BIO/EEOS 660:Coastal Ecological Processes [Fall] 2014
University of Massachusetts Boston
Instructor Information
Dr. Jen Bowen
Jennifer.bowen@umb.edu
Phone (W): 7-6626
Office Hours: M 11-12 and Th 11-1 or by appointment
Note: Throughout the semester, I will communicate with you via your UMB email account. Please review
the following website for an aid that will assist you in forwarding your UMB email account to your personal
account if you prefer:
http://howto.wikispaces.umb.edu/Forward+Student+UMB+Email+to+Personal+Account
Course Information
Course Title: Coastal Ecological Processes
Prerequisites: permission of the instructor
Prerequisite
Skills:
Course
Description:
One undergraduate course in ecology, one year of general chemistry, one year of physics
Coastal ecosystems form a critical boundary between watersheds and the oceans and as such
are influenced by processes in both habitats. From local scale impacts associated with
urbanization of near shore watersheds and local fisheries to global scale impacts due to
increasing acidification of the oceans and long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants,
many coastal waters are under siege from numerous anthropogenic influences. This course
will study the basic functioning of coastal ecosystems and the role that human perturbations
play in altering these functions.
Technical
Requirements: We will use a course wiki on the UMB website for all course communications
(http://bioeeos660-f14-bowen.wikispaces.umb.edu/)
All course materials will be placed on the wiki, including lectures and all reading materials.
There will also be a discussion board that I hope you all will use to post articles of interests
(including your required posts of relevant coastal issues in the news), questions that you may
stumble upon regarding course content, and any other information you find pertinent.
Required
Text(s):
No texts are required. Several texts can be recommended for relevant background
information (see list below).
Recommended Texts:
1. Day, et al. 2012. Estuarine Ecology 2nd Edition. Wiley.
2. Bertness et al. 2014. Marine Community Ecology and Conservation. Sinaur.
3. Chester, R. 2000. Marine Geochemistry. Blackwell Scientific.
4. Hobbie, J. 2000. Estuarine Science, A synthetic approach. Island Press.
5. Valiela, I. 1995. Marine Ecological Processes. Springer.
Updated: Sept 2, 2014
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BIO/EEOS 660:Coastal Ecological Processes [Fall] 2014
Course
Objectives:
By fully participating in this course, you should be able to:
1. Understand basic functioning of coastal ecosystems
2. Be familiar with the science underlying important management aspects of coasts
3. Develop skills for the synthesis of primary literature
4. Delve deeply into one topic of environmental concern to develop expert skills
Required
Assignments:
1). The course will be primarily a survey of the classical and modern literature relating to estuarine and salt
marsh ecosystem processes. As such, participation in the class will constitute a considerable portion of the
grade. It is expected that you will come to class prepared to discuss the scientific papers that were assigned
that day. Assessment of your preparedness will be derived from targeted inquiry during the course period.
2). Prior to each class one student per week will be required to post to the wiki some popular press coverage
(newspapers, blogs, etc) of an issue that is relevant to coastal sustainability. Everyone should have read this
article as well and be prepared to kick off the day’s class with a discussion of the article, the science that
underlies its findings, and the societal relevance of the piece. The student who selected the articles will lead
the discussion.
3). Together the class is going to spend the semester trying to answer the question “What would it take to
restore the salt marshes of the Neponset River"? Students will work in groups to write and present two
assessment reports (20% of your grade for each report). The assessment reports will involve applying the
basic principles learned in the class to the specific case of the Neponset Marshes. The first report will focus
on gathering data on the abiotic and biotic structures of salt marshes that influence their establishment and
success. The second will be an assessment of how those biotic and abiotic factors fall short in the degraded
marshes of the Neponset. Individually, students will be required to integrate this information into an
implementation plan that restores some element of the ecosystem services of the Neponset marsh.
