Required texts

Stiling, P. 2002. Ecology: Theories and Applications, 4th ed. Prentice Hall.

McMillan, V.E. 1997. Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, 2^nd ed. St. Martin's College Publishing Group. (You likely already have this book from Bio 111 or Bio 112)

 

Recommended materials

Notebook of "write in the rain" paper (available at the bookstore)

What is Ecology?

"Ecology is the study of the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment" (Stiling 2002, p. 2), but all such definitions of ecology are so broad and so vague that it doesn't give you much of a sense of what ecologists do, or why ecology is important to you. Such definitions also don't help you distinguish the difference between the basic science of ecology and applied environmental science. Stiling makes a good analogy: ecology is to environmental science as physics is to engineering. Just as physical principles underlie the solutions to engineering problems, so do ecological principles underlie solutions to environmental problems. And we have many environmental problems. Almost half the earth's land surface has been transformed by humans. What effects does that transformation have on the functioning of the natural ecosystems? Will the services (waste disposal, water purification, soil stabilization, nutrient cycling, flood control, CO2 regulation, food production, maintenance of diversity, etc) that these natural ecosystems have provided in the past be able to continue as we modify the land surface to suit our needs? What will be the cost if we have to supply these services artificially? How many species can we lose before an ecosystem fails? What size population is large enough to protect a species from extinction? What are the greatest risk factors in conserving a species? Can we still harvest wild salmon and expect them to survive? What will happen to species if the global temperature rises 3oC? How can we control agricultural pest species responsibly without introducing toxic chemicals that end up in human breast milk and in Antarctic penguins? What are the likely consequences if we allow alien species to be released into our environment?

 

General Ecology is designed as a second-year course in our Biology curriculum. In addition to introducing you to the ideas and methods of ecological research that help us answer the kinds of questions listed above, we will build on the skills you have acquired in Biology 111 and 112. The understanding of theory, the manipulation of models, and the analysis of data in ecology require you to acquire quantitative and graphical skills that you have not previously been asked to master. Statistics is one of the most useful of these quantitative skills. I will teach you all the stats you need for the labs, though you may need further advice about statistics for your independent projects. I will also introduce you to model building and manipulation. I will continue to emphasize graphical analysis skills, writing skills and library literature skills, building on what you have encountered in previous courses.

Course Objectives

• become familiar with ecological processes, theories, and current questions
  
• be able to pose ecological questions and design ecological experiments
  
• be able to construct and analyze the behavior of a quantitative descriptive model
  
• be able to analyze data statistically to answer ecological questions
  
• gain practice with scientific writing and oral presentation

Lectures

Lectures will introduce ecological principles, models, and applications. Lectures are intended to help you become conversant with the language that ecologists use, the issues and questions ecologists tackle, and how ecologists address these issues and questions. I will also introduce some historical background to give you insight into why certain issues are so contentious today. We will also spend a good deal of our lecture time looking at applied problems in conservation.

Labs

Labs will emphasize how ecologists test their ideas, through quantitative observations, through models, and through manipulative, controlled, and replicated experiments. Three of our labs will be dedicated to collecting original data, and two of these labs will be outdoors. Working outdoors is a great way to see organisms in their natural habitats, but there are potential drawbacks to working outside at this time of year. We probably won't have to worry about sunburn or insects, but you can expect to walk through wet vegetation and it may rain and/or be cold. Dress appropriately--on those days we are scheduled to go out, we will go out rain or shine.

For outdoor labs, you will need to bring paper (or the data sheets provided) and pens/pencils with you for taking notes and data during labs. A clipboard is a good idea to provide a hard surface to write on. Pencils write much better than pens on wet paper. A clear plastic poncho is useful for keeping everything dry while you write. I have also asked the bookstore to stock notebooks with "Write in the rain" paper. These will keep your data safe regardless of the weather.

Problem sets

Four of our labs will involve computer work and require a problem set to be completed. Two of these are statistical problem sets designed to get you familiar with the common statistical tests you will encounter in your labs and projects. There are three other problem sets based on computer models that are designed to give you some hands-on practice with the ecological models we discuss in lecture. We will do one of these during lab and you will be able to finish the problems in lab time. The other problem sets are designed for you to do on your own to help you understand the material. The answers to these will be posted on the web. It is in your best interest to do the questions first, before you look at the answers. The appropriate dates for you to do each problem set are listed on the Course Schedule, and of course, I'll remind you in class.

