FIELD ECOLOGY (BIO 325/525) Fall 2006
Meeting Times: Lab 8:00-11:00 Thurs (HS 51)
Discussion 8:00-9:00 Tues (HS 367)
Contact Information
Office Hours
Location
Tuesday 10:30-11:30 Halsey 150
Thursday 11:30-12:30
and by appointment
Phone
424-0845
E-mail
stelzer@uwosh.edu
Objectives of Course
● to learn a variety of comparative and experimental approaches used to better
understand how species interact with other species and with their environment
● to gain further experience with hypothesis formation, data collection, analysis,
and interpretation, and scientific writing
● to introduce you to various sampling and analytical techniques used by ecologists
● to enhance your skills to think critically about research questions and data in ecology
● to understand how skills acquired in this course can be applied to address emerging
ecological and environmental problems
Required Books
A student handbook for writing in biology. 2005. Karin Knisley. Sinauer Associates, Inc.,
Sunderland, Massachusetts.
Bio 325/525 Course pack
Where we will meet
All meetings for Discussion will take place in Halsey 367 unless otherwise noted or
announced. Lab will sometimes meet in HS 51 and sometimes in the Aquatic Research
Laboratory (ARL) on the Fox River. We will meet in HS 51 on the days of field trips.
See the Schedule for more details.
Evaluation
You will be evaluated based on formal lab reports, shorter lab reports, a group research
project, a final test, and participation in class discussions and other class activities. The
grading breakdown is as follows:
Assignment
Full lab reports (2)
Short lab reports (2)
Group Research paper
Group Research presentation
Final test
Discussion and participation
(includes promptness and quality of
data submitted)
Percentage of Grade
30 %
15 %
10 %
10 %
15%
20%
Full and active participation in the labs and other activities is very important to your
success in this class! Missing or being late for labs or discussions will cause you to lose
some or all of the participation points associated with a given lab.
Extensions on lab reports, the test, and other assignments will only be given if there is a
valid, documented excuse (e.g. debilitating illness accompanied by a physician’s note).
Otherwise, assignments will be docked 15% for every day they are late.
Final grades will be given based on the following grading scale:
A = 90-100 AB = 88-89 B = 80-87 BC = 78-79 C = 70-77 CD = 68-69
D = 60-67
F < 60
Academic Integrity: If you decide to cheat on the exam or to engage in other forms of
academic dishonesty (e.g. plagiarism of lab reports, falsification of data) you will be subject
to the Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures as outlined in the Student Disciplinary
Code: http://www.uwosh.edu/dean/conduct.htm Discussion of lab results with other students
in class, particularly your lab partner, is encouraged. But with the exception of the Group
Research Paper and Presentation, lab reports must be written individually.
For Graduate Students (enrolled in Bio 525): In addition to all the other assignments and
activities described in the syllabus, you are to write a critique of a paper from the peerreviewed primary literature in the area of “field ecology”. The critiques should be 7-10
pages double-spaced and are due the last day of the semester. They will account for 10% of
your grade. Lab reports will account for 35% of your grade (the percentages for the other
categories are the same as given above) I will provide you with more information about
what I expect for these critiques later in the semester. If a graduate student would like to
request some alternative, but equally challenging assignment, I would be happy to discuss
this early in the semester.
Week
Sept 4-8
Sept
11-15
Sept 1822
Sept 2529
DISCUSSION
---------Introduction to Zebra Mussels and
Zebra Mussel Lab
Introduction to Group Research
Projects
Discussion of results from Zebra
Mussel Lab; Rate calculations using
MS Excel
Oct 2-6
Discussion of “Effects of an
invasive bivalve on the zooplankton
community of the Hudson River” by
Pace, Findlay, and Fischer.
Oct 9-13 Discussion of results from Forest
Community Structure Lab;
Oct 16-20 Introduction to nitrogen cycle,
QA/QC and Water Quality Lab
Oct 23-27 Introduction to nutrient analysis
using ion chromatography
Oct 30Nov 3
Nov 6-10
Nov 1317
Nov 2024
Nov 27Dec 1
Dec 4-8
Dec 1115
LAB
Introduction to course
Zebra Mussels: Filter Feeding
(Lake Winnebago)
Zebra Mussels: Chlorophyll a analysis (meet
in ARL)
Introduction to Forest Community Structure
Lab; Meet with groups to discuss research
projects (HS 51)
Forest Community Structure Lab (Waukau
Cr. Forest Reserve)
work on Group Research Projects;
Zebra Mussel Short Lab Report Due
Water quality: sample collection (Waukau
Creek)
Water quality: nitrate analysis (HS 51 and HS
510); Forest Community Structure Full
Lab Report Due
Discussion of results from Water
Discussion of results from Water Quality
Quality Lab
Lab; work on Group Research Projects (HS
51)
Biological diversity and Introduction Stream Invertebrate Biodiversity: Field
to Stream Invertebrate Biodiversity
Sampling (Mosquito Cr. and Pine River)
Lab;
Discussion of paper “Global state of Introduction to aquatic invertebrate
biodiversity and loss” by Dirzo and
identification; Stream Invertebrate
Raven;
Biodiversity: Invertebrate identification (HS
51); Water Quality Full Lab Report Due
Stream Invertebrate Biodiversity:
No lab (Thanksgiving)
Invertebrate identification and
diversity calculations (ARL)
Meet with individual groups to
Stream Invertebrate Biodiversity:
discuss research projects
Invertebrate identification and diversity
calculations (ARL)
Discussion of results from Stream
Group Research Presentations
Invertebrate Biodiversity Lab
Review for Final test;
Final test (Dec. 14)
Stream Invertebrate Biodiversity
Group Research Paper Due (Dec. 15)
Short Lab Report Due
ARL = UWO Aquatic Research Laboratory on Fox River