Ecology for QBIC - Spring 2020

Tuesday and Thursday 11 am - 12:15 pm

meeting in PG6 112

Course Instructor: Dr. Suzanne Koptur Professor of Biology	Learning Assistants: Laura Cardenas, Nicole  Jones, Sofia Ocampo, Estefania Soccoro
OE 232, ph. 305-348-3103; email: kopturs@fiu.edu Website: faculty.fiu.edu/~kopturs
Office hours Tuesday and Thursday, 9 - 10:30 am Wednesday 10 - 11 am; and by appt.	Course hosted in Canvas

What can Ecology do for you?

Have you ever wondered how things in nature have become the way they are? What is the worth and role of organisms, and non-living parts of ecosystems, on the earth? How do organisms adapt to environmental stresses? How are organisms modified in response to their environments? How can the life history of a species be used to evaluate and compare its strategies for reproduction and interactions with other species? How do organisms and habitats compare in different biomes around the world? How does energy flow and nutrients cycle through food webs and communities? How can we compare and evaluate communities in terms of species richness and diversity? What roles have humans played in transforming natural ecosystems? And what are our prospects for conservation of remaining biodiversity?  In this course you will use your foundation in biology, chemistry, and math to explore the data examining and implications of the answers to these questions. 

 

Learning goals:

            Students completing this course should gain foundational knowledge, including:  the worth and role of all organisms and non-living parts of ecosystems on the earth; how organisms adapt to environmental stresses; how organisms are modified in response to their environments; how life histories can be used to evaluate and compare strategies for reproduction and interactions with other species; how organisms and habitats compare in different biomes around the world, and how things have come to be the way they are; energy flow and nutrient cycles through food webs and communities; how communities can be compared in terms of species richness and diversity; the role humans have had in transforming natural ecosystems; the prospects for conservation of remaining biodiversity; and more. 

You will integrate and apply what learn to hypothetical and real-world situations, preparing for challenges you may face in future courses, research, employment, and life.  Students will solve problems, retrieve and synthesize informatiom, write, present, and work with others.  Hopefully, you will also become aware of the consequences of our/human actions on natural biota, and what can be done to ameliorate negative effects and promote ecosystem health. 

Class Content:

            Concepts will be presented in our textbook and recorded lectures by the professor and videos available on our course website.  There will also be readiness quizzes over the reading, and other assignments to be completed online to augment your learning. We will use small-group learning, and students will engage in brain-storming, contests, discussions, games, problem solving, and various assessment techniques to facilitate their understanding of the material.

            Writing in Ecology: The writing component of the course has two main parts:  short essay assignments, and a group project called a jigsaw.  The essays will pop up in class throughout the semester, and the best 80% of them will be counted for a percentage of your final grade.  The jigsaws will be done in groups on assigned topics, in stages; we will have some training in library research to help you find references relevant to your topics, and you should start projects early enough to find relevant references, read the scientific articles, as well as other relevant information found from other sources, and to put together your ideas.   Groups will present their findings in class, post their presentations in Canvas, and also turn in their words via TurnItIn.com to verify originality.  Students will review the work of other groups’ presentations and also report their group members contributions to their final products.  Needless to say, plagiarism is unethical and will not be tolerated in this or any course activity.     

           Quantitative Skills in Ecology: We will also explore the quantitative aspects of ecology using exercises and models, including some in our textbook.  Learning Assistants will facilitate group work, as well as interact with students in discussions and other activities. The PLTL session each week will focus on strengthening comprehension and recall of important things covered week by week, and is part of the lecture class grade.  Packback (see below) will offer a continuous forum for discussing course material, and sparking interest in areas that might have been overlooked. We plan that all parts of the course will work together to give you a dynamic understanding of this science and its interfaces with mathematics, statistics, and other sciences. 

 

PackBack:  We will use PackBack, an online learning tool, to facilitate weekly discussions on the topics of the week. Participation is a requirement for this course, and the Packback Questions platform will be used for online discussion about class topics. Packback Questions is an online curiosity community where you can be fearlessly curious and ask BIG questions about how what we’re studying relates to life and the real world. My goals for using Packback are for us to hear more about, and discuss, some topics that are not  covered in depth in my lectures, yet are important, interesting, and relevant.  I also hope to increase participation by students who often prefer to sit back in person, as there are many hidden diamonds we might otherwise not see.

