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Course Description
Biology 356 (Foundations
in Ecology) emphasizes understanding species interactions in biological communities
and the relationships between communities and the environment. Serves as a
prerequisite to 400-level courses and senior seminars in ecology, population
biology and conservation biology. Prerequisite: either BIOL 102 or BIOL 180
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Grading Policy
Grades for this course
will be based on student performance on a variety of in-class activities and
exams, and out-of-class homework assignments, as described below.
1. Exams: There will be three exams distributed throughout the quarter.
The exams are not comprehensive and will only cover material covered in the
most previous section of the course. Exams will use a variety of question
types (e.g., true/false, definitions, graphical interpretation, short essays)
to examine your knowledge of the material covered in the course.
2. In-class activities: There will be four activities run during class time
throughout the quarter that students will have to finish and write up before
the end of the typical lecture time of that day. These activities may involve
tasks that will be accomplished by small groups of students but each student
is responsible for handing in their own assignment for grading. Each of these
activities will require some data analysis so students should bring a calculator
to class on these dates.
3. Paper reviews: Students are required to write short (1-2 page, double
spaced) reviews of two assigned papers. Each review should provide a concise
overview of the key question(s) addressed in each of the papers, the key results,
and a brief discussion of the broader implications of these results for general
ecological understanding. We expect that reviews will be written with proper
grammatical structure.
(1) Huey RB, Gilchrist GW, Carlson ML, Berrigan D, Serra L. 2000. Rapid
evolution of a geographic cline in size in an introduced fly. Science 287:
308-309.
(2) Estes JA, Tinker MT, Williams TM, Doak DF. 1998. Killer whale predation
on sea otters linking oceanic and nearshore ecosystems. Science 282: 473-476.
4. Independent project: The final component of this course will involve
estimating the population size of crows on the UW campus. Each student will
be expected to help collect the data required to perform a mark-recapture
estimate of crows. We will do this on Tuesday January 13 – you should come
to class prepared to spend about 2 hours outside (rain or shine!). If you
have binoculars - bring them; they are not required. Students will eventually
be able to access the entire dataset from the course website. We will provide
you with a set of specific questions that we expect you to answer using these
data.
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Point distribution
Activity
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Due date
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Percent of grade
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EXAMS
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1 -
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Tues Feb 3
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20
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2 -
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Tues Feb 24
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20
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3 -
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Tues Mar 16
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20
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PAPER REVIEWS
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|
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Huey et al. (2000)
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Tues Jan 20
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5
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Estes et al. (1998)
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Tues Feb 17
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5
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IN-CLASS EXERCISES
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Estimating population size
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Thurs Jan 8
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5
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Population dynamics
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Tues Jan 27
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5
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Predator functional responses
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Tues Feb 10
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5
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Nutrient Budgets
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Thurs Mar 4
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5
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INDEPENDENT PROJECT
Estimating crow population size
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Thurs Jan 29
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10
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TOTAL
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100
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Required Readings
This course will follow
the material outlined in The Economy of Nature (fifth edition) by R.E. Ricklefs.
2001. W.H. Freeman and Co. This text is available at the UW bookstore. Lectures
will include information obtained from both the text and from alternative
sources. We expect that students will read and be accountable for any handouts
or papers distributed in class or over the website.
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Other Items
Look around. Observe.
Marvel. Explore. For inspiration, read Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac.
Here is a quotation, where the book fell open at random. It concerns the
common snipe, a secretive bird of damp places. My father tells stories of
luring unsuspecting younger brothers out on "Snipe Hunts," and leaving them
holding the bag and a lantern, to be eaten by mosquitoes, not a snipe to
be found. But snipes really exist. Leopold writes, "The drama of the sky dance
is enacted nightly on hundreds of farms, the owners of which sigh for entertainment,
but harbor the illusion that it is to be sought in theaters. They live on
the land, but not by the land."
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