BIO 229 - Principles of Ecology - Fall 2006

Instructor: Dr. Paul Weihe
Office: VSC 127
Office hours: M,W,F 10-11 AM; W,F 1-2 PM
---or by appointment.
Phone: 628-5204 (ext. 5204)
Mail: Box 015; also tray in kitchenette outside office; e-mail: weihep@central.edu

Course Description: Ecology is the sub-discipline withing Biology which considers how organisms interact with the environment. This course attempts to provide an overview of modern ecology: the patterns and processes operating in populations, communities, and ecosystems. Students will learn quantitative methods, field techniques, and practice the scientific method.

Lectures meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings; all students attend. Students are enrolled in one of the lab sections, and should attend that section. Labs are an essential part of the course, and must be attended. Missed labs cannot be made up.

Course Objectives: Students will...

  1. Practice science as a method, a way of understanding Nature
  2. Appreciate the work of scientists as citizens, and science/society issues
  3. Learn of the history of ecology as a discipline, its relationship to other academic disciplines
  4. Intensively research an ecological topic, collaborating with other students
  5. Understand the scale and methodology of Ecological inquiry
  6. Learn the most important ecological concepts
  7. Practice reading, writing and critical thinking in a scientific context
  8. Practice analytical/mathematical skills and computer use

Laboratory work is a very important part of this course. Labs are designed to provide first-hand study of some of the concepts being presented and to illustrate other material. Data will be collected and analyzed in many exercises. Careful recording of data and accurate presentation of data will be essential. Lab handouts will be provided for some exercises and must be thoroughly read before the lab period. Concepts illustrated and major results obtained from lab activities are "fair game" on quizzes and tests! Lab reports (when required) need to be well-organized, neat, and complete. A major portion of the lab is an ecological research project to be performed in small groups. Details regarding this project can be found in a document on the course Web site .

Textbook: Ecology and Field Biology (6th ed.) by Smith & Smith. (c) 2001 Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco. In addition, selected readings will be provided on the class Web Page, as handouts, or put on reserve in the library as needed. Availability will be announced in class.

Resources for the class include lab exercises and handouts, tutoring, the Center for Academic Excellence, and of course your instructor. If you ever want an update on your grade, have questions about policies, or would like to discuss the course material, please see me. I also encourage students to form study groups.

The class web site will also contain updates and information for students in the course. I will for example list other Internet resources I think may be helpful. The Bio 229 syllabus (this document) can also be found at URL: http://www.central.edu/homepages/weihep/bio229/syllabus.htm .

COURSE POLICIES:

  1. Attendance is expected. Poor attendance WILL affect your grade. 
  2. EXAMS cover all of the material, from reading assignments, lectures and labs, since the last exam. Questions will emphasize being able to evaluate information and actively use ecological principles.
  3. The FINAL EXAM is comprehensive including LECTURE and LAB.
  4. Lab reports will be required for some lab exercises; they will normally be turned in the following week at the beginning of lab.
  5. All safety regulations must be followed during lab exercises. Students acting in an unsafe manner will be asked to leave.
  6. Each student is expected to clean-up after him/herself during lab periods.
  7. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Please consult the catalog for policies on dishonesty. If you are unsure whether something is acceptable, please ask.

Plagiarism and Other Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism and cheating of any form are serious offenses and may result in an F for
the assignment, the course, or expulsion from the college. The details of Central's
Academic Integrity policy are found in the Student Handbook, on the web. A copy
will be sent to you via e-mail during the first week of the semester. It is your
responsibility to read and understand the contents of that policy before you submit
work to be graded. Questions regarding the policies and enforcement of the policies
may be addressed to me during class or during office hours.

Disabilities:
Central College abides by interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that stipulates no student shall be
denied the benefits of an education "solely by reason of a handicap." Disabilities
covered by law include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, hearing, sight, or
mobility impairments, and other health related impairments. If you have a
documented disability that may have some impact on your work in this class for
which you may require accommodations, please see me and Nancy Kroese, Director
of Student Support Services and Disabilities Services Coordinator, (x 5247) during
the first two weeks of the semester so that such accommodations may be arranged.

Notification of Participation in College Sanctioned Events:
Mock Trial participants, choir tour participants, athletes, and others who must miss
a class for participating in a college sanctioned event are expected to notify me in
advance and complete work including tests in advance of the absence. It is the
student's responsibility to communicate with me in advance regarding their
absences and determine a schedule for make up work.

COURSE GRADING:

Letter grades will be assigned at the end of the course using the standard percentage scale: 93% or more of possible points is an A, 90-92% is an A-, 87-89% is a B+, 83-86% is a B, 80-82% is a B-, etc. These are based on the total points for the course distributed as follows:
2 exams @ 100 200
Final Exam 150
Lab exercises 50
Quizzes/assignments 100
Group Project 100
TOTAL points possible 600

No "extra credit" assignments are available. Note that the final course grades may be adjusted (curved) at the end of the semester to raise the average if needed. Grades will not however be curved downward (lowered).

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Week Major Theme Chapters in text
1 Intro/overview; scientific method 1
2 Climate, water, light/heat energy 2 & 3
3 Adaptation 5 & 6
4 Plant adaptations II; animal adaptations 8
5 Properties of populations 10
6 Population growth 11
7 Intraspecific competition 12
8 Life history patterns 13
9 Interspecific competition, predation 14 & 15
10 Predator/prey, coevolution 16 & 17
11 Community ecology 20 & 21
12 Community dynamics; landscape ecology 22 & 23
13 Ecosystems 24
14 Biogeochemistry  25 & 26
15 Grassland ecosystems 27
16
 Freshwater ecosystems
 30
**
 FINAL EXAM: DEC 12, 1:00 PM
 ***