EAS 509 is a core ecology course aimed to provide students with the foundational knowledge and skills that will prepare them for other courses as well as their environmental careers, which require making informed and interdisciplinary decisions. Through lectures and hands-on field labs we will examine how organisms respond to their physical environment, interact with each other in populations and communities across the landscape, and affect the movement of energy and nutrients through terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Principles will be presented in the context of global change, and students will be introduced to some relevant design, analysis, and planning tools. Coursework will build skills in field observation, the design and interpretation of ecological research, clear communication of ecological concepts, and systems thinking.