BIOLOGY GLOBAL ECOLOGY SPRING 2017

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1 BIOLOGY GLOBAL ECOLOGY SPRING :30 AM MWF Room G23 Life Sciences Building Instructor: Office hours: Dr. Bill Peterjohn 5214 Life Sciences Building bpj@wvu.edu 1:30-3:00 PM MW Other hours by appointment. Text: The required textbook is: The Earth System, 3 rd Edition, by Kump, Kasting, and Crane. This book is available in the bookstore. Assignments from this book will be given in class. Required readings: These readings will be placed on the course web site throughout the semester as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. The address for this site is: Exams: There will be two mid-term examinations and a final. To ensure that you have sufficient time to complete the mid-terms, these exams will be given in the evening from 7-9 PM on the dates indicated on your syllabus. The lowest two exam grades will each comprise 20% of your grade for the course. Your highest exam grade will comprise 30% of your grade for the course. The dates for each exam are as follows: Mid-term I February 15 (7-9 PM) Mid-term II March 29 (7-9 PM) Final Exam May 4 (2-4 PM) The exams will contain questions from the lectures, assigned chapters in the textbook, and the study questions for assigned readings. Missing an exam: If you miss an exam, you will receive a grade of zero for that exam. If an exam is missed due to an unavoidable absence, you must present (in person) a convincing written statement explaining the reason for your absence no later than 1 week after you return to class. Your statement should note the dates that were missed and may include any documentation you may wish to provide. Students with an acceptable excuse (as determined by the instructor) will be allowed to take a make-up exam. Writing assignments: You are expected to find four articles that deal with the science of global environmental change and that were published since Each article must be from a different scientific journal found on the list of acceptable journals that I provide you. For each article: (1) read the entire article; (2) type a summary that fits in the space provided on the summary template found on the class web site; (3) provide a complete citation for the article in the proper format; and (4) me a copy of the article along with your summary as a PDF file by 10:30 AM on the dates indicated in your syllabus. For your first article, you must also complete the critical thinking template found on the class web site and it to me as a PDF file along with your summary. Only one summary per date will be accepted, no more and no less. The summaries will comprise 15% of your grade for the course. This class supports the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences s commitment to fostering students abilities in writing, speaking, visual presentations, and multimedia communication. For additional resources that may help you with your writing assignments, please visit SpeakWrite.wvu.edu. Homework Assignments: During the semester several homework assignments will be given in class. These are intended to expose you to the quantitative aspects of global ecology. You are expected to work individually on these assignments but are welcome to ask me questions. Your answers must show all work and are by the deadlines given in class. These assignments will comprise 10% of your grade for the course.

2 Attendance: Attendance is required and will comprise 5% of your grade for the course. More than three unexcused absences will result in no credit being awarded for attendance. Fewer than three unexcused absences will result in full credit being awarded for attendance. If you miss class due to an unavoidable absence, you must present (in person) a convincing written statement explaining the reason for your absence no later than 1 week after your return to class. Your statement should note the dates missed and may include any documentation you may wish to provide. An absence with an acceptable excuse (as determined by the instructor) will not be counted as an unexcused absence. Grades: Letter grades are assigned at the end of the course. Grades are based on the total number of points accumulated by the end of the semester and are determined using the following scale: Grade Percentage A B C D F 59-0 Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: The West Virginia University community is committed to creating and fostering a positive learning and working environment based on open communication, mutual respect, and inclusion. The West Virginia University community is committed to creating and fostering a positive learning and working environment based on open communication, mutual respect, and inclusion. If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise me and make appropriate arrangements with the Office of Accessibility Services ( ). For more information on West Virginia University s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, please see Evacuation Plan for Room G23: In the event of an emergency, leave the classroom in an orderly manner. Go to the nearest exit and leave the building. Once you ve left the building, quickly move as far away as possible while avoiding parking lots. Do not congregate near the building or in parking lots. Syllabus: This syllabus is issued for the convenience of the student and does not constitute a contract between the student and the instructor. The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus at any time during the semester.

3 Information About Your Writing Assignments You may summarize recent articles from any of the following scientific journals. Some of these journals are available on line, others may not be. Agronomy Journal Ambio American Journal of Botany American Midland Naturalist American Scientist Applied and Environmental Microbiology Arctic and Alpine Research Atmospheric Chemistry Atmospheric Environment Biodiversity and Conservation Biogeochemistry Biology and Fertility of Soils BioScience Biotropica Canadian Journal of Botany Canadian Journal of Earth Science Canadian Journal of Forest Research Climatic Change Ecological Applications Ecological Modelling Ecological Monographs Ecology Ecosystems Environmental and Experimental Botany Forest Ecology and Management Functional Ecology Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Geophysical Research Letters Global Biogeochemical Cycles Global and Planetary Change Global Change and Human Health Global Change Biology Hydrobiologia Journal of Applied Ecology Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry Journal of Ecology Journal of Environmental Quality Journal of Experimental Biology Journal of Experimental Botany Journal of Forestry Journal of Geophysical Research Journal of Hydrology Landscape Ecology Limnology and Oceanography Nature New Phytologist Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems Oecologia Palaeobotany and Palynology Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, and Palaeoecology Photochemsitry and Photobiology Plant & Cell Physiology Plant and Soil Plant, Cell and Environment Plant Ecology Plant Physiology Proc. of the National Academy of Science Quaternary Research Remote Sensing of Environment Science Soil Biology & Biochemistry Soil Science Soil Science Society of America Journal Tellus Tree Physiology Urban Ecosystems Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Water Research Water Resources Research Wetlands If there is an article you wish to summarize that is in a journal other than one of those listed above, please get my approval first.

4 The citation you provide for each article MUST follow precisely the style given in the following examples. Examples of the style to be used for literature citations. SINGLE AUTHOR JOURNAL MULTIPLE AUTHORS Bowden, R.D Inputs, outputs and accumulation of nitrogen in an early successional moss (Polytricum) ecosystem. Ecological Monographs 61: JOURNAL Lindberg, S.E., G.M. Lovett, D.D. Richter, and D.W. Johnson Atmospheric deposition and canopy interactions of major ions in a forest. Science 231: Points will be deducted if the proper format is not used! If you have any questions, come and see me before your assignment is due. Suggestions Type everything you d like to say about the paper and then edit it to fit in the space on the summary template. Have a friend read your summary to check for misspelled words and poor grammar. Use a word processor to compose your summary. This will make editing easier, ensure that your summary is legible, and allow you to use a spell-check program. Use all the space provided. If you can t, then the article selected doesn t contain a sufficient amount of information to be considered appropriate for this assignment and you need to select another article. Don t wait until the night before!

5 WRITING ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA Form Legibility Clarity Spelling Grammar Article published since 2015 Article from the primary literature (i.e., written by people who do the science) Different journal than those previously used Proper citation Have you used all the space provided for your summary? Content Was sufficient background information (i.e. context) provided? AKA - Why should we care? Is there a clear statement of purpose? Is the relevance to global ecology clear? Were the important details and conclusions included? Were trivial details excluded? Were reader expectations met? Were all issues raised, addressed? Was quantitative information used wherever possible and was it put in a meaningful context? Was the content summarized rather than described? Was the content summarized in the student s own words? Example (with my edits)