ENVS477

Ecotoxicology is the study of the biochemical and molecular effects of chemical toxicants and non-chemical stressors, singly or in mixtures, on biological organization ranging from the individual to assemblages and ecosystems. Some of the detrimental effects of toxicants and stressors are acute causing immediate ecological and physiological harm, while many others are insidious and chronic causing long-term damage to populations over multiple generations. This course will provide knowledge to students of the very broad range of anthropogenic stressors and toxicants as well as their physiological and sometimes, behavioral, effects on individuals and populations of organisms.

Ecotoxicology is a multidisciplinary endeavor involving ecology, biology (anatomy, physiology, genetics, microbiology), chemistry (inorganic, organic, biochemical, analytical), epidemiology, statistics, soil, water and atmospheric sciences. The goal of this course is to provide requisite tools for students to gain insight into understanding such a complex discipline as ecotoxicology. Specifically, this course will describe some known environmental toxins and their effects, methods to study the nature, extent, movement, and exposure routes of environmental contamination, and techniques to quantify toxicant effects on individual organisms and populations. This course will also describe the current regulatory framework that governs contaminants as well as tools used by scientists, managers, and regulators in efforts to protect, and reduce harm to, individuals, populations, and ecosystems.

017825

Spring