BIOL 5233.01
Ecotoxicology
Spring 2007
Class meetings: Mondays 7:00 – 9:50 pm; Bayou Building 3211
Instructor: Dr. Cindy Howard
Office: Bayou Building, Faculty Suite 3525
Telephone: (281) 283-3745 (please leave a message if you don’t get an answer)
E-mail: (best way to contact me)
Office hours: Mon. and Wed. 3:00-5:00 pm; Thu. 4:00-6:00 pm; other times by appointment
Text: Walker, C.H., S.P. Hopkin, R.M. Sibly and D.B. Peakall. 2006. Principles of
ecotoxicology, 3rd ed. Taylor & Francis, Inc., New York, NY. 315 pp. ISBN 0-8493-3635-X.
.
Major sources for course material:
Abel, P.D. 1996. Water pollution biology, 2nd ed. Taylor & Francis, Inc., Bristol, PA. 286 pp.
Calow, P., ed. 1993. Handbook of ecotoxicology. Blackwell Scientific Publ., Oxford. 478 pp (Vol 1), 416 pp (Vol 2).
Cech, J.J., Jr., B.W. Wilson and D.G. Crosby. 1998. Multiple stresses in ecosystems. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 202 pp.
Chang, L.W. 1996. Toxicology of metals. CRC/Lewis Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL. 1198 pp.
Cockerham, L.G. and B.S. Shane, eds. 1994. Basic environmental toxicology. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 948 pp.
Connell, D.W. and G.J. Miller. 1984. Chemistry and ecotoxicology of pollution. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 444 pp.
Derelanko, M.J. and M.A. Hollinger, eds. Handbook of toxicology. CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, FL. 948 pp.
Hoffman, D.J., B.A. Rattner, G.A. Burton, Jr. and J. Cairns, Jr., eds. 2003. Handbook of ecotoxicology, 2nd ed. Lewis/ CRC Publ., Boca Raton, FL. 1290 pp. (Highly recommended reference for ecotoxicology)
Klaassen, C.D., ed. 2001. Casarett and Doull’s toxicology: the basic science of poisons, 6th ed. McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Klaassen, C.D. and J.B. Watkins, III. 2003. Casarett and Doull’s Essentials of Toxicology. McGraw-Hill, New York., 533 pp.
Moriarty, F. 1988. Ecotoxicology: the study of pollutants in ecosystems. Academic Press, New York. 289 pp.
New York, NY. 1236 pp.
Newman, M.C. 1998. Fundamentals of ecotoxicology. Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea, MI. 402 pp.
Paasivirta, J. 1991. Chemical ecotoxicology. Lewis Publ., Boca Raton, FL. 210 pp.
Course prerequisites:
BIOL 5332 (Toxicology) or BIOL 4235 (Environmental Toxicology) recommended but not required. Students with no toxicology background are encouraged to study Klaassen, ed. (2001), Chapters 2, 3 and 4, and/or sit in on BIOL 4235 for lectures on the absorption, distribution, biotransformation and excretion of toxicants, and dose-response theory. The Spring 2007 schedule for these lectures follows. Knowledge of these basic principles of environmental toxicology will be assumed.
Course objectives:
To provide students with a conceptual and working knowledge of ecotoxicology, which includes the environmental fate and transport of pollutants, specific environmental pollutants and their toxic effects on natural populations and communities, physiological and biochemical effects and biomarkers of environmental contamination.
Course methodology:
Class lectures and discussions on the principles of ecotoxicology, specific pollutant chemicals, biomarkers and ecosystem effects. Class field ecotoxicology research project.
Grading: Exam 1 30%
Exam 2 30%
Journal article reviews (5% each x 2) 10%
Class field project (includes protocol quiz, participation
in all phases of project, and project report) 30%
Grading scale:
A 92-100% B+ 86-87% B- 78-79% C 70-75%
A- 88-92% B 80-85% C+ 76-77% C- 68-69%
Students are expected take exams and turn in assignments on the scheduled dates. Make-up exams will be permitted only if alternate arrangements have been made with the instructor beforehand or a physician's excuse is provided. Late papers and final project reports will be assessed a 10% grade penalty per week, beginning the day following the due date.
BIOL 4235 schedule, Spring 2007 (for environmental toxicology review):
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 – 6:50 pm; Bayou Building 2311
01/29/07 Dose-response relationships
01/31/07 Toxicant transport and absorption of toxicants
02/05/07 Distribution and excretion of toxicants
02/07/07 Biotransformation of xenobiotics (nonsynthetic reactions)
02/12/07 Biotransformation of xenobiotics (conjugation reactions)
Withdrawals and Incomplete grades:
The last date to drop this course without a grade penalty is March 26, 2007. The policy on receiving incomplete (“I”) grades in this course follows the guidelines in the UHCL catalog.
