BIO 320 - Spring 2007 Introduction to Ecology Early Assignment! (described below)
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” - William Shakespeare
Welcome! In this course we will examine ecological concepts at several different levels, including organisms, populations, and communities, plus the environments they inhabit.
We will start out with a brief introduction to basic concepts, and then examine the myriad types of environments supporting these organisms. The middle portion of the course will be a consideration of all the biotic and abiotic factors that determine their abundance and distribution. Lastly, we will discuss some of the major human impacts on these organisms, with current efforts to improve the situation, as well as future prospects.
The textbook for the course is Elements of Ecology (6th edition) by Smith and Smith, a contemporary, very readable, and objectively written book.
OBJECTIVES
After completing this course, you should be able to
* Define what ecology is and all it encompasses
* Differentiate between the many specific types of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in which organisms are found
* Appreciate the wide variety of physical, chemical, and biological factors that influence the abundance and distribution of organisms
* Recognize the broad range of these influences on organisms, from local to global levels
* Understand the dynamics of populations in both spatial and temporal scales
* Realize the magnitude of human impacts on these natural processes
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EARLY ASSIGNMENT!
Profile - this will only take a few minutes. I’d like to get to know just a little bit more about you. From the Course Menu, click on Assignments, and you’ll see one called Brief Profile there. This can be done any time prior to midnight Monday, February 19.
CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS
At the end of each chapter in the textbook are several Study Questions. We will cover some of the basic information in the week prior to when each assignment is due (see the schedule). You’ll notice that several of these questions are rather mechanical, but some are more interpretive in nature. I’ve chosen four of the more interpretive ones in each chapter:
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For each assignment, read the appropriate chapter, then choose one (1) of the above corresponding questions at the end that’s of particular interest to you. Your answer should be a maximum of one (1) page, though if necessary, a slight spillover on to a second page is OK (or how about smaller margins or fonts?!)
These questions are to be answered individually, and some of them are somewhat open-ended in nature. For these types, there is no one right or wrong answer to them. But regardless of the nature of the question, be sure in your answer to include some details, numbers, etc. to support your statements. The only requirement is to start by stating the question on top of each page. (Note: no outside references are required for these!). And lastly, each assignment will be due in the beginning of the corresponding week (i.e. the end of Monday [midnight]) in the schedule, and will be worth 10 points.
RESEARCH PAPER
Listed below are 45 topics of ecological importance - which ones interest you?
Due Monday, February 26 : Look at the list of topics below and choose five (5) of interest. There is some information on most of them in the text (you can check the index and/or glossary) if some are unfamiliar to you at this point. Then, submit the five topics, in your order of preference. I’ll post a master list of names and topics by the end of that week, so you’ll know which topic you can investigate.
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It’s up to you how you’d like to organize it, but one very general approach could be the following, where appropriate:
Conceptual Introduction
Original Study or Studies
Recent Updates and/or Modifications
This paper should be a maximum of five (5) pages in length and should include a minimum of four (4) outside sources. These sources can be anything except the class notes or text (but you may find some useful websites linked to The Ecology Place website). That means articles, books, pamphlets, personal interviews, etc. are all fine! If you want to research your topic on the Internet, make sure you are using reputable sources. Anyway, be sure to cite your sources in your text where appropriate, such as after details or short quotations, and give the complete reference listings at the end. See the later section in this syllabus on Citations and References for proper formats for scientific papers.
Addendum - Professor Notes: An increasing number of college professors across the country are putting their lecture notes online, and they frequently show up in most search engines. It is much more preferable to use primary sources (i.e. articles, agency websites, etc.), so these lecture topic summaries should be avoided for our purposes here. You can tell that type of information if part of the web address contains “.edu.” For example, “…/und.edu/eco101/wetlands.html” is lecture notes from a professor at the University of North Dakota , and is not to be used for one of your sources.
The paper will be due by midnight Monday, April 30 and worth 75 points. I’ll set up a Discussion topic (called Research Papers) for posting it. That’ll also enable you to read what others found out, if you’re interested in other topics.
FIELD OBSERVATIONS
It’s so hard to get a true appreciation for ecology by sitting in front of a computer! So, here’s a chance to make some observations outside. Think of it as if you’re on the Lewis & Clark expedition and you see a new (to you) bird species for the first time. What sort of journal entry would you make?
So, some time before the May 14 due date, find any particular bird species ** anywhere outside (in your backyard? outside your workplace? on a roadside post? or…?), and answer the following:
1. Date
2. Time of observation
3. Weather
4. Location (i.e. habitat type)
5. Species identification - common name - scientific name
6. Identifying feature(s) - like color, shape, size, or…?
7. Singly seen? Or approximate group size?
8. Bird activity or behavior at your time of observation?
** Sorry, no super common species like European starlings, house sparrows, American crows, or
American robins. But that still leaves you with over 200 other possibilities!
Typically a journal entry would also have a sketch of the organism, but due to the logistics of that here (i.e. scanning and uploading), that’s not a requirement here!
