Biology 403 - Principles of Ecology

La Salle University

Norbert F. Belzer, Ph.D.

Spring Semester, 2011

e-mail:  belzer@lasalle.edu

Office:  H-237

Web site:  belzer@lasalle.edu/~belzer

Phone:  215-951-1250

 

LECTURE  SYLLABUS  AND  READING  ASSIGNMENTS*

 

DATES

TOPICS AND TEXT READINGS

 

 

JAN. 18 (T) –-

     20 (Th)

Requirements and Scope of the Course;  Introductory Material  (1;  5)

Levels of Organization and Emergent Properties;  Planetary Subdivisions;  Biosphere;  Ecosystems  (1;  2;  5)

Systems:  Ecological and otherwise - the interacting whole and its parts (with emphasis on climate);  Gaia Hypothesis  (1;  2;  5)

 

 

     25 (T) --

Biodiversity  (12;  19.3 to 19.7;  26;  28;  Threats To Biodiversity by E. O. Wilson)

 

 

     27 (Th) -

Feb.  1 (T)

 

Energy & Energy Flow - Producers, Consumers & Reducers (or how organisms obtain energy)
Trophic Levels;  Energy Transfer;  Energy Budgets;  Food Chains and Food Webs;  Productivity, Efficiency Biomass    (6.1 to 6.3, 6.7;  7.2 to 7.12;  20)

 

 

      3 (Th) -

Energy Use and Ecological Implications (The energy crisis - fact or fiction?)

 

 

      8 (T) --

FIRST EXAM  (on material of Jan. 18th to Feb. 3th)

 

 

     10 (Th) -

     15 (T)

Cycling of Nutrients and other Materials;  Biogeochemical Cycles  Specific Nutrient Cycles:  Nitrogen, Calcium, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Carbon (and Global Climate Change)  (6.12;  21;  22;  29;  Nutrient Cycling Pathways & Litter Fungi by N. Stark)

 

 

     17 (Th) -

The Hydrogeologic Cycle - Is Water Unlimited?  (3.1 to 3.5;  6.4)

 

 

     22 (T) -–

     24 (Th)

Cycling, Deposition and Accumulation of Toxic Substances;  Control of, and Alternatives to the Use of Toxics ((with emphasis on pesticides)  (Third Generation Pesticides by C. M. Williams)

 

 

Mar.  1 (T) –-

      3 (Th)

Limiting (Regulatory) Factors  (4;  6.6, 6.8 to 6.13;  7.13 to 7.19;  8.6;  Inhibition of Nodulation of Inoculated Legumes by Leaf Leachates from Inoculated Legumes by E. L. Rice)

 

 

 

Mar. 8(T) 10(Th)
NO CLASSES --- SPRING BREAK WEEK

 

 

     15 (T) --

Populations and their Characteristics;  Carrying Capacity;  Competition and Energy Flow in Populations  (9;  10;  11;  12)

 

 

 

 

     17 (Th) -

SECOND EXAM  (on material of Feb. 10th to Mar. 3rd)

 

 

     22 (T) --

Populations and their Characteristics (conclusion)

 

 

     24 (Th) -

     29 (T)

Species-Species Interactions;  the Niche Concept;
(13;  14;  15)

 

 

     31 (Th) -

Communities & Larger Units - Structure, Distribution, Influencing Factors, etc.  (16;  17;  18;  19.1, 19.2;  Life on the Human Skin by M. J. Marples)

 

 

Apr.  5 (T) –-

 

Succession (the 'evolution' of communities);  the Sere;  Primary and Secondary Succession  (18)

 

 

      7 (Th) -

THIRD EXAM  (on material of Mar. 15th to Apr. 5th)

 

 

     12 (T) -–

     14 (Th)

TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS:  Types and Structure;  Successional Patterns, Interactions, Importance, etc.  (19.8 to 19.10;  23;  Lateritic Soils by M. McNeil

 

 

     19 (T) –-

     21 (Th)

AQUATIC SYSTEMS:  FRESHWATER  (3.6 to 3.10;  6.5;  24;  25)

 

 

     26 (T) --

     28 (Th)

AQUATIC SYSTEMS:  MARINE - Estuaries and the Ocean  (3.6 to 3.10;  7.20;  24;  25)

 

 

     ?????? --

FINAL EXAMINATION (50% comprehensive and 50% on the material of Apr. 12th to 28th)

 

 

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TEXT:  Elements of Ecology (7th ed.)  by  T. M. Smith and R. L. Smith
The Benjamin/Cummings Publ. Co., Inc., 2009.