Course Rubric:
Assignment/Deliverable
1. Class participation
2. Assessment reports (2)
3. Course presentations
4. Final management report
Relevant
Course Objective
1-4
1-2
1-2
3-4
Grade
%
25
40
5
30
Course Policies:
You are expected to come to class prepared, work hard, complete all assignments on time, and not cheat.
Any violation of these tenets, at a minimum, will result in adverse effects on your class participation grade.
If you are caught participating in academic dishonesty (as defined at the end of this syllabus) you will receive
an F in the course. No exceptions.
Grading
Grading:
Grade type for the course is a whole or partial letter grade. (Please see table below)
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BIO/EEOS 660:Coastal Ecological Processes [Fall] 2014
Note: the lowest passing grade for a graduate student is a “C”. Grades lower than a “C” that are submitted
by faculty will automatically be recorded as an “F”. Please see the Graduate Bulletin for more detailed
information on the University’s grading policy.
UMass Boston Graduate Grading Policy
Letter
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
F
INC
INC/F
W
AU
NA
Percentage
Quality
Points
93-100%
90-92%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
0-72%
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
0.0
Given under very restricted terms and only when satisfactory work has been accomplished in majority
of coursework. Contract of completion terms is required.
N/A
Received for failure to comply with contracted completion terms.
Received if withdrawal occurs before the withdrawal deadline.
Audit (only permitted on space-available basis)
Not Attending (student appeared on roster, but never attended class. Student is still responsible for
tuition and fee charges unless withdrawal form is submitted before deadline. NA has no effect on
cumulative GPA.)
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Methods of Instruction
Methods: This course will primarily be a discussion of literature related to the topics described below. Each
course period will start with a brief discussion of the popular press news article for the day and its relative
strengths and weaknesses, and will be followed by discussion of the primary literature. This course is
designed to be participatory, therefore reading of all assigned material PRIOR to the start of class is essential
and a large portion of your grade will be based on your course participation.
Accommodations
The University of Massachusetts Boston is committed to providing reasonable academic accommodations for
all students with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate format upon request. If you have a
disability and feel you will need accommodations in this course, please contact the Ross Center for Disability
Services, Campus Center, Upper Level, Room 211 at 617.287.7430.
http://www.umb.edu/academics/vpass/disability/
After registration with the Ross Center, a student should present and discuss the accommodations with the
professor. Although a student can request accommodations at any time, we recommend that students inform
the professor of the need for accommodations by the end of the Drop/Add period to ensure that
accommodations are available for the entirety of the course.
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BIO/EEOS 660:Coastal Ecological Processes [Fall] 2014
Code of Student Conduct
It is the expressed policy of the University that every aspect of academic life--not only formal coursework
situations, but all relationships and interactions connected to the educational process--shall be conducted in
an absolutely and uncompromisingly honest manner. The University presupposes that any submission of
work for academic credit is the student’s own and is in compliance with University policies, including its
policies on appropriate citation and plagiarism. These policies are spelled out in the Code of Student
Conduct. Students are required to adhere to the Code of Student Conduct, including requirements for
academic honesty, as delineated in the University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Catalogue and relevant
program student handbook(s) http://www.umb.edu/life_on_campus/policies/code.
