Bozeman, MT campus/Online/in field


Dates:

This course will begin one week prior to the fall semester, on campus.        

During this week, it will run TUES-FRI, Aug 12-15

@8:00 AM-5:00 PM in LJH 339 and the field, and           

SAT-SUN Aug 16-17 @8:00 AM-5:00PM in the field;     

This is an 8-week course, and the rest of the class is taught online, ending October 10, 2025.    


Credit: 3 graduate 

Instructor: Chris Larson, christian.larson@montana.edu

Please contact instructor before registering/making travel arrangements.

 

Course Description

Careers and graduate studies in land resources and conservation management require knowledge of how to design and execute research projects and analyze temporal and spatial biodiversity data. This course will provide students with the theoretical and practical skills associated with surveying and monitoring designs, sampling methods, and data analysis techniques to answer research questions about biodiversity. The course will concentrate on applying and evaluating these methods using plants but students will also gain experience with other taxa. The course will focus on applying these concepts and methods to three systems: agroecosystems, rehabilitation/restoration, and wildlands. Using the methods, materials, and analytical techniques introduced in the course, students will design and conduct their own research project, analyze the data they collect, and write a final research report.


Meeting Place and Times

One week of fieldwork required prior to semester; remainder of course is online. 
The course will be completed mid-October.

Instructor(s)

Christian Larson is a PhD student working with Dr. Lisa Rew. Christian’s plant-based research focuses on the interactions among native biodiversity, disturbance, invasive plants, and management methods. He is also currently working on niche modeling of the invasive plant species Cirsium arvense and one of its biological control agents, the fungal rust pathogen Puccinia punctiformis.

Christian received a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in English and Political Science University of Vermont (2004). He then attended Montana State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Land Rehabilitation (2013) and a Master of Science in Environmental Science (invasive plant ecology focus; 2016). Christian then worked as a laboratory and field manager and researcher, in a wide range of systems. Including time as a student, Christian has worked for the Montana State University Weed and Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Group for the past 14 years. During his time in the Weed Group, Christian has co-authored 16 peer-reviewed publications, eight as first author, focusing on different aspects of invasive plant ecology and management, and restoration ecology. Christian was a part of the very first 410/510 class, has been a teaching assistant for the course in multiple years, and has previously taught 510 (2018).

Time Commitment:

8-10 hours per week. If you are unfamiliar with this field of study and/or method of delivery, you may require more time.

 

Tuition and Fees

See the Online Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid page.

If you are also taking a face-to-face course, please refer to the MSU Fee Schedules.

Required Books/Materials (optional for LRES 410 Students)

  • Biological Diversity: Frontiers in Measurement and Assessment 
    Edition: first
    Author(s): Anne E. Magurran, Brian J. McGill
    Publisher: University Press of Kansas; 60219th edition (November 19, 2007)
    ISBN13: 978-0199580675
    ISBN 10: 0199580677
    Price: new $100 hardcover;  $52 used paperback 
    This book can be purchased or with various online retailers

This course uses a learning management system. You will learn more closer to the course start date.

How to Register

You must be accepted as a student to Montana State University to take this course.

Learn how to apply.

After your application has been accepted, you will register via MSU's online registration system, MyInfo.

Registration requires a PIN number. Learn how to find your PIN.

Once you have your PIN, learn how to register through MyInfo.