Courses given by Visiting Lecturers' Program

— Arthropod Behavior and Agroecology, April 17-21, 2016

Prof. Mitchell Baker, Queens College, City University of New York, USA

The aim of the course was to examine the behavioral processes and characteristics that underlie the ecology of natural enemies and beneficial arthropods in relation to arthropod pest control in agroecosystems. Students were introduced to the principles of animal behavior underlying conservation biological control. They then acquired familiarity with different groups of arthropods beneficial to agriculture and with the main groups of arthropod pests. They learned methods and acquired tools that will enable them to apply this knowledge to agricultural systems. Ten students from Ben-Gurion University and three from other universities participated in the course. Several faculty and postdocs attended some of the lectures.

— Biology of Desert-Dwelling Bats, July 17-29, 2016

Dr. Danilo Russo, University of Naples Federico II, Italy

The course mostly focused on the physiology, echolocation and sensory ecology of bats as well as their implications for bat conservation. The subjects taught covered the acoustic identification of free-flying bats and management of forests for bat conservation. Instructor tasks included giving lectures, tutoring practicals (both in the lab, for sound analysis, and in the field) and supervising field projects.

— Conservation Genomics, September 18-22, 2016

Prof. Alan Templeton, Washington University, USA

The primary aim of this course was to inform the students about the new developments in genomics and how they can be applied to a variety of problems in conservation biology.  Through many examples, the instructor demonstrated how genomic data can enhance many current analytical strategies in conservation and create new tools.  The course taught how these enhanced and new tools could be used to identify species and management units; to reveal unknown species and whole realms of biodiversity; to analyze population structure, demography, and biological communities – both past and present; to reveal the impact of landscape features and climate on conservation problems and the importance of projecting these into the future and dealing with human-dominated landscapes; and finally to separate selected from neutral genetic variation, including new techniques to identify coadapted complexes, and how this knowledge can be used to enhance the design of conservation programs