WILD 6400 – Ecology of Animal Populations – Fall 2015
Credits: 3
Instructor:
Dr. Dan MacNulty
Office: NR 330, Logan Campus
Phone: 435-797-7442
e-mail: dan.macnulty@usu.edu
Prerequisites:
None. However, the course presumes a basic working knowledge of ecology (e.g., NR/BIOL
2220: General Ecology), statistics (e.g., STAT 2000: Introduction to Statistical Methods), and
personal computers (especially Microsoft Excel).
Course Description:
WILD 6400 is designed primarily for students enrolled in the Masters of Natural Resources
(MNR) degree program who seek to fulfill the program’s core requirement in quantitative
methods. In this course, we will review fundamental concepts in animal population ecology,
develop expertise in estimating population size and vital rates, and examine single-species,
multi-species, age-structured, and spatial models of population dynamics, as well as life history
strategies. This class will demonstrate how knowledge of population dynamics informs
conservation, management, ecology, and evolution. It will also provide ‘hands-on’ experience
that will be applicable to professional careers in wildlife management, conservation and
population ecology. Students will be introduced to mathematical techniques and computer
software that will allow them to examine population dynamics on their own. Individuals that are
unfamiliar with basic statistics and computing should expect to spend extra time on this course.
Course Objectives:
Students will learn to:
1. master ecological concepts that apply to population dynamics;
2. estimate important demographic parameters of wild organisms;
3. build models with demographic estimates to examine population dynamics for guiding
conservation and management actions.
By the end of the course, students should be able to solve quantitative problems commonly
encountered by wildlife biologists.
1
Course Resources
Canvas
Canvas is the Learning Management System that we will use for our course. You can log into
Canvas at https://online.usu.edu/. Enter your username, which is your A#, and your password
is your global password (the same one you use for Banner or Aggiemail). For a list of
tutorials relating to Canvas, go to: https://online.usu.edu/support/canvasStudent.cfm
We will be using Canvas’ Quiz, Assignment, and Announcement tools. The Discussion tool
can be used amongst students to discuss labs and lectures.
Software
You will find here a list of software requirements necessary for Canvas to operate:
https://online.usu.edu/docs/technicalDocs/TechnicalUserRequirementsforCanvas.PDF
You will also need to have access to Microsoft Office (word and excel), program
MARK http://warnercnr.colostate.edu/~gwhite/mark/mark.htm#Downloading,
and DISTANCE http://www.ruwpa.st-and.ac.uk/distance/distancedownload.html)
Course Activities (please follow the proposed order)
Each week:
1. Lectures will be posted on Canvas on Monday of each week at 0800 (one lecture per week)
and will be 40 to 60 minutes long depending on the topic. Lectures will consist of 2
components: a) a video including presentation slides and sound, b) course notes that you may
consult while following the lectures.
2. Labs will consist of computer oriented sessions designed to help solidify the topics presented
in lecture. Labs will be broken down into 2 parts:
a. Lab assignment: Assignment files will be offered in a number of formats depending on
the topic (e.g., PDF, excel, word), and will present a problem relevant to the lecture for a
given week. Each week I will specify the format under which I wish to retrieve your
assignments. In the case of an ‘online assignments’, you will be able to add information
directly into the assignment file, and save a copy for submission. For more information
on this process, see:
http://support.instructure.com/index.php/Getting_Started_for_Students#Submitting_Onli
ne_Assignments
2
b. Lab example (15-30 minute example): a short visual demonstration (with sound)
walking you through a similar problem as the one proposed in the assignment. This is
designed to help you with your assignment and use of appropriate software to answer
assignment questions.
3. Additional readings: these are optional and are provided to deepen your understanding of
topics presented in the lectures.
Every 4 weeks:
You will be required to complete three quizzes spread out throughout the semester. These
quizzes will consist of approximately ten multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching and/or
true/false questions based on the lectures and labs. Important: You will have one week to
complete each quiz.
Final assignment on final’s week:
You will have to answer questions relating to the material you learned throughout the semester.
These questions may require either simple calculations, worded answers, or both. This final
assignment is designed to demonstrate that you have both mastered ecological concepts, and
basic calculations pertaining to the field of population dynamics. This assignment will be in PDF
format and you will be able to add information to this file, and save a copy for submission
(http://support.instructure.com/index.php/Getting_Started_for_Students#Submitting_Online_Ass
ignments).
Course Policy
Feedback/Communication
o Please use the Discussion Board and Chat tools as much as possible. This will promote
interaction between all of us. I will look up the discussion board once a day and will
answer questions as needed, but also feel free to interact with other students. I will also
answer whatever questions you may have regarding course material by e-mail
(dan.macnulty@usu.edu). I will try to answer within 24 hours
o You will receive specific feedback on your Assignments in the form of text comments
appended to your electronic submissions.
o I will use the Announcements tool in Canvas to communicate changes to the course and
other course information each week.
o If you experience a legitimate emergency that will prevent you from completing required
coursework on time, please communicate with me at the earliest reasonable opportunity.
