 – 12)
selected semesters
Omnibus Courses. For an explanation of additional courses offered but not specifically listed, see “Omnibus Courses.”