BIOL 350, 4 Credit Hours
General Ecology
Tentative Syllabus for Spring, 2014
Professor: Dr. Susan Romano
Course Time and Location:
9-11:50 am, Lecture
1-3:50 pm, Lab
Section Q01, Nahant Marsh, Davenport, Iowa
________________________________________________
Contact Information:
E-mail: s-romano2@wiu.edu
Cell Phone: 309-333-1568
Macomb Office: 347 Waggoner Hall
Quad Cities Office: Room 251
Office Hours:
Monday
1:30 – 3:30 pm, Quad Cities
Wednesday
9 – 11 am, Macomb
Friday
10 – 11 am, Macomb
OR Email s-romano2@wiu.edu to arrange an appointment
Course Description: “This course examines the causes of patterns in the abundance and distribution of organisms at the population,
community, ecosystem, landscape, and global levels. The relationships of ecological principles to environmental issues will be
examined. Pre-Requisite: Two of the following--BOT 200 (C grade or better), MICR 200 (C grade or better), ZOOL 200 (C grade or
better)” (Western Illinois University Undergraduate Catalog).
Course Objectives: Students will understand foundational ecological concepts through discussion, laboratory, and field experiences.
ECOLOGY
Edition: 2ND 12 Publisher: Sinauer
Author: Cain
ISBN: 9780878934454
Academic Misconduct If you cheat on an exam or lab, you will receive a grade of zero (0) for that exam or lab and could receive an
F in the course. You are to do your own work on all assignments, exams, and projects. Academic Integrity responsibilities of all
students are detailed online at http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php. The Student Rights and Responsibilities page
http://www.wiu.edu/provost/students/ covers University policies related to student academic integrity, the course syllabus, grade
appeals, oral English proficiency, student absences, and students participating in university-sanctioned activities.
Students With Disabilities In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic
accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. It is imperative that
you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor’s attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such
particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.) should
contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact information for Disability
Resource Center can be found at http://dss.wiu.edu/ or phone: 309-298-2512.
Course Requirements and Grading
Research Project Section Reports
Research Project Presentation
Lab Reports
Exams
15%
10%
25%
50%
Grading Scale
90-100 = A
88-89.9 = B
70-79.9 = C
60-69.9 = D
< 60 = F
Date
Topic
January 16
Course introduction and planning
January 23
Chapter 1: The Web of Life
Chapter 2: The Physical Environment
January 30
Chapter 3: The Biosphere
Chapter 4: Coping With Environmental Variation – Temperature and Water
February 6
Chapter 5: Coping with Environmental Variation – Energy
Chapter 6: Evolution and Ecology
February 13
February 20
No Class
Chapter 7: Life History
Chapter 8: Population Distribution and Abundance
February 27
Chapter 9: Population Growth and Regulation
Chapter 10: Population Dynamics
March 6
Chapter 11: Competition
Chapter 12: Predation and Herbivory
March 13
Spring Break
March 20
Midterm Exam
March 27
Chapter 13: Parasitism
Chapter 14: Mutualism and Commensalism
April 3
Chapter 15: The Nature of Communities
Chapter 16: Change in Communities
April 10
Chapter 17: Biogeography
Chapter 18: Species Diversity in Communities
April 17
Chapter 19: Production
Chapter 20: Energy Flow and Food Webs
April 24
No Class
May 1
Research Project Presentations
May 8
Final Exam