To investigate how species, communities, and habitats change over the rural-urban (or pristine to human-dominated) gradient students conduct a series of biological inventories, field measurements, taxonomic keying out, natural history classifications, landscape classifications, statistical analyses, and a literature review. Each laboratory session will be geared towards one or several of these aspects, with groups of five students working together. Biological inventories and field measurements will take place outdoors, while the remaining aspects take place in the laboratory.