SYLLABUS
Summer Interim 2005
Field Ecology Workshop: Wisconsin Plant Communities
806-284-050
(Revised 5/17/05)
Instructor:
Office:
Course Type:
Credits
Class Schedule
Dr. Robert Lovely
rlovely@matcmadison.edu
335A MATC Truax Campus Office Phone: 246-6720 (email preferred)
Field Course (entirely in the field)
3 credits
MTWRF, 9:00-1:00 PM, (at least two classes will return later) Room: 344
Course Description:
This course is MATC’s capstone course in ecology, offering intermediate-level fieldwork, while focusing on
ecosystem types and processes. Students will explore plant diversity and adaptations to various aquatic and terrestrial
habitats, as well as community responses to certain human influences. Methods of field study will include individual
and group observations, data sampling of vegetation, and interpretation of structural and functional community
relationships.
Transportation will be provided to sites in and around Dane County via a College van. Extensive walking is required
for this course, and students will need to dress appropriately for the weather. Comfortable walking shoes or boots, rain
gear, insect repellant, drinking water, hat, pocket calculator, notebook, pencil, and clipboard are essential items for
each class session. Optional items may include field guides, camera, hand lens, binoculars, sunscreen, snacks, etc.
Arriving on time will be especially important since we often will be on a tight schedule.
Students will be required to keep a notebook in which to record observations and detailed descriptions of the
communities visited. Specifics on this field notebook will be presented during the first class. Student evaluation will
be based upon performance in the field activities, the field notebook, and a comprehensive final exam (essay format).
Final grades will be assigned according to the level of sophistication of essays and the appropriate application of
ecological concepts and nomenclature to community descriptions. Attendance at all classes is required.
Students should assume that black-legged ticks (deer ticks), responsible for transmitting lyme disease, will be present
at the sites we visit; take appropriate precautions. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recommends
wearing light-colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants with cuffs tucked into socks, walking in the center of trails to
avoid brushing against vegetation, and considering the use of insect repellents containing 0.5% permethrin or 20-30%
DEET. These precautions may also help repel mosquitoes, which in turn can spread viruses, such as La Crosse
encephalitis and West Nile Virus.
Required Texts:
John T. Curtis, The Vegetation of Wisconsin, An Ordination of Plant Communities (Madison: Univ. of Wis. Press, 1987).
Stan Tekiela, Wildflowers of Wisconsin, Field Guide, (Cambridge, Minnesota: Adventure Publications, Inc. 2000).
Eggers and Reed, Wetland Plants and Plant Communities of Minnesota & Wisconsin, 2nd ed. (St. Paul: Army Corps, 1997)
DNR, Forest Trees of Wisconsin, (provided by instructor).
Recommended Texts:
Advanced students may wish to purchase:
Norman Fassett, Spring Flora of Wisconsin, (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1978)
Randy Hoffman, Wisconsin Natural Communities, (Madison: University of Wis. Press, 2002).
Required Course Tools: Scientific calculator, bound journal notebook—100 sheet, 9 ¾ x 7 ½ (see bookstore).
Hours of “in class” instruction: about 58 hrs.
Estimated hours of “outside effort”: about 60 hrs.
Course Prerequisites: Introductory college-level course in Biology, Ecology, or Environmental Science and College
Algebra or Statistics, or consent of instructor.
Daily Meeting Location and Travel to Sites:
Each day our class will depart directly from the Center Court lobby area (by the vending machines and tables) on the
main floor. The only exception will be the last day of class, on which we will meet in a traditional classroom (room
321) to take the final exam. The Center Court Lobby area is conveniently located for loading into the College vans.
We leave promptly at 9:00 (according to the digital clock in the Center Court Lobby), so you are strongly urged to
arrive by 8:50. This will give you some leeway should things go wrong on your way in to campus, as well as time to
use the facilities before departing (please note that restrooms will not be available at most of our sites). When you
arrive at the center court lobby, be sure to find the attendance sheet and sign in using your legal signature. This sheet
will become the only record of attendance maintained during the course, and it is your responsibility to sign in each
day.
