Conservati on Bi o 117
St. Loui s Communi ty Col l ege at M eramec
Course Syl l abus
Fal l 2____
Service Learning component highlighted in red.
I N STRUCTOR:
Dr. Jody E. Martin de Camilo
Office: SS116
Office Phone (314) 984-7716
e-mail: jmdecamilo@stlcc.edu
CRED I T H OURS: 3 hours
PREREQUI SI TES: None
LECTURE: MWF
TEXT: Living in the Environment, 14th edition, by G. T. Miller. Thomson
Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Supplemental Book: Fire in the Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and the Fate of
the Ocean, Osha Gray Davidson.
CLA SS FORM A T: Lecture presentation, discussion, Website research,
supplemental novel, conservation project and poster presentations.
COURSE D ESCRI PTI ON : This course will examine the application of biological
principles for conserving biological diversity. We will explore in particular how
biological theory can be useful and necessary to guide decisions on conserving
biodiversity.
LEA RN I N G OBJECTI V ES: To provide the basis necessary for the understanding
the local and global perspective of conservation issues and how these issues impact
our lives. In the first half of this course, we will develop general principles of
conservation biology. Biological diversity is defined at different hierarchical levels:
genetic, species, community, and landscape. The processes that create and destroy
diversity at each level will be studied. Extinction is studied from a historical and
modern perspective. An assessment of threatened biological diversity of the world
will be made. In the second half of the course, we will examine tools derived from
ecology and evolutionary biology to prevent the loss of biological diversity, or to
restore species and ecosystems. Biogeographic theory is used to understand the
problems of habitat fragmentation and reserve design. Ecosystem and landscape
management will be explored. Methods of management of wild and captive
populations of endangered species will be examined. Biological concepts behind
ecosystem restoration will be developed.
SERVICE LEARNING EXTRA CREDIT COMPONENT:
Extra credit will be given to any student that wishes to participate at Laumeier
Park with the St. Louis County Parks Clean-Up Effort a service learning
environmental/conservation-related organization in the community. This service
learning activity will expose you to the role individuals, like yourself, play in a
conservation effort. You will be participating with local community organizations.
This will provide you with hands-on experience and allow you to participate actively
in the eradication of an invasive species thus conserving the biodiversity of
Laumeier Park.

Students volunteer for this opportunity. If you are unable to attend we can not
make different arrangements for you.

A student must complete the entire event to get the extra credit.

Extra credit slips will be given out at the event and collected in class. No slip =
no credit. So hang on to it!
EXTRA CRED I T: Currently the Laumeier Park invasive species is the only extra
credit opportunities in this class. Should another opportunity arise for extra credit I
will let you know.
CON SERV A TI ON PROJECT/PRESEN TA TI ON : The goal of this project is to assist
you in learning how to develop a conservation project and present it as a poster. We
will spend time discussing, step-by-step, where to begin a project, how to gather
research information and create a poster to display your work. Poster presentations
are required. Students must turn in all the various components of the poster project
in order to be given the opportunity to complete and present a final poster. Failure
to complete the assigned steps = no poster = no points.
** The peer review process is the most vital step and is conducted in classfailure to complete this step without making PRIOR arrangements will
result in a ZERO for the entire poster project. The day of the peer review a
CLEAN copy of your paper should be available for review. An older version
will result in a zero for the entire project. The paper should be in poster
format (as discussed in class) any other format results in a zero for the
entire project.
Conservati on Bi o: 117
Fal l 2005
Tentati ve Schedul e of Lecture Topi cs and Exams
Week
1
M onday
8/22
Into to Class
Wednesday
8/24
30 Things
Fri day
8/26
What is Conservation?
Chap 2
Reading Assignment: Fire in the Turtle House 1-4
2
8/29
8/31
What is Conservation?
Tragedy of the Commons
Chap 2
Case Study pg 9-11
Case Study: Aldo Leopold pg 30
9/02
Ecosystem Diversity
Chap 4
Conservation Project: Topic ID due 9/02.
Reading Assignment: Fire in the Turtle House 5-7 – Reflective Review of Book Due 9/2
3
9/05
No Class
9/07
Ecosystem Diversity
Chap 4-
9/09
Evolution & Biodiversity
Chap 5
Hotlink on website to
Biodiversity and It’s Value
Reading Assignment: Fire in the Turtle House 8-10
4
9/12
9/14
Evolution & Biodiversity
Evolution & Biodiversity
Chap 5
Chap 5
Conservation Project: Library Search due 9/16.
5
9/19
9/16
EXAM #1
9/21
9/23
Chap 6
Chap 6
Chap 6
Case Study: pg 101
Reading Assignment: Fire in the Turtle House 11-13 Final Reflective Review of Book Due 9/23
Climate & Terrestrial Biodiversity
6
9/26
Aquatic Biodiversity
9/28
Threats to Marine Biodiversity
9/30
Continued
Chap 7
Case Study pg 127
Conservation Project: Note Cards due 9/30.
7
10/03
10/05
Community Ecology Outside Exercise
Chap 8
community ecology
Case Studies: pges: 143, 147, 151
Conservation Project: Outline due 10/7.
8
10/10
EXAM #2
9
10/17
Sea Turtles
10/12
Population Ecology
Chap 9
Case Study 163
10/19
Human Population
Chap 10
Coral Reef Bleaching
10/07
Community Ecology
Chap 8
10/14
Coral Reef Bleaching
day off
10/21
Sustaining Terrestrial
Biodiversity
Chap 11
Trash in Oceans
10
10/24
10/26
Sustaining Terrestrial Sustaining Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Chap 12
Chap 11
Sust.terr part 1 sust terrJEM part 2
Conservation Project: Text due 10/28.
10/28
Chap 12
sust terrJEM part 3
11
10/31
11/02
11/04
Chap 12
Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity
Chap 13
Case Study: pg 230, 239 Chap 13
HO Economic Biodiv
Human pop 10
Human pop 10
Human pop 10
12
11/07
Group Results
Economics Biodiv
HO Economic Biodiv
11/09
Chap 13
Group Results
11/11
EXAM #3
13
11/14
11/16
Food & Soil
Chap 14
Chap 14
Conservation Project: Peer Review 11/18.
14
11/21
Climate Change/Ozone
Chap 21
15
11/28
Econ & Env
Chap 21
11/23
Chap 21
11/30
Poster Presentations
11/18
PEER REVIEW
11/25
NO CLASS
12/02
Chap 21
Conservation Project: Poster Presentations 11/30.
16
12/05
Study Case
12/07
Study Case
12/09
Study Case