Classroom lectures and your textbook reading will be assisted with a course website in which you can review terminology, read more on subjects that interest you, and take practice quizzes to help you master the material. You are not required to use any of these tools, but many students find that they help in ways similar to study groups. If you participate in on-line discussions (open for one week each time) you can earn up to 3 extra credit points (one for each third of the course) that will be added directly to your final point total.
There will be three exams and a final. No make-up exams will be given, for any reason. If you must miss an exam, the zero will become your low grade. Your lowest midterm grade will be dropped. All students must take the final. Keys will be posted on the course web page. If you feel that an error was made in the grading of your exam, you may request in writing that your test be regraded, handing in your exam with the problems described on a sheet stapled to the front of your exam.
The writing component of this course has two parts: pop
quizzes
(essays) in lecture, and an investigative paper. The five-minute
essays will pop up in lectures throughout the semester, and the best
60%
of them will be counted for a significant portion of your final
grade.
The paper will be done in stages with the continuing critique of one
instructor.
Topics will be assigned, and though multiple students will have the
same
topic, all are required to work independently on this assignment.
We will have some training in library research to help you find
references
relevant to your topic. It is advisable to start this project
early
to give yourself time to obtain references from InterLibraryLoan (if
needed),
read the scientific articles, and to put together your
ideas.
Plagiarism is unethical and will not be tolerated in this or any course
activity.
| Exams (20% each, a total of 2 midterms and 1 final) | 60% |
| Best 60% of "pop" essay grades | 20% |
| Investigative paper | 20% |
| Date/ day | Topic | Readings - Ricklefs chapter |
| 10 Jan T |
First Day of Class |
none |
| 12 Jan R |
Introduction | 1 |
| 17 Jan T |
The Physical Environment | 2 |
| 19 Jan R |
Adaptation to Environments [Project assignment] | 3 |
| 24 Jan T |
Biological Communities | 4 & 5 |
| 26 Jan R |
Energy in Ecosystems [First half of class report to library] | 6 |
| 31 Jan T |
Elemental Cycles | 7 & 8 |
| 2 Feb R |
Energy in Ecosystems [Second half of class report to library] | 6 |
| 7 Feb T |
Nutrient Flow in Ecosystems |
7 & 8 |
| 9 Feb R |
EXAM 1 | |
| 14 Feb T | Adaptation and Natural Selection | 9 |
| 16 Feb R | Life History Strategies [project stage 1 due] | 10 |
| 21 Feb T | Sex, Family, Society, Evolution | 11 & 12 |
| 23 Feb R | Evolutionary Ecology film |
|
| 28 Feb T |
Population Structure |
13 |
| 2 Mar R |
Population Growth and Regulation | 14 |
| 7 Mar T |
Population Dynamics | 15 |
| 9 Mar R | EXAM 2 | |
| 14 Mar T | Population Genetics and Evolution | 16 |
| 16 Mar R | Predation, Herbivory, Predator/prey [project stage 2 due] | 17,18 |
| 21 - 23 Mar |
SPRING BREAK |
|
| 28 Mar T |
Competition |
19 |
| 30 Mar R | Coevolution and Mutualism | 20 |
| 4 Apr T |
Community Structure | 21 |
| 6 Apr R | Community Development [project stage 3 due] | 22 |
| 11 Apr T | Biodiversity | 23 |
| 13 Apr R | History and Biogeography | 24 |
| 18 Apr T | Conservation Biology |
25 |
| 20 Apr R | EXAM 3 | |
| 27 Apr R | Final Exam (Cumulative) 1:30 - 3:15 |