Laboratory Schedule

Week 1 (12-16 Jan)	No laboratories
Week 2 (19-23 Jan)	Introduction: The literature of Ecology	SLB 421
Week 3 (26-30 Jan)	Capture-recapture analysis Due:  The literature of ecology (Report 25 pts)	SLB 421
Week 4 (02-06 Feb)	Life tables I Due:  Capture-recapture (Report 25 pts)	Field*
Week 5 (09-13 Feb)	Life tables II	SLB 121
Week 6 (16-20 Feb)	Introduction to ecological simulation models:  Populus 5.1 Due:  Life tables (Manuscript Rough draft)	SLB 121
Week 7 (23-27 Feb)	Simulations:  Competition & Predation I	SLB 121
Week 8 (01-05 Mar)	Simulations:  Competition & Predation II Due: Life tables (Manuscript 100 pts)	SLB 121
Week 9 (08-12 Mar)	No laboratories – Spring Break
Week 10 (15-19 Mar)	Species diversity I	Field*
Week 11 (22-26 Mar)	Species diversity II   Due:  Simulations: Competition & Predation (Report 25 pts)	Field*
Week 12 (29-02 Apr)	Species diversity III	SLB 421
Week 13 05-09 Apr)	Vegetation analysis of a deciduous forest I	Field*
Week 14 (12-16 Apr)	Vegetation analysis of a deciduous forest II Due:  Species diversity (Manuscript 100 pts)	Field*
Week 15 (19-23 Apr)	Vegetation analysis of a deciduous forest III	SLB 121
Week 16 (26-30 Apr)	Laboratory and TA Evaluations Due:  Vegetation analysis of a deciduous forest (Report 25 pts)

 

* Field laboratory.  Be on time.  Dress appropriately – long pants, sturdy shoes, and clothes suitable for rooting around in vegetation.  Waterproof clothes or warm clothes should be worn when the weather dictates.  Central Illinois weather is very rarely bad enough to cause cancellation of a field laboratory, so show up for the laboratory regardless of the weather.

 

Laboratories meet in the Science Laboratory Building (SLB) 421 unless you are told to meet at another location by your TA (Teaching Assistant).  Attendance and participation in the laboratories are required and count for 20% of your laboratory grade, which, in turn, is worth 25% of your total grade.  You will need several 3.5” floppy disks to hold data for analysis, and you will find it convenient to keep all of your assignments on floppies.   You should always have a back-up copy of any data, text, or other material stored on a floppy. 

 

Lab assignments consist of short Reports (25 pts each) and full length Manuscripts (100 pts each).  Your TA will explain the details of the requirements for each of these types of assignments.  All assignments must be typed, with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  Tables and figures should meet publication standards (i.e., prepared with MS Word or MS Excel).  Manuscripts should be written in the format for the journal Ecology, and have a maximum page limit of 10 pages of text (Abstract through Literature Cited) plus any tables and figures.  Tables and figures should present summary results and analysis of your data.  Do not include tables of raw, unanalyzed data.  Failure to follow instructions to authors will result in a lower grade on the laboratory report.  In particularly bad cases, the TA will return the paper without grading it.  For the first manuscript (Life tables), turning in a complete, typed rough draft (Abstract through Tables/Figures) is required.  Only the final version will be graded, but if you fail to turn in the rough draft you will lose 20% off the final grade.  Your TA will make editorial and content comments on the rough draft and return it within one week.  The final draft is due one week later.  Additional details on preparing reports and manuscripts can be found in the laboratory manual.

Read the exercise The Literature of Ecology in the laboratory manual.  The worksheet in the laboratory manual should be completed and turned in to your TA during week 3.

Late assignments will be accepted by your TA without penalty only if a valid excuse is presented to your TA, preferably before the assignment is due.  Unexcused late manuscripts will be penalized 5% per day, up to five days (25%).  Without an excuse, manuscripts more than five days late will not be accepted, and you will receive a zero for that assignment.  Unexcused late reports will not be accepted.

Come to the laboratory prepared.  You should read the relevant portions of your laboratory manual, and have a general understanding of what is to be done.  You should also read any additional handouts or reading assignments.

Laboratory Grading

The laboratory (375 points) is worth 25% of your total grade.  Two manuscripts are worth 200 points, four reports are worth 100 points and attendance and participation are worth 75 points.

Plagiarism on any assignment will result in a zero for that assignment, and will be reported to the chair of Biological Sciences and to SCERB.  Your TAs will discuss examples of plagiarism with you, in order to clarify what is, and is not, acceptable. You should make a point of reading the Student code of conduct, found in the ISU Student Handbook.