Office Hours: Fridays 10 a.m. -
12:00 p.m. or by appointment (send an e-mail)
Phone:
274-3575
Catalog
Course
Description:
General
Ecology
presents
the
basic concepts of ecology with balanced treatment of plant and
animal
examples. Topics include the interactions among individuals of a
population,
interactions in their abiotic environment, and interactions with other
species.
Also discussed are growth, regulation, diversity, and stability of
populations,
and the interactions among populations at the community and ecosystems
levels.
Laboratories include field and laboratory work and statistical analyses
of
data. Lecture: Three hours. Laboratory: Three hours. Prerequisites:
BIOL 12000
or BIOL 12200. 4 credits.
Course Objectives:
This
course
has
been
designed to present you with an introduction to current ecological
theories and
practices. You will be introduced to the subject of ecology by
examining various
types of ecological questions, theories and models. You will learn how
ecologists develop hypotheses to examine these questions and we will
explore
ways in which ecologists design experiments to refute or support
hypotheses.We will examine specific
ecological studies that have helped to shape the way in which we
understand our
natural world.Therefore, in this course
you are expected to learn how these conceptual models aid in our
understanding
of complex biological systems.We will
also
examine the importance of biodiversity as well as the impacts that
humans have
had on the environment.
Expected
Learning Outcomes
Lecture:
Ecological
theories
and
practices
Basic
ecological
modeling
The
relationship
between
evolution
and ecology
General
behavioral
ecology
(examples:
costs and benefits, territorial defense,
foraging, migration, group living)
Geographic
distribution
of
species
and species abundance (physiological ecology)
Factors
that
govern
population
growth (such as, dispersal, colonization and
extinction,
disease, parasitism and allelopathy)
Factors
that
affect
community-level
distribution through time and within a given
space
(for example, succession, biodiversity, production, equilibrium and
non-equilibrium communities, disturbance, primary production, secondary
production and nutrient cycles, and the effects of climate on
distribution)
Conservation
biology
and
the
impact of Human populations have had on the environment
(ecosystem health and sustainability)
Expected Learning Outcomes
Laboratory:
To
learn
basic
ecological
methods and theory
To
be
able
to generate
ecologically related questions and testable hypotheses
Measure
biodiversity
Understand
factors
that
impact
competition
Understand
the
dynamics
of
population growth and models that describe population growth
Understand
how
to
conduct
studies within delicate habitats such as wetlands and forested sites
Gain
a
general
knowledge
of local flora and fauna
To
be
competent
in
organizing data sets, making tables and figures complete with legends
and
descriptions as well as using excel to compute mathematical equations
Write
formal
reports
Collaborate
with
fellow
students
Methods
of
Assessing
Expected
Learning
Outcomes(performance
evaluation)
In
lecture
I
will use exam and quiz/problem set scores
to assess your comprehension of lecture and course readings materials. Laboratory projects, that include your level
of participation and comprehension of what is being done will be
evaluated in
your reports and from one to one interactions to determine your ability
to
comprehend the laboratory materials.
Attendance
Policy
You are expected
to attend all Ecology lectures and Laboratory sessions. You are
responsible for
making up any work missed as a result of any absence from class.It is college policy that I provide in
writing the guidelines for grading penalties for failure to attend
class.These are posted below:
Unexcused
absences
from
lecture
will impact your grade on exams. Also, since quizzes are
unannounced it may result in you missing quizzes. I will not give make
up
quizzes. You should notify me as
soon
as possible by phone or email of any anticipated absences. Written documentation that indicates the
reason for being absent may be required.Exam attendance is mandatory.
An examination missed during an unexcused absence will result in a
failing
grade for that exam.To be excused from
taking an exam during the scheduled time, you must make a request in
advance,
at least 1 week before the exam date.Make up exams may also be taken if you miss
an exam for the following reasons 1) Illness (however, you must contact
me before the exam begins by phone,
email alone is insufficient; you need to call and
leave a message (607-274-3980) with a number where I can
contact you (if I am not available).Failure to do so will result in a zero for that exam;2) appearance in court you need to inform me
of this before the exam and I will require to see proof of your court
date; 4) religious
observance, please discuss this with me during the first two weeks of
class
so that we can develop a working plan to accommodate you; 3) family
emergencies,
however, I will expect proof of such emergencies and this can be
discussed on
an individual basis.
Accommodations
In
compliance
with
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable
accommodation
will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case by
case
basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Support
Services and
provide appropriate documentation to the college before any academic
adjustment
will be provided.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
is
a
serious crime and is not tolerated by
the federal government, Ithaca College and myself.If you are not sure how to incorporate other
people’s ideas, photographs, writings, etc., into your own writing,
then please
see me and I can help you out. Bring the
work that you would like to reference or use and I will help you to use
it
properly and show you how to provide a citation for that work. Please see rules and consequences in the
Ithaca College Undergraduate Catalog on plagiarism. If
you
are
caught plagiarizing work you will
receive a failing grade for that work and I will report you to Judicial
affairs.
Materials
to
study
for
exams
This course
is intended for students
in their collegiate Sophomore year.Thus, you now have had some experience in successfully
completing your
first year of college courses.This is a
challenging course and you should know that the course material will be
presented to you in three ways for the Lecture portion of the course:
1) The
primary source of information to learn will be provided in lectures. 2)
It will
really help you if you complete the reading assignments listed in the
course
outline before attending lectures. 3)
supplemental material will also be posted on the course website
(blackboard).Please note that not all of
the information
in the text can be presented in lecture; thus, you can expect that exam
material will be generated mainly from lecture materials so focus your
studies
on the lecture materials and use the course book and handouts and any
supplemental information that I provide to help you gain a full
understanding
of the material.
The lectures
are intended to give
you an overview of the material presented in the textbook but you will
find
that the textbook will also help you to understand complex subject
matter
through close reading.Since you are
responsible for the reading material, I will provide time in certain
lectures
for questions stemming from your readings.If you do not read the material prior to class, you
will
miss
the opportunity to ask questions
and learn from questions asked by your peers.
You
should
be
enrolled
into the General Ecology course, if you are not please let
me know as soon as possible so that I can add you to the blackboard
course
list.
