Section F -- Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:00-1:50, SA 145, 3 credits
Instructor:  Dr. Ted Fleming, Office 227 SA, 284-6881; tfleming@fig.cox.miami.edu
Office hours: M, W, F @ 9-10 a.m. and W, F @ 5-6 p.m. or by appointment

Dates   Tentative Lecture Schedule    Readings
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    Part 1.  How the World Works

Aug 23                  Course Introduction     Chapt. 1
Aug 25, 28             The science of ecology
Aug 30, Sept 1,6    Evolution, Adaptation, and Diversity  Chapt. 2
Sept 8,11                Physical Features of Earth    Chapt. 4
Sept 13                   The Everglades     Chapt. 8 (8.8)
Sept 15, 18              Energy Flow      Chapt. 3
Sept 20, 22              Material Cycles     Chapt. 6 (6.1-6.2)
Sept 25, 27              Ecosystems and Biomes    Chapt. 5 (5.1-5.7)
Sept 29                    Exam 1
Oct 2, 4                    Population Processes     Chapt. 9
Oct 6, 9                    Population Interactions    Chapt. 12
Oct 11, 13, 16          Ecological Communities    Chapt. 13, 14 (parts)

    Part 2.  Living in the Environment

Oct 18, 23, 25, 27     Human Population Ecology    Chapt. 16
Oct 30, Nov 1, 6        Human Resource Use    Chapt. 17,25
Nov 3                         Exam 2
Nov 8, 10, 13, 15       Environmental Contamination   Chapt 18, 22, 23
Nov 17, 20, 22           Conservation Biology    Chapt. 21
Nov 27, 29, Dec 1      What is Our Place in Nature?

Dec 8                           FINAL EXAM, 2-4:30 in Cox Science 145
 

 Course textbook:  Bush, M. B.  2000.  Ecology of a Changing Planet, 2nd Edition.  Prentice Hall.

PLEASE NOTE: This course cannot be dropped without penalty after Oct. 26.  Students wishing to drop after this deadline must write a letter of appeal to the Faculty Committee on Academic Appeals, 2nd floor Ashe Bldg.

GRADING POLICY:  Course grades will be based on the total points earned out of 300 on the three exams and outside assignments.  Each exam will cover approximately one-third of the course material; exams will be non-cumulative except where previous material is crucial to the understanding of subsequent material.  Exam format includes multiple choice, true-false, short answer, and short essay questions.  Examples of past exams are on reserve in library.  Make-up exams will only be given upon evidence of a doctor's excuse; they will be essay in nature.  Students will find it advantageous to make every attempt to take the regularly scheduled exams.  Exam questions will be based on material from lectures, the textbook, and films.  Class attendance is expected.

Please do not ask permission to take the Final Exam at a time other than the scheduled time.

EXTRA CREDIT EXERCISES:  Students will be able to earn up to 30 extra points, to be added directly to total exam scores, by successfully completing two exercises and attending class on Fridays.  The first 10-pt exercise will be an all-day trip to Everglades National Park on Sunday, Sept. 17.  The second one will be a take-home exercise on resource use in late October.  Details about these exercises will be described later in the semester.  You can earn an additional 10 points by attending at least 10 Friday lectures.

THE HONOR CODE:  Students are required to uphold the undergraduate student Honor Code and will be expected to sign the following pledge on each exam and written assignment:  "On my honor, I have neither given nor received any aid on this examination."  It is the policy of the Biology Department that academic dishonesty or complicity with dishonesty will result in a failing grade in the course.
 

ESC 101, Fall 2000 – Lecture Outlines

Topic 2: The science of ecology

 A.  Methods of science
  1. The hypothetico-deductive method
  2. A logical paradox
  3. The method in action
 B.  Quantitative tools
  1. Data summary
  2. Data analysis
  3. Null hypotheses
  4. Correlation analysis

Topic 3: Evolution, adaptation, and diversity

 A.  Basic features of evolution
  1. The importance of evolution
  2. Evidence for evolution
  3. The mechanism of natural selection
 B.  Adaptation to the environment
  1. What is adaptation?
  2. Basic features of adaptations
  3. The nature of ecological niches
 C.  The origin of biological diversity
  1. Age of earth and the progression of life
  2. Extinction is a fact of life
  3. Earth's current biodiversity

Topic 4: Physical features of planet earth

 A.  Physical features and their consequences
  1. Three basic features
  2. Ecological consequences of these features
 B.  Global patterns of circulation
  1. Air circulation
  2. Water circulation
 C.  Physical changes in time and space
  1. Climate changes through time
  2. Continental drift

Topic 5: Energy flow

 A.  Basic concepts of energy
  1. What is energy?
  2. Different forms of energy
  3. The laws of thermodynamics
 B.  Energy flow in the biosphere
  1. The fate of solar energy
  2. Energy flow in ecosystems

Topic 6: Material cycles

 A.  The concept of environmental limits
 B.  Basic features of biogeochemical cycles
 C.  Specific BGC cycles
  1. Water
  2. Carbon
  3. Nitrogen
  4. Phosphorus

Topic 7: Ecosystems and biomes

 A.  General characteristics of biomes
 B.  Examples of terrestrial biomes
  1. Tundra
  2. Temperate deciduous forests
  3. Temperate grasslands
  4. Deserts
  5. Tropical rain forests
 C.  Major features of freshwater ecosystems
  1. Annual nutrient cycles in temperate lakes
  2. Nutrient status of lakes

Topic 8: Population processes

 A.  Basic population dynamics
  1. What is a population?
  2. Major characteristics of populations
 B.  Regulation of population size
  1. Major regulatory factors
  2. Regulation in different trophic levels

Topic 9: Population interaction

 A.  The major kinds of interactions
 B.  Competition
  1. The basic ingredients of competition
  2. Competition in action
 C.  Predation
  1. Basic kinds of predation
  2. Evolutionary aspects of predation
  3. Predation and population regulation
  4. Predation and community diversity
 D.  Parasitism
  1. What are parasites?
  2. Different parasite lifestyles
  3. Population effects of parasitism
 E.  Mutualism
  1. General diversity of mutualisms
  2. Specific examples of mutualisms

Topic 10: Ecological communities

 A.  What are communities?
 B.  Basic features of communities
  1. Trends in species richness
  2. Trends in relative abundance

Topic 11: Human population ecology

 A.  Homo sapiens as an ecological species
  1. Body size and its implications
  2. Demographic characteristics
  3. The basic human lifestyle
 B.  The current and future human situation
  1. Milestones in population size
  2. Three population categories
  3. The future

Topic 12: Human resource use

 A.  Overview of resource use
 B.  Food energy
  1. New Guinean farming
  2. U. S. farming
  3. "Natural" vs. "human" material flow
 C.  Other forms of energy use
  1. Fossil fuels
  2. Nuclear energy
  3. A rational energy strategy
 D.  Solid waste disposal

Topic 13: Environmental contamination

 A.  An introduction to the topic
 B.  Pesticides
 C.  Other pollutants
  1. Greenhouse gases
  2. Acid rain
  3. Ozone depletion

Topic 14: Conservation Biology/What is our place in nature?

 A.  Introduction
  1. The biodiversity crisis
  2. Why be concerned about this crisis?
 B.  The crisis in historical perspective
  1. Historical effects of humans
  2. The current situation
  C.  What can be done to reduce biological extinction rates?  What is our place in nature?