Saint Martin’s University
Field Ecology – BIO 359 & 359L – Fall 2006
Professor:Dr. Mary Jo Hartman
Office:Old Main 403
Telephone:438-4452
Email:
Office Hours:Monday 11:00 am – noon, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm; Wednesday 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm; Thursday 10:00 – 11:00 am, 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm and by appointment
Lecture:Monday & Wednesday 10:00 am – 10:50 am Old Main 408
Laboratory: Tuesday 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Old Main 408
4 credit course – lecture and laboratory are not separate, there is
one grade for the course
Prerequisites:BIO 141, 142, andBIO 358 or permission of instructor
Required texts:The Economy of Nature. Fifth edition. 2001. Robert E. Ricklefs. Published by W. H. Freeman and Company.
Ecology on Campus lab manual. 2006. Robert W. Kingsolver.
Published by Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Optional text:Short Guide to Writing about Biology. 6th edition. 2007. Jan A. Pechenik. Published by Longman. (is required in Bio 401 & 402)
Course Description: Most of the course will be spent in the field engaging students in experimental design, ecological measurement, observation, modeling and an initiation into kinds of statistical analysis used to investigate the natural world. Universal ecological principles such as population dynamics, predator prey relationships and competition will be studied in the field and discussed in the lecture.
This is a field laboratory course, which means we will be in the field a great deal of the time. As a field ecologist you must be prepared to deal with the elements and dress appropriately. For all outdoor activities you should bring rain gear, wear sturdy shoes (no flip-flops or shoes that can’t get dirty or wet), extra layers of clothes (sweatshirt and jacket) and for off campus fieldtrips, a bottle of water. We will not cancel a fieldtrip due to mist, rain, cold or wind, so dress appropriately or you might be wet, cold and miserable the entire time! That being said, I’m very excited about our laboratory schedule and the opportunity to explore and study many different ecosystems in ThurstonCounty, South Sound and surrounding areas. As a field ecologist, being in the field is one of the great pleasures of the job and I hope you will also appreciate this experience.
Student Outcomes:Specific objectives for students in this course include:
- developing an appreciation and understanding of ecological topics based on field
work;
- demonstrating an understanding of general ecological topics such as predator
prey relationships, competition and population dynamics, including growth rates,
doubling times and limiting factors;
- developing ability to apply quantitative thinking to ecological inquiry;
- performing calculations and completing statistical analyses on data collected in
the field and lab;
- engaging in experimental design, ecological measurement, observation, and
modeling of ecological topics; and
Additionally, you should improve your skills of:
- understanding and applying the scientific method to solving problems in ecological systems;
- understanding and discussing ecological issues and their relationship to societal
issues;
- formulating questions in a scientific framework;
- evaluating and interpreting scientific evidence; and
6. thinking critically and communicating effectively.
Class/LabParticipation:I fully believe learning is an “interactive” process, so discussion, asking questions and full participation in the lecture and laboratory by a student is an integral part of his/her success in this course. Students are expected to attend all classes. Before coming to class, you should read and understand the material in the lab/lecture exercise scheduled for that day. Being prepared will allow you to be an integral part of the class discussion and help you and your lab partner(s) understand and complete the laboratory in a timely manner.
Student Attendance: It is your responsibility to attend classes, arrive on time, take exams and hand assignments in on time. Plan accordingly. Quizzes will be given and assignments due at the beginning of class. There will be no make-up quizzes or lab reports. Late assignments will be penalized. Missing any one lab or exam will seriously hurt your chances of doing well in the course. Make-up exams will be given for only two reasons: 1) you are hospitalized at the time of the exam, or 2) you contact me at before the exam with a legitimate reason for your planned absence. Unexcused absence from labs and lectures will result in a zero for all work done that day. Two or more unexcused absences from the lab will result in an automatic failure of the course. If you have a conflict, please contact me before the class or laboratory.
Late work: Assignments turned in up to 24 hours late will be penalized 50% of the point total. Assignments turned in 1-7 days late will be penalized 75% of the point total. Assignments more than 7 days late will not be accepted for credit.
Plagiarism and Cheating Policy: All students are expected to uphold the integrity of this academic institution. Academic dishonesty includes giving or receiving unauthorized information regarding exams or assignments; copying or allowing copying of any assignment, lab write-up, or test; or plagiarism from any written material (whether copyrighted or not). Depending on the severity of the infringement, violators of this policy will receive a zero on the assignment involved or a failing grade in the course, and will have their name and evidence of cheating submitted to the Vice President of Academic Affairs for further action. Further information about penalties for academic dishonesty can be found in the Saint Martin’s University Student Conduct Code (see your Student Handbook).
Copying or paraphrasing another person’s lab or paper is considered cheating by both people. Plagiarism is taking the ideas, thoughts, content, or graphics from someone else and representing them as your own. This includes cutting and pasting passages of another person’s work off the internet. When you are using information from another source (whether copyrighted or not, including your textbook, the internet, or another student’s paper), always document it within your paper. If you are directly quoting a source, either use quotation marks (for short passages) or indent or single-space the quote (for longer passages). In either case you must also indicate the source. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, please consult your instructor. It is very important that you complete your own original work.
