GENERAL ECOLOGY (NR/BIOL 2220) Fall, 2012 Professor - Todd Crowl Office - BNR 175 Phone - 797-2498 Office

hrs T & R 10:30-12:00 Class meets Tues & Thurs. 3:00-4:20; BNR 105 Introduction Ecology is a basic course introducing students to the science of ecology. At this time in history, ecology, environmentalism and humanism have all reached a level of incorrect usage in our society such that the meanings and intentions of these 'areas' have become muddled. One can pick up any newspaper or popular magazine and find articles that include the word 'ecology' or some derivative, yet the meanings are often obscure or confusing. We will do our best to differentiate the meanings of these words and introduce students to the 'science of ecology' in a way that will hopefully allow you to better understand and evaluate the common day uses of the word. Objectives The purpose of this course is to familiarize you with the basic concepts and techniques in ecology. Because science is an approach rather than just a set of facts, the history and methods as well as principles of ecology will be emphasized. A major objective is to facilitate an understanding of fundamental patterns and processes in populations, communities and ecosystems, both as they occur naturally and as they have been impacted by humans. A second objective is to increase skills in critical thinking and evaluation of common uses and abuses of the ideas of ecology, especially as they are used by our everyday media and politicians. Organization The content of the lectures is divided into three basic sections. The first section (weeks 1-4) develops the underlying basic concepts related to how one does ecology and the importance of evolution in ecological understanding and provides an overview of the large-scale underlying patterns associated with life on earth. This section includes a discussion of environmental drivers that affect much of what we see around us. The third section (weeks 5-10) is the heart of ecology and examines population and community Ecology The final section (weeks 11-15) places all of the above ideas into the larger ecosystems context. In this part of the course, we will discuss present-day ecological problems and how they are conceived by the general public and what the potential remedies are. Text The "text" for this course is the ebook "SimuText" which is a series of modules written by world-class ecologists. I will expect you to read the modules assigned AND answer all questions from those modules; some of those questions will be graded. My lectures will be based largely on my experiences and other ecology texts. If you read the modules and do the exercises and problems from Simutext and listen to lectures, you will have all the information you need to do well in this class. Classroom organization I will lecture Tues and part of Thurs on the topic to be considered that week. There will usually be one SimuText Module and a PowerPoint that will correspond to each lecture. Reading through the module and doing the exercises and problem sets beforehand will obviously help you decipher my lecture. On Thurs of each week, we will either have an open discussion about the weeks readings and lectures or discuss a short writing assignment in which you present an article from the popular press and discuss it in the context of the ecological concepts we discussed that week. Your graded questions from the module that was discussed will be due Friday of that same week. Grad Teaching Asst. Kit Wheeler Office BNR 158 Phone 797-1416 Office hrs T & R - 4:20 - 5:20

Assignments, Graded questions, Labs and tests. Throughout the semester, you will prepare a short, one-two paragraph discussion of something you read or heard that relates to that weeks ideas (lectures or readings). I look at the assignments to be sure that I have delivered what I had hoped and that you understood it. On Fridays, there will usually be Graded Questions from that week's module due. There are also six lab assignments associated with your SimuText readings. There will be two midterms and a final exam. The midterm exams will cover all information presented up to that point. The final will be comprehensive. The tests will be designed to determine if you have a good understanding of the terminology that we use; to make sure you can place critical ideas in their proper context and to be sure that you can critically evaluate ideas that claim to be based on scientific, ecological thinking. Class grades Summaries Module Questions Lab Exercises Midterms Final TOTAL

