General Ecology Biology 340 – Spring 2009 Syllabus Professor: Dr. Travis Perry, Townes 171C, 294-3009, travis.perry@furman.edu Office Hours: My office hours will be 9:30 to 10:30 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If these hours are not convenient I will be happy to make an appointment. You can always contact me via e-mail. I will check my account frequently for student messages. Course Objectives: Biology 340 seeks to give the student an understanding of: the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environments, the consequences of these interactions for population dynamics, community structure, and the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems, all within the context of evolutionary processes. The course will also consider environmental issues and conservation. Required Materials: The text book required for this class is Manuel Molles Ecology: Concepts and Applications, fourth edition. 2008. Published by McGraw Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-305082-9. Specific reading assignments will be given from the text. I also assume that you will use it as a study guide. Other readings from the primary literature will be assigned and used in laboratory work and class discussions. Grading: Your grade in the course will be assessed based on the following items: Item Percentage Lab 20% Exam 1 15% Exam 2 15% Exam 3 15% Exam 4 15% Final 20% Letter grades will be assigned on a 10-percentage-point scale: 97-100=A+ 87-89=B+ 77-79=C+ 67-69=D+ 0-59=F 93-96=A 83-86=B 73-76=C 63-66=D 90-92=A80-82=B70-72=C60-62=DLectures: You are expected to attend every lecture. If you do miss a class it is your responsibility to recover the information you missed. Three successive absences will be reported to the Associate Academic Dean. Laboratories: Do NOT miss lab! It will often not be possible to make up or recover the material covered in lab. Lab grades constitute 20% of your final grade. Grades for the lab portion of the course will be based on lab quizzes, research papers, participation, and attendance. Do NOT arrive LATE for lab. We may frequently leave the lab or campus to examine a variety of habitats and ecological phenomena. Tardiness to lab increases the likelihood that you will be left behind or that you will seriously disrupt the lab for the rest of the class. Lab will be from 2:30 to 5:20 on Mondays. Lab topics may change from week to week depending on conditions. Dress for the outdoors for EVERY lab. Field Trips: There will be one overnight field trip during the term: Apr. 17th and 18th. If you have a conflict with the field trip bring it to my attention immediately! Quizzes and Examinations: Quizzes and exams will consist of short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions. Quiz and exam dates will not change. Assume that we will have a quiz each week in lab. The BEST way to study this material is to: (1) attentively, rewrite your notes from the notes you took in class; (2) check these notes against the powerpoint notes; (3) write out the corrections; (4) rewrite your notes from memory; (5) self-test with actual written questions and written answers; (6) write out corrections; (7) repeat for each lecture; (8) review each week. You will have NO MORE than 50 minutes to answer questions on the exams, unless you have certification from disabilities services indicating that you qualify for additional time. Other Policies: E-Mail - Each student is required to maintain a university e-mail account and check it at least once a week, in case of important announcements regarding the class. Safety - Laboratory safety rules must be followed – food and drink are NEVER to be brought into the lab. Academic Dishonesty (Don’t even think about it!) - General university policies regarding academic dishonesty will be strictly observed. If you are caught cheating on an exam you will receive a grade of F for the Course. Disabilities – Students with disabilities who need academic accommodations should contact Coordinator of Disability Services (Basement of Earl Infirmary; phone 294-2322). After a meeting with the coordinator, contact me during regular office hours. DON’T procrastinate: do this EARLY in the term. Week 1 2 3 4 5 Date (Mon.) 12 Jan 19 Jan 26 Jan 2 Feb 9 Feb Lecture Topics Intro to Ecology/Physical Environment Physical Environment Physical Environment Physiological Ecology Physiological Ecology/Population Ecology Population Ecology Exams 6 16 Feb 7 8 23 Feb 2 Mar 2-Feb. 27th 9 Mar 16 Mar Population Ecology Population Ecology/ Community Ecology SPRING BREAK Community Ecology 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 23 Mar 30 Mar 6 Apr 13 Apr 20 Apr 27 Apr 4 May Community Ecology Community/ Ecosystem Ecology Ecosystem Ecology Ecosystem Ecology Geographic Ecology Geographic Ecology FINAL EXAM 1-Jan. 30th Lab Topics Natural History MLK Holiday Soil Exp. Set up TBA Methods/STATS Presentations/Competition exp. TBA Competition Results SPRING BREAK TBA 3-Apr. 1st (Wed.) 4-Apr. 27th 5-May 12:00, Room 143 Soil Exp. Data Collection TBA Forest Ecology EASTER Dragonfly Niches 4th Exam