            Your participation on Packback will count towards 10 percent of your final grade. In order to receive your points per week, you must post 1 Question and 2 Answers per week, relevant to our class subject matter that week (i.e., focused on the chapters and topics covered that week).   Before you start posting, be sure to read the Community Guidelines found in the tutorial on Packback. If your post doesn’t follow the Packback Community Guidelines, there is a chance it will be removed and you won’t receive points for that post. There will be a Sunday 11:59 PM deadline for submissions in your community each week. Note: it takes 24 hours for the Packback team to moderate a post and send a coaching email. If by any reason your post is moderated because it does NOT meet the Community Guidelines, you will need to edit and re-publish your post to receive credit for the week. This is why it is best for you complete your Packback questions and responses a few days before the deadline, in case your post needs repairs.

How to Register on Packback: There is a fee for registering with Packback ($25 unless you have used it previously in another course, then reduced). You will receive a welcome email from holla@packback.co prompting you to finish registration.   Packback has already created an account for you with your school email, all you need to do is reset your password. This email may be directed to spam or filtered out, so make sure you do a thorough scan of your inbox if you can't find the email.

Grading:

            This course will involve continuous assessment, not all of the graded kind: some will be educative in nature, allowing us to know if you have learned the material, and helping you to learn more in the process of being assessed. One way this will be accomplished is with exams at the end of each module.  Another way is with student assessments of your own knowledge at the beginning of the course, and learning gains, along with some other in-class surveys.

Individual/Group assessments – end-of module exams (four highest scores out of five - 30%) and online quizzes (10%)	40%
Final Exam	10%
In-Class Activities	20%
Best 80% of "pop" essay grades and other written activities	10%
Jigsaw – group presentations with written components	10%
Packback – posting at least one question and two responses each week	10%

 

Syllabus for Ecology (PCB 3043) Spring 2020

Textbook:  Ricklefs, R.E. and R. Relyea. 2014.  Ecology: The Economy of Nature, 7th edition, W.H Freeman and Company, New York.   

