Field Plant Taxonomy and Biodiversity Conservation

From coastal dunes to alpine ridges, the Pacific Northwest hosts remarkable plant diversity shaped by the region’s complex climate and geology. In this field- and lab-intensive program students will develop the observational and technical skills necessary to identify and document the region’s vascular plants (flowering plants, conifers, ferns and fern allies) and non-vascular plants (mosses, hornworts, and liverworts) across a range of habitats. Lectures will cover diagnostic plant family characters as well as the role of floristic knowledge in biodiversity assessment and conservation planning. In laboratory sessions, students will practice using microscopes and technical dichotomous keys to identify plants and will learn to prepare professional-quality herbarium collections.

Field trips are critical to the work of the program and active engagement in these activities is required. This will include a four-day field trip to eastern Washington, one overnight field trip in western Washington, and two, day-long field trips. During these trips, students will conduct plant inventories, collect specimens and create detailed notes and botanical drawings that document their field observations. Students will contribute their botanical data to community science efforts to document plant biodiversity using platforms such as iNaturalist and the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria. Through these activities, students will gain practical experience in supporting regional plant conservation efforts.

Students will also participate in seminar covering a wide range of topics related to plant biodiversity and conservation such as plant-pollinator interactions, indigenous forest management, prairie and wetland restoration, invasive species management and the impacts of climate change on plant phenology. Students will be responsible for reading and summarizing scientific papers in the form of an in-class presentation as part of these discussions.  

This offering will prepare students for careers and advanced study in: conservation, ecological restoration, floristic research methods, forestry, natural resource management, plant ecology, plant taxonomy and vegetation ecology.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies 

6* - Vascular Plant Taxonomy

6* - Bryology

4* - Plant Biodiversity and Conservation Seminar