Dr. David Karowe will give this all-camp lecture in May and in June.

Dr. Karowe is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University and a long time General Ecology instructor at UMBS. Karowe and his students investigate the potential ecological consequences of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. They focus on the ways nutritional quality and defensive chemistry of plants change under elevated CO2, and how such changes affect the growth, survivorship and behavior of insect herbivores and parasitoids. The ultimate goal of this research is to expand understanding of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of elevated CO2 to include higher trophic levels. This work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Karowe will focus his all-camp lectures, offered on both May 30th and June 28th, on the urgent climate change challenges facing the Great Lakes Region, and will offer an overview of related research at the Biological Station. He will provide a framework by which students, researchers, and the public can better understand UMBS's important role in addressing these challenges and protecting our precious natural resources.