5 @ 10 pts 6 @ 25 pts 2 @ 100 pts

50 170 150 200 200 ---770

The final grades will be assigned by taking the highest number of points gained this quarter as the total possible and using the 90, 80, 70, 60 percentage scale out of 770 total points. Academic Integrity If we discover that someone has plagiarized all or part of a paper, or cheated on a quiz or an exam, that person will fail the entire course. To learn more about USU's Honor System, see http://studentlife.tsc.usu.edu/stuserv/pdf/student_code.pdf. A list of academic dishonesty violations starts on p. 9; discipline is discussed starting on p. 15. To learn more about the the CNR plagiarism policy see http://www.cnr.usu.edu/academichonesty/PLAGARIS.pdf Accommodation for disabilities This university is required by law to help disabled students participate fully in all programs, activities and services. If you have a disability that requires note-takers, interpreters for the deaf, extended testing time, etc., tell me or contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) directly. They're in room 101 of the University Inn (797-2444, discenter@cc.usu.edu). Course material can be provided in alternative formats such as large print, audio, diskette, or Braille in cooperation with the DRC. (Disabilities must be documented by the DRC.) Summary I am always available to talk about ecological ideas and problems. After all, ecology is my life. I encourage you to come see me, call me, leave me notes, etc. to help you understand this vast, interdisciplinary subject. I also encourage you to come in to just 'shoot the breeze' about particular issues. We all encounter ecological arguments for a wide variety of decisions, from how many kids to have to how we should allocate limited resources. These are vital issues and the aim of your college education should be to gather as much information and abilities to think logically and critically about these issues as you possibly can. It strikes me that the major goal of a college education is to ask the question 'what it is to be a human being in this universe' and be able to have some reasonable answers.

LECTURE OUTLINE WEEK 1 TOPIC Introduction and scope of ecology Global climate (Summary due Thurs) Biomes: Terrestrial & Aquatic (Summary due Thurs) Evolution and Ecology (Questions due Friday) Resources: Temp, water, light (Summary due Thurs) (Questions due Friday) Populations: Definitions, Patterns, Dynamics (Questions due Friday) Life Histories Midterm I - Tuesday (Questions due Friday) Population Interactions: Competition (Summary due Thurs) (Questions due Friday) Population Interactions: Predation (No Class Thursday) ("Niche Wars" due Friday) Predation Models ("Isle Royale" & Questions due Friday) Community Ecology ("Intermediate Disturbance Hypo" & Questions due Friday) Ecosystems Ecology I (Summary due Thurs) ("Keystone Predator" & "Top-down Control" due Friday) Ecosystems Ecology II (Ecosystems & Nutrient Cycling Questions due Friday) Midterm II - Tuesday Thanksgiving Break Decomposition ("Liebig's Law" & Questions due Friday) Climate Change (Questions due Friday) Week14.pdf Decomposition Module (Secs. 1-4) Week15.pdf Climate Change Module (Secs. 1-5) Resources. Week1.pdf Physiological Ecology Module - (Sec 1) Week2.pdf Week3.pdf Evolution for Ecology Module (Secs. 1-3) Week4.pdf Physiological Ecology Module - (Secs. 2-4) Week5.pdf Population Growth Module (Secs. 1-5) Week6.pdf Life History Module (Secs. 1-4) Week7.pdf Competition Module (Secs. 1-4) Week8.pdf Predation Module (Secs. 1-2) Week9.pdf Predation Module (Secs. 3-5) Week10.pdf Community Dynamics Module (Secs. 1-4) Week11.pdf Ecosystems Module (Secs. 1-5)

2 3 4

5 6

9 10

11

12

Week12.pdf Nutrient Cycling Module (Secs. 1-4)

13 14 15

THE FINAL EXAM IS SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY, DEC. 13 from 11:30-1:30

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OBTAINING EBOOK:

Please follow the instructions below to subscribe to SimUText for your General Ecology F12 class at Utah State University. 1. To subscribe to your SimUText please visit: https://simutext.com/student/pages/Welcome.jsp?accesskey=funX-PhtF-WGpy-NeSq-Hjz6 2. You will need to supply your email address as a user name, your name and student ID, and select a password. 3. If you purchased a SimUText Redemption Code from your bookstore, enter that code on the Confirm Course Selection screen. If you did not purchase anything from your bookstore, just click the Continue button. 4. Follow the remaining instructions to subscribe to your SimUText and download the software you will need. Should you encounter a problem during registration, the access key for this course is funX-PhtF-WGpyNeSq-Hjz6. If you experience any difficulties registering or downloading and installing the software, please visit the SimUText Support FAQ pages. If you are not able to find the answer to your question, use the link on those pages to email SimUText technical support.