In addition to the computer modeling problem sets, I will have available on the web site question sets (with answers) designed to give you practice using the tools and concepts we've covered in lecture. These question sets will reflect the level of understanding I expect you to demonstrate on the exams.

Quizzes

Approximately every other week, we will have a quiz over the material covered in the last couple of weeks. The quizzes will be given in the first ten minutes of the lecture period and CANNOT be made up. They are designed to help you know the level of questions I will be asking on the exams and for you to use as a tool to keep up with the material.

Exams

There will be two midterm exams and a final. Questions on exams will generally be short essays or problems, and will cover lectures, specified sections of the reading, laboratory material, and problem set material. The final will be cumulative. All exams will be held in our regular lecture room (TH 228). To assist you in preparation for the exams, I will have last year's exams (with answers) available on the web site.

THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. Note the dates of the exams on the Course Schedule. If you have any anticipated problem with taking an exam on the specified date, see me ASAP. If you do miss an exam for a legitimate reason (i.e., documented medical problem), I may consider that in the calculation of your final grade provided you get me some documentation.

 

Experimental Projects

In the experimental projects, you and a partner will design and carry out an original investigation of an ecological question that you choose. Before you start your project, you will submit a written proposal, due the week after the project conferences during the 5th week of class (see Course Schedule).

Every other week after the proposals are due, you will submit a written progress report (a paragraph on what you've accomplished so far). You may meet with us again, if necessary, in conferences during the 10th week of the course.

Finally, you will present your results to the rest of the Ecology students in a 12-minute oral presentation at the end of April and submit your INDIVIDUALLY WRITTEN final written report on your project by the last day of class. These requirements are explained more fully on the web site (Experimental projects).

Experimental Project Suggestions

Don't put off the project&endash;-start thinking about it right away! Look around while you're outside&endash;you may get a project idea. Think about the ideas presented in the lectures or about organisms that catch your interest. You may design a test of an idea, or you may design a project concerning a particular organism. Be careful to plan something that can be finished by the end of the course, and make sure materials you are thinking of using are available or are inexpensive and easy to obtain. Discuss your project ideas with me as soon as you can. The best projects are usually ones that clearly address a specific, limited question; you'd be surprised how difficult it is to test what seems like a simple idea.

 

Grading

Course grades will be assigned based on total accumulated points:

2 midterm exams (100 each)	200
Final exam	150
5 quizzes (drop lowest of 6)	100
Lab reports (50, 75, 25)	150
Experimental Project Proposal (20) Weekly progress reports (3 @ 10 pts each = 30) Pre-presentation abstract (10) Written report (90)	150
Problem sets (4 @ 25 each)	100
Total	850

I will assign grades based on a straight scale (90-100 = A range, 80-89 = B range, etc.), although I reserve the right to curve if the grades are not as high as I think they should be.

Late work

Assignments are due on the day specified by 4:30 pm. Assignments must be turned in to me personally, or to the Biology office (TH 229 and ask the secretary to stamp your paper with the date and time--she leaves at 4:30!). Late assignments will be penalized 5% per weekday.

Academic Honesty

Just as scientific integrity is essential for the validity of scientific results, academic integrity is the fundamental principle upon which institutions of higher education are built. For this reason, academic institutions implement codes of academic honesty and establish penalties for breaking these codes. The policy on academic honesty at this university is stated on pp. 29-35 in The Logger. I will assume that you have read and understand that material. If you have any questions, please ask me.

Academic integrity should govern all your actions in this course. The following acts of academic dishonesty are especially relevant to this course:

o Cheating during exams

o Plagiarism on lab reports or any written assignment--all assignments are to be written individually unless the instructions explicitly allow group work. Plagiarism includes direct copying or paraphrasing of another source (book, lab manual, or another student's paper) or using another person's ideas or organization without providing sufficient credit.

o Alteration, fabrication, or misrepresentation of lab data.

o Misuse of library materials. This includes unauthorized removal of materials from the library or damaging library materials.

An act of academic dishonesty will automatically result in loss of credit for the affected exam or assignment. Harsher penalties, including grade penalties or failure of the course will likely be applied. The University requires that all incidents of academic dishonesty be reported to the Dean of Students, who may press for further sanctions (e.g., suspension, dismissal). If you anticipate seeking admission to a professional or graduate school, you should be aware that many applications specifically ask whether any action has been taken against you for academic dishonesty. See the Logger for information on academic honesty and a more complete description of plagiarism.