 

* Readings which are not in your text will be given to you at the appropriate times during the semester.  The readings (textbook and articles) are required.  Each examination will contain some question or questions (whole or in part) taken from the readings.  This will be explained fully at the first class meeting.

 

 

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EMERGENCIES  (WEATHER RELATED OR OTHER)

 

In case of a situation that requires the closing of campus for an extended period attempts will be made, where possible, to continue the class from a distance.  All are expected to keep up with the assigned chapters/readings.  If the email system is working all are expected to check with the instructor for alternate assignments.  If

 

 

such assignments are given it is expected they will be completed and sent to the instructor following the timetable established by the instructor.  Should the campus closure be a relatively short period, it is likely that reasonable adjustments can be made in the syllabus when the campus opens and classes resume.  It is not possible to determine what would occur should a situation require the closing of campus for a very long period of time.

 

 

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SOME IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

 

     Biology 403 is a course in the principles of Ecology.  It is wide-ranging in its coverage.  It deals with plants and animals, terrestrial and aquatic habitats, living and non-living components of the ecosystem, the micro and macro level, and changes in environments, populations and communities (just to mention some of the major aspects of the course).

 

     Principles of Ecology has been assigned a 400 level number.  This would seem to indicate it should be taken late in your academic career.  However, if you have had a good introductory College-level Biology course, you should be adequately prepared.  On the other hand, the broader your background, the more you will get from the course since Ecology is a 'synthesis' field that cuts across many disciplines.

 

     Strictly speaking this is not an Environmental Science science course.  We will touch on many environmental issues of the day but our main thrust will not be in the applied areas.  We will deal more with the basic underlying Ecologic processes and principles.  If you grasp these basic processes and principles, understand the interrelationships that exist between organisms and their environments, are cognizant of the unity of the global system and are aware that we operate in a finite system then you will be able to understand the numerous specific instances of organism and/or environmental imbalance when you read about them in the common press.

 

     You are expected to be present for all lectures & examinations.  “Cuts” are not allowed.  A small number of excused absences is permitted (remember, we meet only twice a week).  The instructor is the judge of what is, or is not, a valid excuse.  If a grade is borderline and you have unexcused absences, then the lower letter grade will be assigned.  If you do miss a lecture it is your responsibility to get the notes from a classmate (check notes from two people to be on the safe side) and to get any handouts for that day from the instructor.  It is strongly advised that you do not miss an examination.  If you do miss an examination for a valid reason (such as death in the immediate family or illness under the care of a physician) a makeup will be given.  Lack of a valid excuse (validity

 

 

of an excuse will be left to the judgment of the instructor) will result in a zero (0) for that exam.  Under no circumstances will a makeup be given for more than one exam.  Any questions concerning an exam grade should be brought to my attention within one week after the graded exams have been returned.  Adjustments will not be considered after that time.

 

     Academic dishonesty of any type will not be tolerated.  Cheating in an exam results in an automatic zero (0) for that exam.

 

     The exams during the course of the semester may vary quite a bit as regards format (essay, short answer, problems, true-false, modified true-false, multiple choice, definitions, etc.).  Each will require repetition of basic material as well as interpretation, synthesis and application.  They will not be cumulative in the strict sense of the word, with the EXCEPTION of the final exam.  The comprehensive section will be multiple choice.  The new material could be tested in a variety of ways (as in the 1st three exams).  The final, however, will still involve the ability to interpret and apply, as well as remember, the basic material.  Each of the four examinations will count 25%.  A letter grade as well as a numerical grade will be assigned to each of your exams.  This enables you to determine EXACTLY where you stand at any time during the semester.  The grade you receive on an exam or lab exercise represents my evaluation of your performance / achievement.  This grade is given after careful consideration of your work with what I feel can, and should, be done by university students at your level.  There is no minimum number, or maximum number, of A's, B's, etc. for a class.

 

     A letter grade as well as a numerical grade will be assigned to each examination.  This enables you do determine where you stand at any time during the semester.  The instructor reserves the right to adjust the grade scale at the end of the semester.  Under no circumstances will the scale be raised.  However, do not expect 'curving' at the end of the semester.  Unexcused absences will be a consideration if you are ‘borderline’ at the end of the semester.

