LEWISTON – An ecology course and lab that examine the theoretical bases upon which ecological investigations are based will be offered this fall at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College.

The course will have an emphasis on the physical environment, organisms, communities, populations, ecosystems and biodiversity. The laboratory portion of the course consists primarily of fieldwork during which students complete an ecological assessment of a local habitat.

The instructor will be Ike Levine, assistant professor of natural and applied sciences. Levine earned his doctoral degree in botanical sciences at the University of Hawaii. His area of expertise is algal physiological ecology and marine agronomy. He teaches courses in biological principles, applied botany, environmental science, ecology and marine biology.

The course will meet on Mondays with the lecture in the morning from 9 to 11:30 a.m., and the lab to follow in the afternoon from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The course will begin Sept. 12. Students are expected to have college-level experience in biology and environmental science.

Registration for this and other fall semester courses is open through the first week of classes. The complete fall semester course listing is available on-line at www.usm.maine.edu/lac/schedules. Call 753-6500 for more information or advising assistance.