Title: Macroecology: Understanding Ecological Systems Through Global Comparison
Course Webpage: http://www.montana.edu/hansen/newpages/coursestaught.htm
Instructors: Andrew Hansen and Nathan Piekielek
Rubric and Venue: BIOE 491 (3 cr), M, W, F 2:10-3 pm, Lewis 407
Prerequisite: BIOB 370 Principles of Ecology or equivalent.
Textbook:
Chapin, III, F. Stuart, Matson, Pamela A., Vitousek, Peter M. 2011. Principles of Terrestrial
Ecosystem Ecology. Springer (http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-1-4419-95032/contents/)
Overview: This is an advanced ecology course that is aimed at senior-level undergraduates. It
is designed to build on foundational lower level undergraduate ecology courses and allow the
undergraduates to begin shifting to the knowledge base and ways of thinking required in
graduate school. The class will examine forested biomes as integrated ecological systems,
compare similarities and differences among biomes in order to better understand general
ecological principles, and consider implications for place-based management.
The class will build on the sub-disciplines of population, community, and ecosystem
ecology to study “ecological systems”. Ecological systems encompass all levels of organization
and integrate all or many sub-disciplines in ecology in order to understand and manage them.
The use of sub-disciplines in ecology has helped us to simplify ecological systems and improve
our understanding of components of ecosystems. An important step in ecology is now to put the
pieces back together in order to understand and manage integrated ecological systems.
We will approach the study of ecological systems by examining how they differ across the
globe and identify the overarching principles that govern these differences. Traditionally,
ecologists have studied one or a few ecological systems in depth and their understanding of
physiology, population dynamics, community interactions, ecosystem processes and human land
use was heavily influenced by their particular systems of study. New technology now allows us
to know in-depth the functioning of many types of ecological systems across the planet.
Through comparison across biomes, we can better understand the factors that govern ecological
systems in particular locations. The role of disturbance in driving biodiversity, for example,
varies with soil fertility and ecosystem productivity. Disturbance can reduce diversity in low
productivity systems and increase it in more productive systems. Hence, the management of
disturbance needs to differ among ecosystems in order to achieve biodiversity objectives
Goals:
1. Integrate subdisciplines in ecology to understand “ecological systems”.
2. Better understand general ecological principles through comparison among biomes.
3. Draw on these principles to better tailor conservation and management strategies to
local places.
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Course Structure:
 Lectures on key principles and geographic comparison
 Virtual field trips of global forest biomes
 Student lead active learning projects
Grading: Grading will be based on 3 exams (100 points each) and 9 student projects (20 points
each) for a total of 480 points.
Student Projects:
Students will be expected to work individually and in small groups to complete a series of
weekly projects throughout the semester. Projects will include reflection on prior coursework in
ecology, written response to assigned readings, presentation of reading material and leadership of
class discussion, preparation and presentation of virtual field trips for the rest of the class, and
others to be determined as the semester progresses.
Anticipated Learning Outcomes:
1. Ecology Department majors will be able to synthesize among sub-disciples such as
animal behavior, population ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem ecology to
understand integrated ecological systems.
2. Students will better understand fundamental principles of ecology by examining how
these principles are manifest in the different terrestrial biomes of the world.
3. Students will be able to draw on these general principles and knowledge of terrestrial
biomes to better tailor conservation and management strategies to local ecosystems.
4. Students will transition from ways of thinking and ecological knowledge typical of
advanced undergraduate students to those expected for beginning graduate students.
5. Students will demonstrate outcomes 1-4 in three examinations and in a final written
project.
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Date
Schedule
Topic and Tentative Reading
Week 1: Introduction
Jan 9 Class Orientation
Evaluation of Current Knowledge
Jan 11 Student projects assigned
Virtual Field Trip – Temperate Rain Forests
Week 2: Conceptual Models of Ecological Systems
Chapin, III, F. Stuart, Matson, Pamela A., Vitousek, Peter M. 2011. Principles of
Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. Springer, New York. Chapter 1.
Introduction, pgs 3-12.25, 14-17.5, 21.5-22.
Pickett, S.T.A., J. Kolasa, C.G. Jones. 2007. Ecological Understanding: The
Nature of Theory and the Theory of Nature. Elsevier, Boston. Chapter 1
Integration in Ecology, pgs 3-18.25, 26.5-32.
Jan 14 Conceptual Models of Ecological Systems I
Jan 16 Conceptual Models of Ecological Systems II
Jan 18 Student projects due from previous week
Virtual Field Trip – Montane Temperate Forest
Week 3: Terrestrial forest biomes of the world
Chapin, III, F. Stuart, Matson, Pamela A., Vitousek, Peter M. 2011. Principles of
Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. Springer, New York. Chapter 2. Earth’s
climate system, pgs 23-26, 30-35.5, 38-41.5, 50.5-59.75.
Jan 21 No Class, Martin Luther King Holiday
Jan 23 Terrestrial forest biomes of the world I
Jan 25 Student projects due and assigned
Terrestrial forest biomes of the world II
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Week 4: Primary productivity: controls, patterns, consequences
Chapin, III, F. Stuart, Matson, Pamela A., Vitousek, Peter M. 2011. Principles of
Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. Springer, New York. Chapter 5. Carbon
inputs to ecosystems, pgs 123-128, 140-147.
Jan 28 Lecture I
Jan 30 Lecture II
Feb 1 Student projects due from previous week
Virtual Field Trip – African Savanna
Week 5: Primary productivity: comparison among biomes
Running, S. W., R. R. Nemani, F. A. Heinsch, Z. Zhao, M. Reeves, and H.
Hashimoto. 2004. A continuous satellite derived measure of global
terrestrial primary production. BioScience 54:547–560. Read pgs: 547-548
(omit Relating NDVI, APAR…), 550-559.
