UC Davis Pre-College Program: Ecotoxicology

Do you like to play in the dirt?

This is a toxicology course that pertains to understanding soil and soil health. The course introduces you to the fundamentals of soil ecotoxicology. You will learn how to perform soil sampling, contaminant analysis and how to assess soil biodiversity in the field. You will learn the concept of soil ecosystems and their functions e.g., climate regulation, carbon sequestration, food production, water protection etc. and how these processes can be disrupted by contaminants or toxicants. You will learn the concepts of toxicity, bioavailability and pathways of soil contaminants. You will learn how to assess the impact of pollutants on soil biodiversity using soil invertebrates and microbes as indicators. You will learn how to conduct toxicity experiments in the lab with earthworms, soil mites and springtails, which are species that are important for maintaining soil health. You will learn how to interpret data, calculate endpoint values using R and assess ecological risks. We will discuss real-world case studies of soil pollution and mitigation methods.