During inclement weather we will leave for the day’s site and cancel only after it becomes obvious that we will not be
able to carry out the scheduled activities. Please do not call me when you see rain clouds in the sky or the forecast;
they often clear out by the time we reach our site. And frequently we will continue to work in the rain, so it is critical
that you arrive prepared to go to work and dressed appropriately for the weather. On the other hand, I will not force
you to work in an electrical storm or in dangerous winds, so it is possible that we may lose a scheduled activity because
of weather.
It is my practice to play an audio cassette of Wisconsin Bird Songs and Calls in the van on the way to and from our
sites. Students are expected to get into the spirit of the course by not listening to their own audio devices in the van or
during the field work. Reading ecology, however, transcribing field notes, and browsing through field guides are all
activities that are encouraged in order to make your van time more productive.
You will not need to bring the heavy Curtis text with you everyday, but the three required field guides are your
essential tools for this course, and it will be important for you to carry these with you at all times during the class. I
will check periodically to see if you have them with you, just to make sure you’re not simply relying upon your
colleagues to do the identification work for you. You should be reading the Curtis text at home each afternoon,
following the field work. This text will help you make connections among the many observations you make in the
field each morning.
Evaluation:
Final Exam (essay)
40 %
Field Notebook and data sheets 40 %
Attendance & Participation
20 %
Core Abilities
Collect and evaluate data
Write clearly
Exhibit professional behavior
Standard College Grading Scale:
92-100% = A
79 - 81% = BC
90 - 91% = AB
71 - 78% = C
82 - 89% = B
61 - 70% = D
≤ 60% = F
Course Schedule 1
Week 1
T. 5/17
Course Introduction.
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 1, Eggers and Reed: Read Jim Zimmerman’s forward (pp. vii-viii) and authors’ intro. (pp.
1-18; note especially “indicator categories,” pp. 15-16), pp. 28-29, pp.51-54, pp. 85-87, pp. 105-106, and pp.
125-126. Then go back and Browse pp. 2 – 140, focusing in particular on the “Ecological Notes.” Do not try
to memorize this material; simply begin to become familiar with it. You will be using this book as a field guide,
so bring it to each class. Browse Tekiela.
W. 5/18
Wisconsin Plant Communities: Prairie, Fen, Northern Hardwood-Hemlock and Pine Forest Communities
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 2 & 3
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, Introduction and pp. 129-139.
R. 5/19
Sampling Terrestrial Populations; The Quadrat Method
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 4 & 5, Instructor’s handout
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, pp. 13-21, 28-33.
F. 5/20
Upland Hardwood Communities—Cedar Glades and Xeric Prairies
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 6 & 7, and “Cedar Glades” in Ch. 16, Instructor’s handout.
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, pp. 22-27.
Week 2
M. 5/23
Oak Savannas
Reading: Curtis: Ch. 16
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, pp 113-121
T. 5/24
Fens, Bogs, and other Wetlands.
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 18, Eggers and Reed: pp. 141-179 and pp. 209-213.
W. 5/25
Sand Barrens and Sand Blowouts
Note: This will be a long class. Estimated return time: 4:00 PM.
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 15.
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, pp.126-128, 141-145, 195-198, and 341-344.
R 5/26
Bottomland Hardwood Communities
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 8, Eggers and Reed: pp. 214-226.
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, pp. 34-39
F. 5/27
Northern Mesic Vegetation
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 9 & 10, Instructor’s Handout
Week 3
M. 5/30
Memorial Day; No Class
T. 5/31
Northern Mesic Communities
Reading: Review Curtis, Ch. 10 and “Cedar Glades” in Ch. 16.
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, pp. 49-53
W. 6/1
Northern Bog, Fen, and Conifer Swamp Communities
Note: This will be another long class. Estimated return time 4:00 PM.
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 17, Review Curtis, Ch. 18, Review Eggers and Reed, pp. 141-179, and pp. 209-213.
Recommended Reading: Hoffman, pp. 54-70;
R. 6/2
Marshes and Wet Prairies
Reading: Curtis, Ch. 19.
F. 6/3
Final Exam: 9:00 AM, Room 321
Field Notebook Due: 9:00 AM
1. Please note that this schedule is subject to change. It is meant to provide a reasonable idea of the course sequence and what to
expect during each session of field work. Announcements made in class will take precedence over the syllabus.