So why am I giving you all this detail 3 months early? It’s so you can plan ahead for two items you’ll need - binoculars and a field guide to local bird species.
1. Binoculars - if you don’t have a pair, is there a friend or family member you can borrow from? Or, if you think you might have more uses for a pair later on, you can find them fairly inexpensively (~$30) at BiMart or GI Joe’s.
2. Bird field guide - There are several good ones out there, but if you don’t have one or don’t know anyone else who has one, you should be able to check out one from your local library.
MECHANICS
Let’s go through some of the basics in the course functions, as they appear in the Course Menu:
1. Announcements - this link will get you directly to that topic in the Discussion section. If there are any new announcements, I’ll let you know on the Home Page.
2. Weekly Topics - these will be available weekly and cumulatively as the course progresses. Within each, you’ll see due dates on top, and icons (i.e. links) for Discussion and Assignments (see below). If you click on the specific topic directly underneath the picture, that will open up the notes (with occasional hyperlinks to “transparencies”). Then, maximize the width of the window on your screen, to minimize the number of “wraparound” lines. To view topics in a previous week, click back on Weekly Topics in the Course Menu to get to the overall list.
3. Discussion - several features here! As mentioned, there’s one called Announcements. Also, if you have any general questions about the course (i.e. set-up, mechanics, etc.) you can “Compose Message” within the General topic. Also, there will be a topic called Research Papers for your posting later on. Lastly is an Out-of-Town topic - if you know of an upcoming vacation or business trip during the course, please let me know there.
4. Assignments - these correspond to the schedule above. You can compose your answers on your own terminal, upload them there, and they’ll be directed my way immediately. I’ll also be able to make comments on your work and send it back your way.
5. Library - this will get you directly to Class Research pages in the Linfield Library. If you click on BIO 108 Ecology of Ecosystems, that’s for a class I teach on the McMinnville campus, and the website that Carol McCulley set up has many sources and hyperlinks that could be very useful for your research paper.
6. E-mail - this software package has its own internal e-mail system which allows you to send and/or receive messages from others in the class, for example. It is separate from your own e-mail address, though if you like, under Message Settings is an option to forward all incoming e-mails from here to your own. Just click on Update when done.
Whenever you click on Reply Privately to any message in the Discussion, your question or response goes into this e-mail system, to that specific person only.
7. Biography - if you can get past the blinding reflection of that bald guy there, you’ll see some background and where I’m from.
8. My Grades - This will show your progress in the course. Column headings are set up automatically from the Assignments function. Please check this periodically. If there’s no number recorded within a few days after you’ve submitted an assignment, please let me know!
Note: You may see a few generic blank columns that seem to stay empty. Not to worry - those are default columns set up for every course, that are sometimes used in others. Here, focus on the specific columns labeled with the assignments, etc.
FINAL EXAM
There will be a final exam posted by Monday May 14 and due by midnight Monday May 21. It will be five open-ended essay-type questions, and worth 50 points.
OUTCOMES
The course will be worth a total of 250 points, derived from the following: profile (5 pts), paper topics (10 pts), nine chapter assignments (90 pts), research paper (75 pts), field observations (20pts) and final exam (50 pts). At this point, I anticipate the typical 90%, 80%, and 70% cut-off levels for A, B, and C, but if everyone’s totals end up on the low side, I have no problem at all in lowering those percentages!
Addendum: Late assignments - we all dislike late papers, particularly those of us who put forth the extra effort to get them in on time. Therefore, I feel compelled to deduct 10% for each day one of your assignments is late, without a valid reason. Then again, for your work, surely that won’t be a problem!
ACADEMIC HONESTY
It’s unfortunate that a section on this is needed at all, and this should be abundantly clear, but cheating and/or plagiarism in any portion of the course (including buying a research paper) will not be tolerated and will seriously jeopardize your grade. A very simple way to avoid this is to write your assignments and papers in your own words and cite your sources (see below) after specific details or examples.
QUESTIONS ?
Something not working? Directions not clear? Two options: if it’s a general question that you think may interest others, there’s a Discussion topic called General and you can ask there. Or…you can e-mail me at any time (within the program here or to nknight@linfield.edu) and I’ll respond within 24 hrs, if not sooner (I usually check e-mails daily around midnight).
Or #2, if you’re having difficulties logging on or navigating around the website, you can e-mail either Brett Hardee (bhardee@linfield.edu) in the DCE office, or the DCE computer consultant Peter Shultz (pshultz@westerlook.com).
Or #3, if you’re having mechanical or technical difficulties with the software program, you can click on Access WebCT Online Support which appears in the Institutional Bookmarks box on the very first page after you log in to the website.
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES - The Science Way
(adapted from the Council of Science Editors (CSE) Style Manual, condensed down from 680 pages!)
In-Text Citations
These could be direct citations:
Smith and Wesson (1991) lobbied against gun control.
or indirect citations:
There was an active lobby against gun control (Smith and Wesson, 1991).