Evaluation of achievement:
Lab reports: Lab reports will be written according to Saint Martin’s Biology Department guidelines, Pechenik and your lab book ‘Ecology on Campus’ (pp. A-10 & A-11). Depending on the kind of experiment/study conducted, specific instructions for each lab report will be provided during the lab. Each person must turn in their own, independent lab report.
Group project:You will participate in a group (2-3 people) effort to design and carry out an experiment on an ecological topic of your choosing related to the topics we have studied during the semester. Each group will present their findings to the class on Dec. 5. Each member of the group is also responsible for writing up their own lab report on the experiment.
Journal articles: You will be asked to write summaries on scientific journal articles of ecological issues in four areas: population, predation, competition and evolution. Your summaries of the research papers will briefly describe the purpose of the study, its importance, the methods used, the findings, and the author’s conclusion, as well as any questions you had regarding the study.
Lab notebook: This notebook should be organized and include all notes from the laboratory, handouts and lab reports. A 3-ring notebook would work well for this. Your lab notebook will be handed in Dec. 5and may also be checked periodically throughout the semester.
Quizzes and exam(s): Quizzes and exam(s) will have short answer, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice and essay questions. There will be a short laboratory quiz at the beginning of each lab over the material to be presented that day – this ensures that you’ve read the lab before coming to class. Each lab quiz will be worth 10 points and if you take all the quizzes, your lowest score will be dropped. Each week a lab report will be due. If you turn in all reports, the lowest score will be dropped. Quizzes will be announced in lecture and will focus on material from previous lecture(s). There will be a comprehensive final exam including information from lecture and laboratory.
Grading:
Lab reports40 %
Assignments (lecture quizzes/questions)10%
Group project & individual lab report10 %
Journal article summaries 5 %
Lab notebook 5 %
Quizzes10%
Final exam15 %
Participation 5 %
100 %
Grading Scale
A exceptionally high level of competence or knowledge
Babove average competence or knowledge
C adequate competency related to course goals
D marginal competency but passing
F failure to achieve minimum competency
A 93.0 - 100 %C+ 77.0 - 79.99
A- 90.0 - 92.99 %C 73.0 – 76.99 %
B+87.0 - 89.99 %C- 70.0 – 72.99 %
B 83.0 - 86.99 %D+ 67.0 – 69.99 %
B- 80.0 - 82.99 %D 63.0 – 66.99 %
Class/lab atmosphere and Safety:For your own safety, the consumption of any food, drink, tobacco products or candy (as well as the chewing of gum) is strictly prohibited in the laboratory. Since this course will also have a substantial field element, it is important that each student bring the appropriate field gear, clothing and rain gear to the lab. Rainfall will not keep us out of the field, so be prepared!
Special Needs: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have medical and/or safety concerns to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to speak with your instructor as soon as possible.
Tentative Schedule for Lectures – BIO 359 - Fall 2006
**Journal article summary due
Date / Topic / Ricklefs Reading AssignmentAug. 28
Aug 30 / Introduction
Population / Chapter 1
Ch. 13 pp. 263-268
Sept. 4
Sept. 6 / No class - Labor Day
Allometric relationships / Ch. 10
Sept. 11
Sept. 13 / Population size / Ch. 13
Sept. 18
Sept. 20 / Population growth / Ch. 14
**Sept. 25
Sept. 27 / Population dynamics / Ch. 15
Oct. 2
Oct. 4 / Population genetics / Ch. 16
Oct. 9
Oct. 11 / Spatial pattern / Ch. 13
Oct. 16
Oct. 18 / Niche / Ch. 23
Oct. 23
**Oct. 25 / Competition / Ch. 19
Oct. 30
Nov. 1 / Predators and prey / Ch. 18
Nov. 6
Nov. 8 / Life Histories and Evolutionary Fitness / Ch. 10
Nov. 13
**Nov. 15 / Sex and evolution / Ch. 11
Nov. 20
Nov. 22 / Family, Society and Evolution / Ch. 12
Nov. 27
**Nov. 29 / Coevolution / Ch. 20
Dec. 4
Dec. 6 / Group project work
Dec. 12 / Comprehensive Final Exam / 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
Tentative Laboratory Schedule – Bio 359L -Fall 2006
Date / Topic / Exercise / Hand in (from lab the week before)Aug. 29 / Describing a population / 1
Sept. 5 / Allometric relationships / 2 / Ex. 1 Materials and methods section
Sept. 12 / Estimating population size / 3 / Ex. 2 Introduction and Materials and methods (M&M)
Sept. 19 / Population growth / 4 / Ex. 3 M&M and Results
Sept. 26 / Demography / 5 / Ex. 4 M&M and Results
Oct. 3 / Population genetics / 6 / Ex. 5 Results and Discussion
Oct. 10 / Spatial pattern / 7 / Ex. 6 Results and Discussion
Oct. 17 / Niche / 8 / Ex. 7M&M, Results & Discussion
Oct. 24 / Competition / 10 / Ex. 8 Introduction and M&M
Oct. 31 / Predators and prey / 11 / Ex. 10 Results and Discussion
Nov. 7 / Island Biogeography / 18 / Ex. 11 Full write-up
Nov. 14 / Group project / Ex. 18 Full write-up
*Group topics – in class
Nov. 21 / Group project
Nov. 28 / Group project / MM, Results
Dec. 5 / Group project presentation and papers / Individual full write-up lab report on project
1