Academic Honesty:
Please review the UHCL Academic Honesty Policy in the current catalog. All students are expected to abide by the UHCL Honesty Code, which states, “I will be honest in all my academic activities and will not tolerate dishonesty.” Your participation in this class constitutes your acceptance of the UHCL Academic Honesty Policy.
Disabilities:
Students with disabilities requiring consideration during this course should consult the Disabilities Services Office for assistance and certification.
Field project:
The class will be conducting an ecotoxicological study of salt marsh plant communities in the Galveston Bay system, in which chemical, toxicological and biological data will be collected and analyzed to assess the environmental health of this community. Native, restored/created, degrading and pollutant-impacted Spartina alterniflora communities will be compared.
As part of this course, each student will be required to participate in the literature review, project planning, sample collection and analysis phases of the study, which will take place during much of the second half of the semester. Each student will be assigned to one of three groups for the project; each group will be responsible for conducting specific biomarker analyses.
The class results (all data) will be given to each student. Each student will be responsible for individually analyzing the data and writing a report on the results, using scientific journal-style writing and formats prescribed by Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Research project reports should contain:
Abstract (200-word summary of objectives, methodology, results and conclusions)
Introduction
Background literature review, with citations
Significance of the study
Objectives for the study
Methods
Study areas
Sample collection methodology
Description of all analyses performed
Description of statistical analyses used
Results
Text description of results found
Tables and figures depicting results
Discussion
Interpretation of biomarker results in context of Spartina community health among native, restored/created and pollution-impacted systems
Conclusion summarizing major findings of the research and their importance
An excellent guide to writing the style of report required for this course: Barrass, R. 2003. Scientists must write: a guide to better writing for scientists, engineers and students, 2nd ed. Routledge (Taylor & Francis), New York. 204 pp. ISBN 0-415-26996-2.
BIOL 5233.01 Mondays, 7:00 – 9:50pm
Ecotoxicology Bayou Building 3211
Spring 2007
Course schedule (subject to revision):
Date /Topic
/ Reading (Walker et al., 2006)Mon 01/19 / Course introduction Principles of ecotoxicology / Journal article assignment #1
Mon 01/26 / Routes of entry, long-range movement and global transport of pollutants
Journal article #1 review due
/ Chps. 2, 3Mon 02/05 / Biochemical, physiological and interactive effects of pollutants / Chps. 7, 8, 9
Mon 02/12 / Biomarkers in ecotoxicology / Chps. 10, 16
Mon 02/19 / Exam 1
Mon 02/26 / Ecotoxicology of heavy metals and pesticides / Chps. 1, 4, 5
Mon 03/05 / Ecotoxicology of organic chemicals: petroleum compounds, PAHs and halogenated aromatics / Chps. 1, 5
Mon 03/12 / Spring Break: no class
Mon 03/19 / Population and community effects, evolution of pollution resistance / Chps. 12, 13, 14
Journal article assignment #2
Mon 03/26 / Experimental design for class field project on Clear Lake
Journal article #2 review due
Sat 03/31 / Field collection, ecological metrics and field analyses (rain date Sun 04/01)
Mon 04/02 / Lab analyses / Methods
Mon 04/09 / Exam 2
Mon 04/16 / Lab analyses / Methods
Mon 04/23 /
Lab analyses
/ MethodsMon 04/30 / Data compilation and analysis
Mon 05/07 / Field project reports due
Journal article assignments
#1: Local ecotoxicology problem
#2: Biomarkers in marsh plants
BIOL 5233
Journal Article Assignments
I. Review the original (primary) research literature in peer-reviewed journals on each of the assigned topics. Your must select and review one journal article on each topic; try to find articles published within the past five years (i.e., 2002 or more recent). Sources that may not be used in the review include books, book chapters, review articles (including Scientific American articles), government or other agency reports, newspapers, internet sites and magazine articles. If you have any question about whether or not a selected article is from an acceptable source, ask the instructor. Articles must be pre-approved by the instructor, as an article may be reviewed by only one student in the class. All reviews and articles will be available to entire class.
III. Style for journal article assignment
A. Reference citation (refer to Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry for citation style)
1. required information
a. name(s) of author(s): last name first, followed by first and middle initials for each author in publication order
b. date of publication (year)
c. title of article
d. name of journal, using appropriate abbreviations
e. volume number
f. inclusive page numbers
2. examples:
Arthur, C.L., Pawliszyn, K.J.D., and Berg J.R. 1992. Automation and optimization of solid-phase microextraction. Anal Chem 62:2145-2148.
Munoz, M.J., Ramon, C., and Tarazona, J.V. 1996. Bioaccumulation and toxicity of hexachlorobenzene in Chlorella vulgaris and Daphnia magna. Aquat Toxicol 35:211-220.
B. Review of journal article: 1-2 pages covering the following areas:
1. Significance of study
2. Objective(s)
3. Hypothesis(es)
4. Methodology
5. Results
6. Discussion and conclusions
7. Literature cited
C. Turn in copy of journal article with review
D. Be prepared to talk about your article in class on date it is due
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