Biology/Ecology/ENST 461 MWF 10:00 10:50 Fundamentals of Ecology 217 Wilson Hall Fall 2010 J. Umbanhowar & R.K. Peet Syllabus INTRODUCTION Biology 461 is a survey of the field of ecology intended for upper level undergraduates and graduate students. The course aims to give the students a comprehensive understanding of the field of ecology including major concepts, broad empirical patterns and important contemporary directions. The course has a required lab in which students will be exposed to a broad range of experimental, observational and quantitative methodology. Students are expected to have taken either Biology 201 (Introduction to Evolution and Ecology) or its equivalent. INSTRUCTORS James Umbanhowar Research Assistant Professor of Biology Office = 210 Wilson Hall; Phone = 843 7107; Email = jumbanho@unc.edu Robert K. Peet Professor of Biology Office = 413 Coker Hall; Phone = 962 6942; Email = peet@unc.edu We will almost always be available immediately after class in case you have questions or wish to discuss something. This is also a good time to set up appointments for longer conversations. We are very interested in helping you in any way I can. Feel free to send us email messages at any time. TEACHING ASSISTANTS Liz Matthews Graduate Student, Ecology Ph.D. Program Office 417 Coker Hall; Phone = 828-337-2946, Email = erm@unc.edu Jackie White Graduate Student, Ecology Ph.D. Program Office 409 Coker Hall; Phone = 919 260 4474, Email = Jackie.white@unc.edu EXPECTATIONS AND GRADING In addition to the prerequisite course in Ecology and Evolution (Bio 201), we expect that you have a solid background in high school algebra. Ideally, you will have taken a undergraduate level course in calculus, statistics and chemistry, but these are not necessary. We will take extra time in lecture to review/introduce key methods and concepts from these fields. Attendance at lectures and laboratories will be key to your performance in this class. The text is quite encyclopedic and some of the concepts are much better elucidated through lecture and discussion. Exam material will be taken largely from the lecture and laboratory. In addition, approximately every other week, we will discuss a journal article in class, frequently with the author of that article. Attendance at these discussions is mandatory, with one absence excused. 1
We like to combine a variety of types of questions on our exams. Typically, these include identification, short answer (a few sentences), graph or figure interpretations, problem solving, and short essays. We will post examples of previous exams by both instructors on the Blackboard site. You might note that it is common for our questions to require you to use in new ways facts, principles, or approaches we have presented. To do well on our tests, you should not just "memorize" the material; you should take time to think about what the material means, why it is significant, and how it might be applied and generalized! Grading will be as follows: Exams, each 20% Lab assignments 15% Class participation 5% Paper 10% Lab project 10% Finally, if a serious situation arises that makes it difficult for you to satisfactorily complete the requirements of the course, please contact one of us as soon as possible. We will do our best, within reason, to try to make accommodations for you. READING ASSIGNMENTS: The textbook for the class is Ecology: from Individuals to Ecosystems, 4 th edition (2006, Blackwell Publishing), by Begon, Townsend and Harper. This text is the most comprehensive available textbook for Ecology. Many graduate students use this text as a basic reference. However, because it is a comprehensive text, there is too much material to cover in one class. Our lecture schedule shows the relevant chapters, but we will be careful to point out on Blackboard which sections are the most important at least a lecture in advance so that you can focus your reading. Throughout the class, we will occasionally provide supplementary readings that provide a thorough explanation of some of the more complex topics. BLACKBOARD: At the website you should be able to read this syllabus as well as other class handouts, exams from previous offerings of this course, any supplemental readings we provide and other supporting material. Graphics used in lectures will be posted. We will provide a forum for asking questions about material prior to the exams. Materials for the laboratories will also be posted. Please check periodically for announcements pertaining to lecture or lab. COURSE OVERVIEW With a few exceptions, the lecture sequence generally follows the same organization as the text. This is largely a constructive" approach, where each section addresses questions about more complex systems using results from the previous systems as a basis for understanding that system. The primary exception is that we have chosen to examine ecosystem ecology early so that it is in close proximity to the discussion of the physical environment and can provide part of the environmental context for subsequent material. 2
The course will start by examining how the behavior & physiology of individual organisms vary with environment. We will seek to demonstrate how evolution adapts organisms to environments and what the chemical, and physical constraints are to this adaptation. In the second section we will examine the functional basis of all ecosystems the flows of energy and elements as mediated by organisms. During the third section we will examine populations of individuals: how they interact and what determines patterns of abundance in time and space. In the fourth section we will focus on major types of interaction between two species. We will examine how these interactions alter population dynamics and abundance, and also how species adapt to these interactions. Finally, in the fifth section we will examine the forces that create assemblages of species encountered in nature, at scales ranging from a square meter to the globe. There is far too much subject mater to provide a comprehensive treatment of Ecology in a single course. One thing we attempt to do is convey an overview of the major organizing concepts and the major areas of current research to provide you with a context for interpreting new material. Perhaps even more importantly, we want you to learn to think like an ecologist so that you will be in a position to evaluate