Course Schedule
Week
date
1
2-Sep
4-Sep
2
9 Sep
11-Sep
3
16-Sep
18-Sep
4
23-Sep
25-Sep
5
30-Sept
6
2-Oct
7-Oct
9-Oct
7
14-Oct
16-Oct
8
21-Oct
23-Oct
9
28-Oct
30-Oct
Topic
Readings
Introduction to course; geologic timeline
Field Trip to local marshes. Depart @ 1.00… plan on 4-5 hrs
No Class
Evans et al. 1956
The Ecosystem Concept
Pickett & Cadenasso 2002
Daily et al. 2009
Introduction to Ecosystem Services
Granek et al. 2010
A summary of marsh ecosystem services**
Bromberg Gedan et al. 2009
Redfield 1965
Ontogeny of a salt marsh
Kirwan and Murray 2008
Marsh geomorphology**
Fagherazzi et al. 2012
Day et al. 2008
Human alterations to marsh geomorphology**
Kirwan et al. 2010
Menge and Sutherland 1987
Pattern and structure in ecological systems**
Worm et al. 2002
Controls on pattern in salt marshes
Bertness and Ellison 1987
Silliman and Bertness 2002
Top down vs. bottom up control in marshes
Pascal et al. 2013
Altieri et al. 2012
Human alterations to pattern in salt marshes
Alber et al. 2008
Phase one assessment presentations
Assessment report #1 due
Bauer et al. 2013
Duarte et al. 2005
Carbon dynamics of coastal systems
McLoud et al. 2001
Project Day! (I am a NSF; no class)
Kirwan and Mudd 2011
Carbon dynamics of salt marshes
Howes et al. 1984
Nitrogen dynamics of coastal systems
Canfield et al. 2010
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BIO/EEOS 660:Coastal Ecological Processes [Fall] 2014
10
4-Nov Nitrogen dynamics of salt marsh systems
11
6-Nov Human alterations of coastal geochemistry
11-Nov Veterans Day
13-Nov Phase two assessment presentations
12
18-Nov Biological Invasions
20-Nov Invasive plants in salt marshes
13
14
25-Nov Invasive animals in salt marshes
27-Nov Thanksgiving
2-Dec Introduction to restoration Ecology
4-Dec Marsh restoration: geophysical controls
15
9-Dec Marsh restoration: biological controls
11-Dec Restoration Plan presentations
McClelland et al. 1997
Valiela and Teal 1979
Mozdzer et al. 2014
Turner et al. 2009
Deegan et al. 2012
Assessment report #2 due
Altieri et al 2010
Grosholz 2005
Kettenring et al. 2011
Dibble and Meyerson 2014
Bertness and Coverdale 2013
Beyers 2000
Hobbs and Harris 2001
Palmer et al. 1997
Durey et al. 2012
Anisfield 2012
Smith and Warren 2012
Moreno Mateos et al. 2012
FINAL REPORT DUE
**On these days, students will work in teams to present to the class either 1) relative portions of the paper to
be discussed or 2) specific examples germane to salt marshes that are relevant. More specific information
about those presentations will be presented in advance of the class.
Bibliography
Evans, F. C. 1956. Ecosystem as the basic unit in ecology. Science 123: 1127-1128.
Pickett, S. T. A. and M. L. Cadenasso. 2002. The ecosystem as a multidimensional concept: meaning,
model, and metaphor. Ecosystems. 5: 1-10.
Daily, G. C., S. Polasky, J. Goldstein, P. M. Kareiva, H. A. Mooney, L. Pejchar, T. H. Ricketts, J.
Salzman, and R. Shallenberger. 2009. Ecosystem services in decision making: time to deliver.
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 7: 21–28.
Granek, E. F., et al. 2010. Ecosystem Services as a Common Language for Coastal Ecosystem-Based
Management. Conservation Biology 24: 207-216.
Bromberg Gedan, K., B. Silliman, and M. Bertness. 2009. Centuries of human-driven change in salt
marsh ecosystems. Annual Review of Marine Science. 1: 117–141.
Redfield, A. C. 1965. Ontogeny of a Salt Marsh Estuary. Science 147: 50–55.
Kirwan, M. L., and A. B. Murray. 2008. Tidal marshes as disequilibrium landscapes? Lags between
morphology and Holocene sea level change. Geophys. Res. Lett 35: L24401.
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BIO/EEOS 660:Coastal Ecological Processes [Fall] 2014
Fagherazzi, S., M. L. Kirwan, S. M. Mudd, G. R. Guntenspergen, S. Temmerman, A. D'Alpaos, J. van
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BIO/EEOS 660:Coastal Ecological Processes [Fall] 2014
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