General Ecology

advertisement
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
Download