new findings and research. An important component of this is learning about how to discover, evaluate and create scientific literature. Toward this end, we will take occasional breaks from lectures to discuss an article from the primary literature, frequently with the author present to help us understand how the research came to be and where it is heading next. These discussions are an important part of the class, as they expose you to the real communication medium of science. Science is very hard and in reading these articles critically, you will see just how difficult the actual discoveries of science are, and in addition how to evaluate the results of research. Lecture Outline Note: Chapters in the following table refer to general reading recommendations. Specific reading assignments will be announced on Blackboard at least one lecture in advance. Date Class Faculty Topic Chapter I. Ecology of Individuals 25 Aug 1 UP Introduction to the study of ecology 27 Aug 2 P Physical environment: energy & water balance 2 30 Aug 3 P Physical environment: coping with variation 2 1 Sep 4 P Resources: autotrophs 3 3 Sep 5 P Resources: heterotrophs 3 8 Sep 6 P Biological environment: genetic variation 1 10 Sep 7 P Biological environment: social & sexual 13 Sep 8 UP CASE STUDY 1: Physiological ecology w/sarah Diamond 3
II. Ecosystem Ecology 15 Sep 9 P Primary production 17 17 Sep 10 P Secondary production; food webs 17 20 Sep 11 P Soil processes, decomposition, nutrient use 11 22 Sep 12 P Nutrient flows 18 24 Sep 13 P Global biogeochemical cycles 18 27 Sep 14 UP CASE STUDY 2: Ecosystem perturbation; TBA 29 Sep 15 EXAM 1 (1 14) III. Populations 1 Oct 16 U Life history tradeoffs & allometry 4 Oct 17 U Population dynamics: growth and stochasticity 4 6 Oct 18 U Population dynamics: Intraspecific competition 5 8 Oct 19 U Population regulation and control 6 11 Oct 20 U Spatial structure of populations; metapopulations 13 Oct 21 U Management of populations 15 15 Oct 22 UP CASE STUDY 3: Populations in a landscape w/nick Haddad IV. Species Interactions 18 Oct 23 U Interspecific competition 8 20 Oct 24 U Resource competition 8 25 Oct 25 U Predation 10 27 Oct 26 U Herbivory & plant-animal interactions 9 29 Oct 27 U Disease & parasitism 12 1 Nov 28 U Mutualism, positive interactions, & indirect effects 13 3 Nov 29 U Species abundance 14 5 Nov 30 EXAM 2 (16 29) 8 Nov 31 UP CASE STUDY 4: Human impacts; TBA V. Community Ecology 10 Nov 32 P Community assembly and variation 16 12 Nov 33 P Succession 16 15 Nov 34 P Disturbance regimes & non-equilibrium communities 16 17 Nov 35 P Species diversity 21 19 Nov 36 P Global biodiversity and macroecology 21 22 Nov 37 P Community assembly on a changing planet - past & future 29 Nov 38 U Spatial processes, metacommunities & neutral communities 1 Dec 39 U Species interactions & community structure 19 3 Dec 40 U Food webs; community stability 20 6 Dec 41 U Management of communities 22 8 Dec 42 UP CASE STUDY 5: Ecoinformatics w/allen Hurlbert 10 Dec 43 EXAM 3 8:00am (31 42 + Overview) 4
Laboratory Sections 1. Sections a. 401: 3 5:50 Mondays, in 108 Wilson Hall? b. 402: 2 4:50 Tuesdays, in 108 Wilson Hall? 2. Objectives a. Provide a forum for discussing material presented in lecture b. Learn how to formulate questions, quantify observations, and test hypotheses c. Provide field experience in natural ecosystems d. Provide experience collecting and analyzing data using the R software package e. Teach how results of scientific studies are published and how to gain access to and evaluate the validity of ecological studies 3. Attendance a. Students are required to attend all laboratory sessions b. If you are unable to attend your section during a particular week, be sure to contact Liz as soon as possible, and try to attend the other lab section that week. c. Labs begin the week of August 30. 4. Field trips Ecology is a subject that is perhaps best learned in the field. We will have several fieldtrips and sessions collecting data in the field associated with the regular laboratory section. We will also have two required one day fieldtrips, one Saturday, September 11 and one Saturday, October 2. These trips are required. Details will be announced in lecture. Please protect the dates. Note that there will be no laboratory at the regular time on the weeks of weekend trips. As with any outdoor work, dress for the conditions long pants and long sleeves for bug and thorn protection, hat, sunscreen, water, and sturdy boots or close toed shoes you don t mind getting muddy. We ll go out rain or shine, so dress for the weather. If you have any physical disabilities that will limit your participation in fieldtrips, please inform your instructor during the first week of class. 5. Grades and assignments a. Lab assignments will include three lab reports, a presentation of the group project, and worksheets for certain lab topics. b. Each lab report will be worth 5% of the final grade; the final presentation (along with the written assignment associated with this presentation) will be worth 10% of the final grade; all other lab activities will contribute to participation points, 5% of the final grade. Lack of attendance may result in negative points. c. A semester paper assignment will also be introduced and discussed during the lab period on September 27. This paper assignment will be worth 10% of your final grade. 5
Laboratory Outline Date Wk Lab Topic Assignment Due 30 Aug 1 R: Introduction & installation 8 Sep 2 Fieldtrip #1: September 11, Blue Ridge Mountains 13 Sep 3 Project 1: Plant insect interactions introduction 20 Sep 4 Project 1: Plant insect interactions data collection 27 Sep 5 Project 1: Plant insect interactions data analysis 4 Oct 6 Fieldtrip #2: October 2, Croatan National Forest Lab report 1 due Wed., Oct. 6 11 Oct 7 Literature and library skills 18 Oct 8 Population models #1 Literature paper topic & annotated bibliography due Wed, Oct. 20 25 Oct 9 Project 2: Forest succession data collection 1 Nov 10 Population models #2 Lab report 2 due Wed, Nov. 3 8 Nov 11 Project 3: Aquatic communities introduction Paper due Wed., Nov. 10 15 Nov 12 Project 3: Aquatic communities data collection Lab report 3 due Fri., Nov. 19 22 Nov 13 Project 4: planning Project design due Tue, Nov. 23 29 Nov 14 Project 4: open work on project 6 Dec 15 Project 4: Presentations of projects Abstract and Figures due in lab 6