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Tropical Ethnobotany

Instructor:

Dr. Nisao Ogata
Director, Programa Arboles Tropicales
Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales (CITRO)
Universidad Veracruzana
Calle 7 de Enero #12
Col. Felipe Carrillo Puerto
Xalapa, Veracruz, México C.P. 91080
eMail:theobromamac.com, nogata@uv.mx
Tel: (228) 817 06 03
Tel: (228) 8 10 82 63
fax: (228) 8 10 82 63
http://www.uv.mx/citro/personal/Nisao/03nisao_esp.htm

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Tropical ethnobotany introduces graduate students and advanced undergraduates to the diverse world of tropical vegetation its use by traditional cultures.  The first part of the course covers tropical botany, beginning with abiotic factors that influence tropical plants such as climate and soils.  The focus then turns to the diversity, taxonomy, ecological processes, and adaptations of tropical vegetation.  The second part of the course focuses on the relationship of plants and people in tropical forests, including indigenous plant use and resource management.   Lectures will provide an introduction to each topic but much of the time will be devoted to field exercises.  The course emphasizes development of appropriate methodologies for conducting ethnobotanical research.  In a series of group projects, students will formulate research questions and design experiments to answer them.  Each student will also design an individual research project that will be completed by the end of the course.

Suggested Readings

  • Pending
Group Projects

All students participate in several group projects, which introduce basic field techniques and research methods. With help from the faculty, groups formulate a research question, design field methods, and collect data. Students then will analyze the results and present their findings in oral presentations and written reports.

Individual Projects

Each student will design and complete an individual research project. Each will be evaluated on the bases of scientific merit, feasibility, experimental design, rsults, and analysis. The final week of the course is dedicated to individual projects. Students will present their projects in both oral and written formats.

Examples of Potential Research Projects (individual or group projects)

  • Pending

The following publications are available for consultation in the Field Station

  1. Henderson, A., G. Galeano, and R. Bernal. 1995. Field Guide to the Palms of Americas. Princeton University. Princeton, NJ.
  2. Terborgh, J. 1992. Diversity and the Rain Forest. Scientific American Library. New York, NY.
  3. Croat, T. B. Flora of Barro Colorado Island. 1978. Stanford University Press. Stanford, CA.
  4. Maas, P. J. M. and L. Y. Th. Westra 1993. Neotropical Plant Families. Koeltz Scientific Books. Germany/USA.
  5. Whitmore, T. C. 1998. An Introduction to Tropical Rain Forests. Second edition. Oxford University Press. Oxford, England.
  6. Luna, L. E. and P. Amaringo. 1991. Ayahuasca Visions: the Religion Iconography of a Peruvian Shaman. North Atlantic Books. Berkeley, CA.
  7. Heywood, V. H. 1993. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press. New York, NY.

Grading

Students should arrange credit for the course through their home institutions. Grades will be based on two written exams (10% each), one field practical exam (30%), group project participation (25 %) and an individual project (25%).

Lectures and Field Schedule

Lecture Schedule & Readings

Field Work

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