Please state the nature of the emergency, and when you expect to turn in the coursework.
3
Syllabus Changes:
This syllabus is subject to change. I will notify the class regarding all changes.
Submitting Electronic Files:
Please name your assignment file using the following convention:
Assignmentname_Yourname.PDF. For example, if I (Dan MacNulty) was submitting the
‘Assignment1’, I would rename the ‘Assignment1.PDF’ file as
‘Assignment1_DanMacNulty.PDF’. Same rule applies to excel, word, of even MARK
documents.
Grading
All lab assignments and quizzes must be turned in on time for full credit. You will have 1 week
to return each lab assignment / quiz (i.e., posted on Monday at 8am, return by the following
Monday at 8am).
Exceptions will be granted only under the most stringent conditions, requiring official medical or
university documentation. Otherwise late assignments and quizzes will be docked 50% of the
grade for each day late (you will lose all points 48 hours past the original deadline).
You will be graded on rigorous lab assignments (50%), 3 quizzes spread out throughout the
semester (30%), and one final assignment (20%). Your grade will be based on the following:
COMPONENTS
P OI NT S
Labs (11 total)
450 (40-50 points per lab)
Quizzes (3 total)
300 (100 points per quiz)
Final assignment
250
Your grade will be calculated using the following scale:
GRADE
A
AB+
B
% R AN GE
93 - 100%
90 - 92%
87 - 89%
83 - 86%
4
P OI NT S
930 – 1000
900 – 929
870 - 899
830 - 869
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
80 - 82%
77 - 79%
73 - 76%
70 - 72%
67 - 69%
60 - 66%
59% and below
800 - 829
770 - 799
730 - 769
700 - 729
670 - 699
600 - 669
0 - 599
Accommodations for disabilities
Students with physical, sensory, emotional or medical impairments may be eligible for
reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
All accommodations are coordinated through the Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) in Room
101 of the University Inn, 797-2444 voice, 797-0740 TTY, or toll free at 1-800-259-2966. Please
contact the DRC as early in the semester as possible. Alternate format materials (Braille, large
print or digital) are available with advance notice.
University Policy
Honor Pledge: Students will be held accountable to the Honor Pledge which they have agreed
to: “I pledge, on my honor, to conduct myself with the foremost level of academic integrity.”
Academic Dishonesty: The Instructor of this course will take appropriate actions in response to
Academic Dishonesty, as defined the University’s Student Code:
Acts of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:
1) Cheating, 2) Falsification, 3) Plagiarism
Full text of the Student Code available at available at available at:
http://www.usu.edu/studentservices/PDF/StudentCode.PDF:
5
Tentative Schedule of Lectures, Labs, and Assignments
Week
Date
Lecture topic
Lab topic
1
31-Aug
(Excel, Distance, MARK)
07-Sept
Syllabus Overview
Introduction to Population Ecology
Density Independent Population Growth
2
DI Population Dynamics
3
14-Sept
Density Dependant Population Growth
DD Population Dynamics
4
21-Sept
Abundance Estimation I
5
28-Sept
Closed Capture-Mark-Recapture Models
Distance Estimation of
Population Density (in Distance)
Closed CMR Abundance Estimation
(in MARK)
6
7
8
9
05-Oct
12-Oct
19-Oct
26-Oct
Life History Strategies
Life Tables
Known-Fate Survival
CMR Models for Survival Estimation
No lab
Life Tables (in Excel)
Known Fate Survival (in MARK)
CJS models (in MARK)
10
02-Nov
Matrix Population Models I
Matrix Population Projections
11
09-Nov
Matrix Population Models II
12
16-Nov
Metapopulation Models
Elasticity Analysis & Life History
Comparisons (in Excel)
Source-Sink Matrix Models
13
23-Nov
Occupancy Models
Patch Occupancy Modeling
14
30-Nov
Predator - Prey Dynamics
No lab
15
16
07-Dec
14-Dec
Software installation
& Concepts of Stochasticity
Abundance Estimation II
& sensitivity / elasticity analyses
with Age/Stage Structure
Student Information Sheet (not graded)
(in Excel)
& Sustainable Harvest
Distance Estimation with Transects and Counts
Quiz / Assignments
& Harvest models (in Excel)
Quiz #1: Review of weeks 1-4
Quiz #2: Review of weeks 5-8
(in Excel)
(in Excel)
Quiz #3: Review of weeks 9-12
(in MARK)
Final Assignment: Overall Review
6