Instructors:
Dr.
C.F. Thompson—1st half E-mail: wrens@ilstu.edu
Office: FSA 135, Office Hours T, R 1-3 PM and
by appointment
Dr. Steven Juliano---2nd
half
E-mail: sajulia@mail.bio.ilstu.edu
Office: FSA 335, Office Hours: W 2:00PM, R 10:00AM, & by appt.
Syllabus,
etc. - http://www.bio.ilstu.edu/juliano/juliano.htm
Lectures
- http://www.bio.ilstu.edu/juliano/evolecol-lect.htm
Lecture: MWF
9:00 – 9:50AM,
Moulton 210
Laboratory: Science Laboratory Bldg. 421
(see Laboratory Schedule)
Textbook: The Economy of Nature, 5th
edition.
Robert E. Ricklefs
Other readings as assigned
Lab manual: Ecology.
Published by Phi Sigma Bookstore, FHS 101A
Examination Schedule:
1st examination: Fri. 6 Feb.
2004; 2nd examination: Wed. 3 Mar.
2004;
3rd examination:
Mon. 5 Apr. 2004; Final examination: Mon. 03 May 2004, 7:50 AM
Course goals:
Ecology is a required major's course designed to introduce the concepts,
questions, facts, and methods of ecology, the scientific study of how organisms
interact with their nonliving environment and with other organisms. Ecology is one of the subdisciplines (along
with genetics, physiology, and cell biology) that constitute the science of
biology, and which all biologists need to understand in order to merit the
title of "biologist." This
course is designed for people seeking a career in biology and biology
education. After successfully
completing this course, you should understand the basics of ecology as a
science and know the major principles of the subdiscipline. The course emphasizes both concepts and
facts (data). Although we will cover
some applied aspects of ecology (i.e., applications of ecological principles to
environmental problems), the emphasis of this course is on the general
principles of basic ecology. You will
also learn some ecological methods.
Secondary goals of the course are to improve your ability to prepare
written presentations of scientific material, and to enhance your ability to
apply quantitative and mathematical skills to the science of biology.
Grades:
Lecture - 75%. There
will be three in-class examinations
during the semester, given as scheduled on the course outline (below). There will also be a cumulative final given during final examination week, on Monday 03 May at 07:50 AM. The
three in-class examinations together are worth 50% of your grade and the final
is worth 25% of your grade.
Laboratory - 25%. The laboratory grade will be based on written assignments
and attendance and participation (see Laboratory Schedule, which describes the
laboratory schedule and expectations).
Assignments will be explained in the laboratory. Assignments turned in late will be penalized
5% per day up to five days, unless the TA is presented with a valid excuse
(preferably in advance of the assignment due date).
Overall
grading system: Lecture and laboratory grades will be
combined and you will be graded based on the following scale:
90--100%
-- A; 80--
89% -- B; 70--79% -- C; 60--69% -- D; <60% -- F
Grading
of essay exams: Essays on exams will rated on a 20-point
scale as follows:
|
18-20 |
Excellent. All necessary information; well organized;
good examples; no irrelevant material. |
|
16-17 |
Adequate. All major points made; no major errors;
good examples. |
|
14-15 |
Mostly
adequate, but some major point missing or wrong, or with inappropriate
examples. |
|
12-13 |
Inadequate. Major errors or omissions. |
|
<12 |
Complete
lack of understanding, or did not answer the question that was asked. |
Questions
about scores on examinations (essay or multiple choice) must be presented within one week after the exams are
returned.
The following tentative lecture outline
indicates topics covered.
Lecture Outline
|
Topic |
|
Introduction |
|
What
is ecology, and what do ecologists do? |
|
Population ecology |
|
Distribution and abundance: the central
program of population ecology |
|
Evolution and ecology: population biology |
|
The mechanism of evolutionary
change: natural selection |
|
Population biology |
|
Life
tables and survivorship curves |
|
Reproductive
value and reproductive effort |
|
Case study: clutch size in birds |
|
Dispersal and colonization |
Species Interactions |
|
Interspecific competition |
|
Lotka-Volterra competition
equations and graphical solutions |
|
Predation and parasitism |
|
Lotka-Volterra predator-prey
equations and graphical solutions |
|
Case study: ecology of disease and evolution of
virulence |
|
Spring Break |
|
Ecology of communities |
|
Species
interactions. |
|
Effects
of interactions in communities. |
|
Competition & community patterns |
|
Predation & community patterns |
|
Herbivory & parasitism
|
|
Mutualism & other interactions |
|
Evolutionary responses |
|
Species number, sizes, &
abundances |
|
Food webs & Keystone species |
|
Nonequilibrium communities |
|
Indirect effects |
|
Ecology of ecosystems |
Succession |
|
Ecosystem
energetics |
|
Nutrient
cycles |
|
Applied
ecology & Conservation |
|
Ecosystem
services |