Huston, M. A., and S. Wolverton. 2009. The global distribution of net primary
production: resolving the paradox. Ecological Monographs. 79(3), 2009,
pp. 343–377. Read pgs: 343-343 (Introduction); 346 (Patterns of
Terrestrial NPP and Nutrients – 350 (Omit Addressing the Paradox); 351
(Direct Measurements of NPP in Forest Ecosystems) – 353; 368-369.
Chapin et al. 2011. Chapter 5 Pgs. 153-154. Chapter 6. Pgs. 169.5–172.25,
177.5–180.5.
Feb 4 Lecture I
Feb 6 Lecture II
Feb 8 Exam I
Student projects assigned
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Week 6: Home range size and body size
Harestad, A. S., and F. L. Bunnell. 1979. Home range and body weight-A
reevaluation. Ecology 60:389-402.
Herfindal, I., J. D. C. Linnell, J. Odden, E. B. Nilsen, and R. Andersen. 2005.
Prey density, environmental productivity and home-range size in the
Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Journal of Zoology 265: 63–71.
Nilsen, E. B., I. Herfindal, J. D. C. Linnell. 2005. Can intra-specific variation in
carnivore home-range size be explained using remote-sensing estimates of
environmental productivity? Ecoscience 12:68-75.
Feb 11 Lecture I
Feb 13 Lecture II
Feb 15 Student projects assigned and due from previous week
Virtual Field Trip – Temperature Deciduous Forest
Week 7: Herbivore abundance and richness
Oiff, H., M. E. Richie, and H. H. T. Prins. 2002. Global environmental controls
of diversity in large herbivores. Nature 415:901-904.
Feb 18 No Class, Presidents’ Day Holiday
Feb 20 Lecture I
Feb 22 Student projects assigned and due from previous week
Week 8: Habitat complexity: controls, patterns, consequences
Chapin, III, F. Stuart, Matson, Pamela A., Vitousek, Peter M. 2011. Principles of
Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. Springer, New York. Chapter 13.
Landscape heterogeneity and ecosystem dynamics, pgs 369-372.
Brokaw, N. and R. Lent. 1999. Vertical structure. Pgs. 373-300 in M.L. Hunter,
ed., Maintaining Biodiversity in Forest Ecosystems. Cambridge University
Press.
Feb 25 Lecture I
Feb 27 Lecture II
Mar 1 Student projects assigned
Virtual Field Trip – Boreal Forest
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Week 9: Habitat complexity: Comparison among biomes – Student lead discussion.
Verschuyl, J.P., A.J. Hansen, D.B. McWethy, R. Sallabanks, R.L. Hutto. 2008.
Is the effect of forest structure on bird diversity modified by forest
productivity? Ecological Applications 18(5), 1155-1170.
Hansen, A. J., L. Baril, J. Watts, F. Kasmer, T. Ipolyi, R. Winton. In Prep.
Towards generality in fragmentation theory: Does ecosystem biomass
predict edge effects? Forest Ecology and Management.
Mar 4 Lecture I
Mar 6 Lecture II
Mar 8 No Class
Spring Break Week
Mar 11-15
Spring Break
Week 10: Community diversity: controls, patterns, consequences, comparisons among biomes
Gaston, K. J. 2000. Global patterns in biodiversity. Nature 405:220–227.
Mar18 Lecture I
Mar 20 Lecture II
Mar 22 Exam II
Week 11: Community diversity: Comparisons among biomes
Cardinale BJ, Hillebrand H, Harpole WS, Gross K, Ptacnik R. 2009. Separating
the influence of resource ‘availability’ from resource ‘imbalance’ on
productivity–diversity relationships. Ecology Letters 12: 475–487.
Mar 25 Lecture I
Mar 27 Lecture II
Mar 29 No Class, University Day
Week 12 Climate change: controls, patterns, consequences
McCarthy, J.J. 2009. Reflections on: our planet and its life, orgins, and futures. Science
326:1646-1655.
Apr 1 Lecture I
Apr 3 Lecture II
Apr 5 Student projects assigned
Virtual Field Trip – Tropical Rain Forest
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Week 13 Spatial Variation in Climate Change and Ecosystem Sensitivity: Implications for
Management
Keane, R.E., P.F. Hessburg, P.B. Landres, F.J. Swanson. 2009. The use of historical
range and variability (HRV) in landscape management. Forest Ecology and
Management 258:1025-1037.
Hobbs, R.J., Cole, D.N., Yung, L., et al., 2010. Guiding concepts for park and wilderness
stewardship in an era of global environmental change. Frontiers in Ecology and
the Environment 8:483-490.
Caro, T., J. Darwin, T. Forrester, C. Ledoux-Bloom, C. Wells. 2011. Conservation in
the Anthropocene. Conservation Biology
Apr 8 Lecture I
Apr 10 Lecture II
Apr 12 Student projects assigned and due from previous week
Virtual Field Trip – Aquatic fluvial systems
Week 14 Human land use: Comparisons among Biomes
Luck, G. W., L. Smallbone, S. McDonald, and D. Duffy. 2010. What drives the
positive correlation between human population density and bird species
richness in Australia? Global Ecology and Biogeography 19:673–683.
Apr 15 Lecture I
Apr 17 Lecture II
Apr 19 Student projects due from previous week
Week 15 Synthesis: Grouping Biomes based on ecological properties
Hansen A.J. In Review. Ecosystem energy as a framework for prioritizing
conservation vulnerabilities and management strategies. Unpublished
manuscript. Pgs 1-36
Apr 22 Lecture I
Apr 24 Lecture II
Apr 26 Review for final
Finals Week
Apr 29 Comprehensive Final 8:00-9:50 am
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