 Schedule of events

Module	Dates 2020	Lecture Topic and pre-class activities - you should do all these things before class this day	Readings - R&R chapter
1	7 Jan	in class: Pre-test and Introduction Read through module 0 and get familiar with course On to Module 1 – read ch. 1 of textbook take quiz 1 listen to lecture – Introduction watch short videos – What is Ecology? And Giant pandas in China	1
	9 Jan	The Physical Environment - Water and Nutrients – adaptations to the aquatic environment Read ch. 2 in textbook Take quiz 2 Watch lecture – Physical Environment: water and nutrients Watch plant nutrition video In class: First essay; Ecological questions about your favorite organism group activity	2
	14 Jan	The Physical Environment - Light, Energy, Heat – adaptations to the terrestrial environment Read ch. 3 in text book Take quiz 3 Watch lectures:   Light and energy Heat and energy Watch videos on photosynthesis and Emperor penguins Do area/volume relationships exercises and submit answers Biomes assignment – begin collaboration on topics – use collaboration option in our Canvas course	3
	16 Jan	Variation in Climate and Soils Read chapters 4 and 5 Take quiz on chapters 4 and 5 Watch lectures: Biological Communities Soils & Biomes Watch videos on soil, soil textures, pottery making, and survival of trees Work with partners on Biomes project	4 & 5
	21 Jan	Biomes - Read chapter 6 Take quiz on chapter 6 In class: work with partners on Biomes project	6
	23 Jan	Biomes Group presentations today Students evaluate each group’s presentation, and evaluates their own group’s collaboration Jigsaw Project assigned (due 18 February)
	28 Jan	Library Instruction Day - training on finding literature on your topics - plan and begin collaboration on jigsaw project
	30 Jan	Exam 1 - over chapters 1-6
Module 2	4 February	Evolution and Adaptation Read chapter 7 Take quiz on chapter 7 Watch lectures: Adaptation and Natural Selection A. & S. part 2 – Behavioral Plasticity Evolutionary Change and Genetic Fixation Watch videos on the Galapagos finches and the Peppered Moth In-class: essay on herbivore and tree evolution, natural selection activity	7
	6 Feb	Life Histories and Fitness Read chapter 8 Take quiz on chapter 8 Watch lectures: Life History Strategies Life History Theory Watch videos on Bacteria, and Birds of Paradise, Crickets In class: Essay and activity on fitness	8
	11 Feb	Reproductive Strategies Read chapter 9 Take quiz on chapter 9 Watch lecture: Sex and Family Watch videos on Beetles and Sex in the Insect World In class: Life Histories, Fitness, and Reproductive Strategies Activities	9
	13 Feb	Social Behavior Read chapter 10 Take chapter 10 quiz Watch lecture: Society and Evolution Watch videos: mountain lions, prairies dogs Listen to recordings: Charles Darwin meets Snoop Dogg In class: Clutch Size vs. Age of First Reproduction activity	10
	18 Feb	Jigsaw Group Presentations - Reproductive Strategies and Social Behavior
	20 Feb	Jigsaw Group Presentations - Reproductive Strategies and Social Behavior
	25 Feb and 27 Feb	SPRING BREAK!
	3 March	Exam 2
Module 3	5 Mar	***Population Distribution*** Read chapter 11 Take quiz on chapter 11 Watch lectures: Population structure Population size Watch videos: Bugger off and Mark/recapture In class: Mark/recapture activities with butterfly and vole simulated populations	11
	10 Mar	***Population Growth and Regulation,  Population Dynamics***  Read chapter 12 Take quiz on chapter 12 Watch lectures: Population Growth Life Tables Watch videos: Pied Flycatcher, Dall sheep, Thinning your plants  Read chapter 13 Take quiz on Chapter 13 Watch lectures: Population dynamics Time delays and oscillations Watch videos: monarch butterflies, moose and wolves, and manatees In class: Essay, and Population dynamics activities	12 & 13
	12 Mar	***Predation and Herbivory; Parasitism and Infectious Diseases*** Read chapter 14 Take quiz on Chapter 14 Watch lectures: Predation Mimicry and modeling predation Herbivory Watch videos: body invaders, black racer, plant vs. predator Read chapter 15 Take quiz on chapter 15 Watch videos: lyme disease, S-I-R model on prime time In-class activity on contagious conditions? In-class:  predation experiment Write up results of predation experiment - due next class	14 & 15
	17 Mar	***Competition and Mutualism*** Read chapter 16 Take quiz on Chapter 16 Watch lectures: Competition Modeling Competition Watch videos: gooseneck barnacles, mussel-eating competition In-class activity on competition models   Read chapter 17 Take quiz on Chapter 17 Watch lectures: Coevolution and Mutualism Modeling Mutualism Watch videos: I’iwi bird, crazy ant farmers In-class activity on Complex Interactions	16 & 17
Module 4	19 March	Jigsaw Presentations - Species Interactions
	24 March	Jigsaw Presentations - Species Interactions
	26 March	Exam 3
	31 March	***Community Structure and Community Succession***  Read chapters 18 and 19 Take quiz on Chapters 18 and 19 Watch short lectures: Community Structure Community Attributes Community development -succession Community development – models of succession Community development – disturbance   Watch videos: James Lovelock, Trophic Level Cascades, Mayan community discovered, beaver dams, volcanic eruptions In-class: activity on Community Diversity; activity on succession	18 & 19
	2 April	***Energy in Ecosystems, Elements in Ecosystems*** Read chapters 20 and 21 Take quiz on chapters 20 and 21 Watch lectures: Energy pyramids and productivity Energy transfer Elemental cycles Nutrient flow Watch videos: Frances Moore Lappe, acid rain In-class: Energy in Ecosystems problems; group activity on elemental cycles April is poetry month - assignment: compose original  poem or creative composition on any subject in Ecology (due 14 April)	20, 21
Module 5	7 April	Exam 4
	9 April	***Landscape Ecology, Biogeography, and Biodiversity*** Read chapter 22 Take quiz on chapter 22 Watch lectures: Biodiversity and Niche Theory in class activity: Patterns in Species Diversity Exercise	22
	14 Apr	***Conservation of Biodiversity*** Read chapter 23 Take quiz on chapter 23 Watch lectures: Conservation Biology Conservation and Extinction Watch videos: spotted owl and Green Ninja In-class: Endangered Species group activity Original creative activity (poetry) due today	23
	16 April	Exam 5
	21 April	Cumulative Final Exam - all extra credit due by today
	26 April	Complete all surveys by today