BCOR 102 Syllabus – Ecology & Evolution, Fall 2014
Instructor: Nick Gotelli
Coordinator: Michelle McGee
Lecture meets MWF 3 - 3:50 in Room 235 Marsh (Benedict Hall)
Fall 2014
August
Lecture Title / Topic
Assigned Readings
25 M Introduction
--
27 W The Scientific Method
Gotelli, Preface
29 F Probability & Statistics
--
September 1
M Labor Day HOLIDAY
--
3
W Exponential Population Growth
Gotelli, Chpt 1
5
F Logistic Population Growth I
Gotelli, Chpt 2
8
M Logistic Population Growth II
Gotelli, Chpt 2
10 W Demography I
Gotelli, Chpt 3
12 F Demography II
Gotelli, Chpt 3
15 M EXAM I
October
17 W Life History Strategies
Gotelli, Chpt 3
19 F Metapopulations
Gotelli, Chpt 4
22 M Competition I
Gotelli, Chpt 5
24 W Competition II
Gotelli, Chpt 6
26 F The Ecological Niche
--
29 M Predation I
Gotelli, Chpt 6
1
W EXAM II
3
F Predation II
Gotelli, Chpt 6
6
M Species Diversity
--
8
W Island Biology
Gotelli, Chpt 7
10 F Succession
Gotelli, Chpt 8
13 M Mendelian Inheritance
Freeman & Herron, Chpt 5
15 W Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
--
17 F Mechanisms of Evolution I
--
20 M Mechanisms of Evolution II
Freeman & Herron, Chpts 6 & 7
22 W EXAM III
24 F Mechanisms of Evolution III
27 M Natural Selection I
29 W Natural Selection II
31 F Phenotypic Plasticity I
November 3
5
M Phenotypic Plasticity II
--
W Darwin's Legacy
Freeman & Herron, Chpts 2 & 3
1
7
F Phylogenetic Analysis
Freeman & Herron, Chpt 4
10 M Mechanisms of Speciation, part 1 Freeman & Herron, Chpt 16
12 W EXAM III
14 F Mechanisms of Speciation, part 2 Freeman & Herron, Chpt 16
17 M Evolution of Sex
Freeman & Herron, Chpt 11
19 W Sexual Selection
Freeman & Herron, Chpt 11
21 F Evolution of Behavior
Freeman & Herron, Chpt 12
24 M Thanksgiving HOLIDAY
--
26 W Thanksgiving HOLIDAY
--
28 F Thanksgiving HOLIDAY
--
December 1
3
M Human Evolution
Freeman & Herron, Chpt 20
W Human Population Growth
--
12 F FINAL EXAM (Room 235)
1:30-4:15 pm
Grading
Lecture Exams Four mid-term exams worth 100 points each will be given during the
normal lecture period (3 - 3:50 pm) on 4 dates during the semester. Each lecture exam is
made up of problems, short answers, definitions and essays. Each exam will cover roughly
the material since the last exam. The final examination is mandatory and is cumulative,
covering the entire course, including the last portion of the course. Only the three best
scores of the four mid-terms are used to calculate your final grade.
Mid-term exams
300 points
Final exam
100 points
Total for Exams
400 points
Laboratory - 150 points
Weekly Lab Quizzes: A short quiz will be given at the start of most laboratory sessions. The
quiz will cover material from the previous week and questions based on the current
laboratory exercise. Although we will drop your lowest quiz score, make-up quizzes are not
given! Because quizzes are given promptly at the start of each lab session, you cannot afford
to be late to lab!
5 points each quiz x 7 quizzes = 35 points
Oral presentation: You go solo for 8-10 minutes
Presentation and short write-up = 15 points
2
Papers (lab reports): Typed double spaced in correct format, writing clear and to the point,
data correctly presented, analysis done correctly, discussion leads directly from the data and
analysis, all tables and figures neatly done. Papers should have a minimum of 3 citations.
a. Tree Diversity - 25 points (10 for draft, 15 for final)
b. Gall Selection - 25 points
Short Lab Write-Ups: Labs that are not written up as longer papers will be written up as ~2page papers (plus graphs/tables).
10 points each lab write-up x 5 write-ups = 50 points
Total Course Points
Laboratory
150 points
Exams
400 points
Total for Course
550 points
Grading Scale. Your grade will be based on your total points at the end of the semester. You
must achieve at least a 90.0% to receive an A-, at least 80.0% to receive a B-, and at least a
