Biology 406 - Ecology
|
Lecturer: |
Danny J. Gustafson, Ph.D. (Office phone: 953-7876, email: danny.gustafson@citadel.edu) |
| Office: | Duckett 301 |
| Office Hours: | M,W 9-10, M 12-1 and by appointment. |
| Lecture: |
MWF 10:00-11:00 in Duckett
114 |
| Lab: | W 1 - 4:50 in Duckett 201 |
| Textbook: |
The Economy of Nature
(5th edition) by Ricklefs. Freeman / Worth Publishers, New York, NY. ISBN: 0-7167-3883-X.
Laboratory material will be provided by DJG. |
| Course Goals: |
Ecology is the study
of the natural environment and of the relations of organisms to each
other and to their environment. Students will be exposed to ecological
theories and case studies of ecological interactions at multiple levels
of organization. The course is divided
up into four sections that roughly correspond to organismal, population,
community ecology, and species interactions. |
| Exams: |
Each exam will cover
the material presented in lecture and the assigned book chapters.* There will be four hourly
exams, each following approximately 8 lectures. Each of these exams and the comprehensive
final exam will be worth 100 points each. The lowest exam score will be dropped,
hence there WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS OFFERED. Total points from the exams = 400. |
| Grading |
The course grade will
consist of the total of your four exams (400 pts) plus laboratory (150 pts) for a total
of 550 pts possible. A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = <60% |
| Attendance: |
According to Citadel
policy, class attendance takes priority over all other normal activities. If absences exceed 20%
of the total meetings, the student can receive a grade of F. Excused absences may
be permitted if and only if I have been give prior notice. The Citadel's honor system
applies to all functions related this course. |
| Dates | Topic |
| Jan 14 | Pre-Exam (not for a grade)
and introduction to the course. |
| Jan 16 – Feb 4 |
Organismal Ecology (Chapters
9 – 12) |
| Feb 6 | Exam 1 (100 pts) |
| Feb 9 – Feb 25 |
Population Ecology (Chapters
13-16) In the population ecology
section we will discuss population structure, how it may affect population
growth, and how / why temporal and spatial dynamics are important. |
| Feb 27 | Exam 2 (100 pts) |
| Mar 1 – Mar 17 |
Species Interactions
(Chapters 17-20) Predatory / prey dynamics,
competition theory, co-evolution and mutualism will be discussed within
the context of natural systems |
| Mar 19 | Exam 3 (100 pts) |
| Mar 22 – Mar 26 | Spring Break |
| Mar 29 – Apr 21 |
Community Ecology (Chapters
21-23 & 25) We will investigate communities
structuring (relative to population dynamics), community development
(succession), biodiversity and conservation biology. |
| Apr 23 |
Exam 4 (100 pts) |
| Apr 26 | Post-exam and review for final |
| Final |
April 30 at 1 pm in Duckett 114 |
I
would suggest focusing on the ideas and concepts discussed in lecture, using
the book to supplement or clarify. All of the information in the textbook
is valuable and potential exam material, but I tend to test on ideas that
I thought were important enough to lecture about or discuss in class / lab.
Laboratories will meet in Duckett
201 unless otherwise instructed. Laboratory attendance and participation are
mandatory and any person missing 2 lab meeting will be removed from the class
and receive a grade of F. Your laboratory grade will consist of three 40 point scientific
papers (total 120 pts) and lab participation (30 pts) for a total of 150
points.
There
are four possible laboratories which can be written up as your three scientific
papers and the choice is the students. Students will select from the Mimicry,
Paramecium population regulation, Cohort Life Tables, and Forest Composition
labs and have your paper due 2 weeks (14 days by 5 pm) following the analysis
and discussion lab period. Your scientific papers must be typed, follow the
format of the journal Ecology, and have a maximum of 10 pages text including
abstract, literature cited, plus tables and figures. The tables and figures
should not simply represent your raw data, instead they should contain
summaries of your data and convey information not presented in the text of the
results. Failure to follow these instructions will result in a lower grade or
the return of your paper not graded. Late papers will receive a score of zero
(0). Field laboratories may require the class to travel some distance to
conduct the experiment, so it is imperative that you are on time. We can not
wait for you if your late and two missed laboratory periods will result in an F
for the course. FYI: Bad weather seldom leads to cancellation of laboratories.
Tentative Lab Schedule
Jan
14 Introduction
to lab and place mimicry feeding platforms in the field (short lab)
Jan
21 & 28 Mimicry lab
Feb
4 (Spartina meeting) – NO lab
Feb
11 Mimicry
paper due. Start Paramecium
population lab
Feb
18 Paramecium population data collection
and analysis
Feb
25 Cohort
Life Table cemetery trip
Mar
3 Paramecium paper due.
Cohort Life Table data analysis and discussion
Mar
10 Maritime
Forest Composition (Sea Island or Folly Field work)
Mar
24 (Spring
Break) – NO lab
Mar
31 Cohort
Life Table paper due. Trillium demography (no paper)
Apr
7 Applied
Ecology – Porcher Plantation (no paper)
Apr
14 (ASB
meeting) Maritime Forest Composition paper due – NO lab
Apr
21 Last
Lab. Spartina alterniflora experiment
(no paper)