Bio 576C-WI: Topics in Environmental Science Restoration Ecology (3)
This course is an introduction to the current ecological principles of terrestrial ecosystem and
habitat restoration. The underlying premise is that human activities disturb and degrade natural
ecosystems and that by following our understanding of ecological principles, humans can make
attempts to repair, reconstruct, and restore natural functioning to the disturbed habitats.
Instructor: Dr. Andrew Dyer
Phone: 641-3443
Lecture:
Tues-Thurs 9:25-10:40
Office: Science 101E
email: andyd@usca.edu
Sciences 107
Required text: Restoration Ecology by S. Greipsson (2012)
Learning Objectives: Students will be able to….
1. describe ecological principles that guide restoration ecology
2. describe examples of pitfalls in restoration projects
3. explain how succession affects ecosystems
4. explain the importance of diversity to ecosystem stability
Evaluation
10 quizzes
6 2-page summaries/essays
2-3 exams- all essay questions
Project abstract and draft
Poster on chosen project topic and oral defense
Participation in class discussions
Total
100
120
120
70
150
60
~600
Absences
Try to avoid them. This class only meets only twice a week during the semester. If there are emergency reasons
for missing a day, contact Dr. Dyer unless absolutely unavoidable in which case there better be documentation of
the reason. However, regardless of the reason for the missed class, quizzes cannot be made up. If you miss more
than eight (30%) of the class meetings, you will fail the class.
There are no make-up quizzes.
Late assignments lose 10% per day, but they continue to have value, so turn them in even if they are late.
Grades are calculated on a 10 pt scale: A>90%, B>80%, C>70%.
When I grade subjective assignments (e.g., essays and reports), I judge them according to how much
effort I think went into them. Therefore, spelling, grammar, organization, and thoughtfulness count
as does the ability to tie together different concepts from class. If you are not strong in grammar, you
should consider using the Writing Room before turning in assignments. I will make an effort to return
graded assignments within a week and always with comments. I welcome your comments in return and
you are always invited to discuss your answers with me.
Additional comments
1. If you are having difficulty with any aspect of this course, please come see me as soon as possible. If
my regular office hours conflict with your schedule, you can make an appointment to see me at a more
convenient time.
2. If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability that might affect your
performance in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, B&E 134, (803)
643-6816, as soon as possible. The Office of Disability Services will determine appropriate
accommodations based on medical documentation.
3. You will be expected to endorse the following Honor Pledge on every exam:
On my honor as a University of South Carolina Aiken student, I have neither given nor
received any unauthorized aid in this assignment/examination. To the best of my
knowledge, I am not in violation of academic honesty.
Infractions of this honor pledge are taken very seriously. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a
formal report to the Vice Chancellor. Make sure you understand ALL of the forms of plagiarism (see the
section below).
Computer use
We will be using computers regularly to collect data. You must be able to log on to the USCA computer
system in order to accomplish the laboratory work. You are welcome to bring your own computer to
class.
Class communications
All official class communications, including class announcements, are made to USCA email accounts.
Students should check their USCA email account on a regular basis and use this account for
communication with the instructor. In order to protect the privacy of the student, the instructor will not
reply to emails sent from non-USCA accounts (e.g., Hotmail, Yahoo). Also, because of federal law, no
grades or scores can be communicated by phone or email; you must come to the instructor’s office.
Classroom behavior
It is the instructor’s right to remove from the classroom any student who disrupts or disturbs the
proceeding of the class. Disruption of the class includes but is not limited to the use of any portable
electronic devices (e.g., cell phones, MP3 players, iPods) unless prior approval has been given to a
student or unless required for the course. Do NOT plan to wear headphones or earbuds at any time in
class. In extreme cases the faculty member can request assistance from University Police. If the student
who has been ejected causes similar disturbances in subsequent meetings of the class, he/she may be
denied admittance to the class for the remainder of the semester and assigned a grade of F.
A short note about PLAGIARISM
Any and all work turned in for credit is assumed to be your work and the product of your brain and your
brain alone. Every word and every sentence is your work. Work can be considered plagiarism even if it
is not exact copying. My advice is “don’t make me look” because when I get suspicious enough to look,
I usually find. For your information, it is plagiarism….
*if you fail to cite a reference after giving a factual statement;
*if you fail to use quotation marks (and I do not allow quoting in science papers);
*if you turn in work with your name on it that someone else has produced;
*if you rephrase someone else’s work or merely change a few words;
*if you have the same order and form of sentences as the source material or someone else’s
work;
*if you consistently mis-cite or mis-use cites in a way that suggests intentional avoidance of
detection;
*if you and a lab partner work together and turn in work that is substantially the same.
ALSO,
If a “draft” of a paper has any of the above problems, it is still plagiarism.
If I cannot tell who in a lab group produced a piece of work, no credit will be assigned to anyone in the
lab group. (This does not include “group” reports.)
If you give your work to someone else and they turn it in, I have the option of including you in the
plagiarism charge because you supported it.
If the references given are not accessible to the instructor, no credit will be given. Therefore, if you use
obscure or unusual references, it is your responsibility to turn in a copy with the assignment or
make it available to me.
If you pay someone else to write or prepare an assignment for you, that’s another form of academic
dishonesty.
Be aware that what was allowed in high school does not necessarily apply at USCA. If there is anything
about the above statements that are not clear, don’t wait until an assignment is due to find out more.
Many students believe that having no more than three consecutive words from an original source will
fool the electronic programs that detect plagiarism. I don’t use those programs; I read the papers that are
given in the reference list and compare them to the student’s work. If I find any of the problems listed
above, there will be no first warning. There is no latitude given because there is no excuse for
plagiarism.
Therefore, if I find any work that is too similar to other work, either in the class or out of the class, please
understand that I have no options but to follow the rules as outlined in the USCA Faculty Manual. The
student(s) involved will be summoned to my office, the situation will be explained, there will be no
options for “redoing” the work, a zero will be given to the assignment, and a formal letter will be sent to
the student and to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs documenting the situation. As
with all academic issues, there is an avenue for appeal (detailed in the USCA Student Handbook), but it
is not through me.
Tentative course outline
Topic
Reading
Quiz/test
Jan 15-17
1. Introduction
Hardin 1968, SER Primer 2004
Q1
Jan 22-24
2. Function
Carey 2003
Q2
Jan 29-31
3. Biodiversity
McKay et al. 2005, Knapp & Dyer 1997
Q3
Feb 5-7
4. Succession
Parker 1997
Test
Feb 12-14
5. Assembly
D’Antonio & Vitousek 1992
Q4
Feb 19-21
6. Landscapes
Bierregaard et al. 1983
Q5
Feb 26-28
7. Invasions
D’Antonio & Meyerson 2002
Q6
Mar 5-7
8. Soils
Rhoades, Barnes & Washburn 2002
Test
Mar 12-14
Spring Break
Mar 19-21
10. Mines
Wong 2003
Q7
Mar 26-28
11. Forests
Birdsall, McCaughey & Runyan 2012
Q8
Apr 2-4
12. Endangered species
Drayton & Primack 2012
Q9
Apr 9-11
13. Aquatic systems
Stranko, Hilderbrand & Palmer 2012
Test
Apr 16-18
14. Project management
Morlando, Schmidt & LoGiudice 2012
Q10
Apr 23-25
Posters
May 2
Final 8:00am