General Rules:
1. Cite your source for specific details, examples, etc. and for any direct quotes (though direct quotes
are seldom used in scientific papers).
2. General format: (author, year)
a. No author? Use (Anonymous, year)
The Forest Dragons have been drawing small crowds to the Coliseum
(Anonymous, 1999).
b. If two (or more) articles by the same author in the same year, use a and b after the year in
the text and reference listing at the end, to keep them distinct
Last year’s movies are back again for the Oscars (Mahar, 2002b).
c. Internet source? Use (author, year the site was last updated), or if no author, use
(Anonymous,year updated)
Methyl chloroform levels have declined in the stratosphere (Anonymous, 2001).
Important Exception: If your Internet source is from a published format (newspaper,
magazine, etc.), cite the published source instead, using the year of publication.
d. Multiple authors? If two, cite both names; if more, use “and others” after the first author
Mexico City has had the worst air pollution in the last decade (Talbot and others, 2000).
e. Personal interview (or communication). Format: (Person. year date. position, city. Personal
communication)
According to DW Anderson (1998 Oct 28. Architect, Knob Hill Designers, Beaverton,
OR, Personal communication), the 30-ft high sculpture was an appropriate entrance to
the Silicon Forest.
Note: These go in your text only, not in the reference listing at the end.
References (or Bibliography)
This should appear at the end of your paper, and should be a complete listing of every source cited
in your text (except any personal communication).
A. General Formats:
1. Journal or magazine articles: Author(s). Year. Title. Source. Volume:Pages.
Smith IM, Wesson UR. 1991. Gun control is not for everyone. Rifleman 54:32-36.
2. Books: Author(s). Year. Title. City published: Publisher.
Brown LR. 1997. Tough choices: facing the challenge of food scarcity. Washington,
D.C.: Worldwatch Institute.
3. Article within a book: Author(s). Year. Title. Pages in Book ed. Title. City published:
Publisher.
Wilson EO. 2003. What is nature worth? Pages 121-130 in Allen JL, ed. Annual
editions: environment 03/04. Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
4. Newspaper articles: Author(s). Year date. Title. Newspaper; Section pages.
Eggers K, Jaynes D. 1998 Mar 29. Trailblazers have a decent season after all.
Oregonian; Section E1-E2.
5. Internet: Author(s). Year date last updated. Title. <Web site address> Date you
accessed.
Papadopoulos G. 2001 Mar 15. Aquaculture in Greece expands rapidly.
< http://www.grfishaq.html > Accessed 2003 Aug 29.
Important Exception: Again, if it’s a published source, use that information here
instead of the web address. That is, don’t assume every reader has Internet access.
B. Multiple authors? List them all, in the same order they appear in the source.
Talbot GM, Svoboda PR, Payne SW, Enfield KS. 2000. Mexico City: air pollution
nightmare. Environmental Science and Toxicology 17:433-440.
C. No authors? Start with [Anonymous]
[Anonymous]. 1999 May 28. Forest Dragons vie for recognition in Portland.
Oregonian; Section E3.
D. Same author with two or more articles in the same year? Use a, b, c, etc. after the year, to
correspond with your in-text citations
Mahar T. 2002a Apr 1. Oscars yield few surprises. Oregonian; Section D1-D2.
Mahar T. 2002b Apr 4. Oscar winner movies see attendance rise. Oregonian; Section
D5.
E. Let’s put it all together:
References
[Anonymous]. 1999 May 28. Forest Dragons vie for recognition in Portland.
Oregonian; Section E3.
Brown LR. 1997. Tough choices: facing the challenges of food scarcity. Washington,
D.C.: Worldwatch Institute.
Eggers K, Jaynes D. 1998 Mar 29. Trailblazers have a decent season after all.
Oregonian; Section E1-E2.
Mahar T. 2002a Apr 1. Oscars yield few surprises. Oregonian; Section D1-D2.
Mahar T. 2002b Apr 4. Oscar winner movies see attendance rise. Oregonian; Section
D5.
Papadopoulos G. 2001 Mar 15. Aquaculture in Greece expands rapidly.
< HTTP://www.grfishaq.html > Accessed 2003 Aug 29.
Smith IM, Wesson UR. 1991. Gun control is not for everyone. Rifleman 54:32-36.
Talbot GM, Svoboda PR, Payne SW, Enfield KS. 2000. Mexico City: air pollution
nightmare. Environmental Science and Toxicology 17:433-440.
Wilson EO. 2003. What is nature worth? Pages 121-130 in Allen JL, ed. Annual
editions: environment 03/04. Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
Notice the listing is alphabetized, by the first author’s last name (or word).
F. Now that you have all the “Do’s”, just a few brief “Don’ts”:
1. Don’t use footnotes in your text for sources.
2. Don’t cite more than (author year) in your text (except personal communications).
3. Don’t include complete references at the end for sources not cited in your text.
4. Don’t cite sources in your text without giving the complete listing at the end (again, except
personal communications).
Note: The Italics used above are just for clarity - they’re not needed in your papers