     Questions concerning grades for an exam should be brought to my attention within one week after the paper has been returned.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:   This course will be graded on a +/- basis.  At the end of the semester your grade will be submitted to the registrar as A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.  The cutoffs for each level are as follows:

 

93-100  =   A             87-89.99 = B+          77-79.99 = C+          67-69.99 = D+

90-92.99 = A-           83-86.99 = B             73-76.99 = C             60-66.99 = D

80-82.99 = B-           70-72.99 = C-           below 60 = F


SOME IMPORTANT STUDY TIPS

 

In college the ‘rule of thumb’ for study time is that two hours of study, report writing, library work, etc. are required for each hour of class.  While this will vary from course to course and from person to person, it is a good general rule to follow.

 

Read ahead!  It is usually quite beneficial to ‘familiarize’ (not ‘study’ or ‘memorize’) yourself with the material before class.  This usually makes the material, when covered in class, more meaningful.  It can often save on note-taking because you know that a particular piece of information is in the text.  You can then spend more time understanding and less time frantically jotting down notes.

 

Review your notes and carefully read assigned materials as soon as possible after a lecture.  Do not let the material get ‘cold’.  Stay up with things.  Do not count on cramming just before an exam.

 

It often helps to study / review with one or two people.  Learning is a cooperative process.  What one person missed in class, or a connection that one does not make, may be made by another.  Note, however, that ‘group’ study is not a replacement for individual study.  Group study is useless if you are not at least familiar with the material and able to contribute to, as well as benefit from, the effort.

 

 

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SOME TIPS FOR TAKING TESTS

 

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

 

     LISTEN to the instructor in the event oral instructions or guidelines are being given.  Then take a few seconds to look through the ENTIRE test.

** QUICKLY decide on the order in which you will answer the questions.  Sometimes the order in which they are asked is not the best order for you.

 

** BUDGET YOUR TIME!!!!!  Determine how much time you are willing to give to each question or set of questions.

 

** Check the back of pages to make certain you do not miss any questions.

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

     READ & FOLLOW the directions in the test.  Note HOW the questions are to be answered.

** Do you have to answer them in a specific order?

 

** Do you have options?

 

 

** Do you have space/length limitations? (e.g. "answer in the space provided")

 

** Are there special symbols to be used? (e.g. in a true false section you might be required to use the symbols "T/F"  or  "+/-"  or  "+/0")

 

** Answer the question that is being asked, not one of your own design.  (e.g. providing a "function" for an item is very different from providing a "definition" of it)

 

 

DEFINITIONS:

 

** An EXAMPLE does not qualify as a definition.  (e.g.  "An oak" is not the definition of a tree.)

 

** A DESCRIPTION does not qualify as a definition.  (e.g.  "something that is tall and branched with leaves on it" certainly might DESCRIBE a tree but does not tell you WHAT it is.  It is an organism.)

 

** A definition should EXCLUDE all terms that might be similar in meaning to the term being defined.  (e.g.  "a rigid, woody, columnar structure rising from the ground" is not a definition of a tree.  This so-called definition does not exclude a clothes pole, support for a beach house, etc.)

 

** Unless the term specifically relates to time, the word "when" usually should not occur in the definition.  (e.g.  "A tree is WHEN something woody grows out of the ground" suggests that a tree is an interval of time while in reality it is an object.)

 

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE AND TRUE-FALSE QUESTIONS:

 

** Read the question carefully.  Does it ask “which is” or “which is not”?  Did it say always, sometimes, etc.?

 

** Eliminate those choices which you can.

 

** Do not read more into a question than is there.

 

** Be very careful about changing answers.  Numerous studies have shown that when changing answers one is much more likely to go from incorrect to incorrect OR correct to incorrect rather than from incorrect to correct.

 

 

SHORT ANSWER / ESSAY / PROBLEM QUESTIONS:

 

** Again, careful reading of the question is important.  Do you really know what is being asked of you?  You do not want to waste time and space on inane or extraneous material.

 

** Think for a minute or two before you begin to write.  Organize your thoughts.  Ultimately this actually saves time!

 

** Write neatly and coherently.  If it is not readable or if the meaning is unclear or ambiguous, you could lose some or even all credit.