70.0% to receive a C-. Below that is a D with any total below a 60.0% resulting in an
F. Please note that these are fixed cut points. Averages for individuals will NOT be
rounded. For instance, a final average of 79.99 will result in a grade of C+, not B-.
Grade Challenges. If you think there has been a mistake in the grading of your exam, you
must submit to me your exam and a written explanation within 48 hours of receiving your
exam. No answer keys are provided.
Grade Posting. Final letter grades are not posted in the course's Blackboard site. They are
submitted directly to the registrar at the end of the semester. They are made available in
Banner within the guidelines specified by University administration. Letter grades will not
be provided over the phone, via email or in person. Your final exams will be available to
examine by appt with Michelle McGee, course coordinator. No one is allowed to keep a
final exam.
No Make-Up Exams. Your lowest mid-term exam grade will be dropped so if you are
unable to attend a regularly scheduled mid-term exam, the zero for that exam will be the mid3
term grade that is dropped. Thus, our policy is that no make-up exams are given.
Note on Final Exam. Remember that the final exam is mandatory, not optional, and that it
is cumulative, with questions covering the content of the entire course. I will not administer
early final exams based on plane tickets and holiday travel plans.
Required and suggested texts
** The lecture readings are to help you organize your studying and to clarify material covered in lecture.
The required text for this course is the fourth edition of A Primer of Ecology by Gotelli. An additional
suggested text is the fourth edition of Evolutionary Analysis by Freeman & Heron. The books will be used
at different points in the course, and in slightly different ways. The Primer of Ecology will be used in the
first half of the course. It covers the basic ecological models that we will use. In each chapter of the primer,
you are responsible for the material covered in "Model Presentation and Predictions," "Model Assumptions,"
and "Empirical Examples." The section "Model Variations" includes more advanced material that you may
also be interested in, though you are not responsible for it on the exams. You should work through ALL of
the unstarred problems at the end of each chapter. Similar problems will appear on your exams.
We will use the Evolutionary Analysis text in the second half of the course. It provides a number of excellent
examples and covers important ecological principles. The course will not follow this text as closely as in the
first half of the course. Some chapters cover more than one topic, and some lecture topics are not covered in
the reading. A copy of both texts is available on short-term reserve at Bailey-Howe Library.
Lab Schedule
Quiz
Due in Lab *
Moose Lab: Biological and Statistical Hypotheses
Yes
Tutorials (1/2 L)
Variation in Natural Populations: Goldenrod
Yes
Moose Activity (1/2 L)
Dates
Lab Activity
Aug 25 - 27
Overview and R tutorials
Sept 1 - 3
NO LABS
Sept 8 - 10
Sept 15 –
17
Sept 22 - 24
Sept 29 –
Oct 1

Fieldwork in Centennial Woods
Stream Diversity

Fieldwork in East Woods
Tree Diversity

Goldenrod Variation (L)
Yes
Stream Diversity (L)
Fieldwork in Centennial Woods
4
Dates
Oct 6 - 8
Lab Activity

Revise your draft items for tree diversity report
“How the Guppy Got Its Spots” (simulation lab)
Oct 20 – 29
Oral Presentations
Graveyard Demography

Due in Lab *
Tree Diversity Report –
draft
Data analysis and writing Workshop
Oct 13 - 15
Nov 3 - 5
Quiz
Yes
Tree Diversity Report –
final (R)
Guppy (L)
Oral report (O)
Yes
Fieldwork in Old North End
Nov 10- 12
Selection on Gall Size and Placement
Nov 17 - 19
TBA by your TA
Nov 24 - 26
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Dec 1 - 3
NO LABS
Yes
Graveyard
Demography (L)
Yes
Gall draft (optional)
Goldenrod Galls (R)
5