Spring 2002
(Syllabus Revised: 10 January 2002)
Biol 4331: Global
change ecology
Instructor: Dr. Peter H. Wyckoff
Office: Science 1375
Phone: x6347
E-Mail: wyckoffp@morris.umn.edu
Web Page: http://cda.morris.umn.edu/~wyckoffp/
Class: TTh 12:00-1:40
Prerequisite: Biol 3131: Ecology
Office hours: M1-2; T 9-10; Th 2-3; F 1-2
Description
This course is designed as an advanced ecology course (Bio 3131: Ecology is a prerequisite). The themes of the course are global change and the human impact on the biosphere. In that context, we will examine large-scale issues in ecosystem, landscape and community ecology.
As with any ecology course, the interrelatedness of the topics covered makes it hard to design a syllabus with a satisfying linear progression. We will start the semester working through portions of an ecosystem-oriented global change text: Biogeochemistry by Schlesinger. The text is highly interdisciplinary, but in this course, we will emphasize the biology. After building a foundation in ecosystem ecology, we will shift gears and focus on topics in community and landscape ecology.
Steward Pickett, an eminent ecologist and amateur philosopher of science, has identified a basic dichotomy in ecology: ecologists who study the flow of “stuff” (energy and carbon moving through the environment, the cycling of nitrogen and phosphorous, etc) versus ecologists who count “things” (deer, oak trees, rare prairie plants, etc). I am personally interested in both “stuff” and “things”, and an understanding of global change requires an accounting of both “stuff” and “things.” Another way to look at our schedule of topics: We will largely focus on “stuff” until spring break. After that we will focus on “things.”
Note: This course will involve some math and computer work. Calculus is not necessary, but an openness to quantitative thinking is a must. To help us visualize and understand the dynamics of communities and ecosystems, will use a highly intuitive, graphics-based computer modeling package called Stella. We will explore forest community dynamics using a graphical version of a forest simulation model called SORTIE, and we will examine spatial data using GIS software.
Readings
Texts:
Schlesinger, W. H. 1997. Biogeochemistry: an analysis of global change (2nd edition). Academic Press, San Diego.
Pimm, S. L. 2001. The world according to Pimm: a scientist audits the earth. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Reserved readings:
Clark, J. S. 1988. Effect of climate change on fire regimes in northwestern Minnesota. Nature 334: 233-235.
COHMAP members. 1988. Climatic changes of the last 18,000 years: observations and model simulations. Science 241: 1043-1052.
Davis, M. B. 1989. Lags in vegetation response to greenhouse warming. Climatic Change 15: 75-82.
Hedin, L. O. and G. E. Likens. 1996. Atmospheric dust and acid rain. Scientific American 275(6): 88-92.
LaDeau, S. and J. S. Clark. 2001. Rising CO2 levels and the fecundity of forest trees. Science 292: 95-98.
Likens, G. E. et al. 1996. Long-term effects of acid rain: response and recovery of forest ecosystems. Science 272: 244-246.
Loehle, C. 1996. Forest responses to climate change. Journal of Forestry 94: 13-15.
Matson, P. 1997. Agricultural intensification and ecosystem properties. Science 275: 504-509.
Oren, R. et al. 2001. Soil fertility limits carbon sequestration by forest ecosystems in a CO2 enriched world. Nature 411: 469-472.
Tilman, D et al. 2001. Diversity and productivity in a long-term grassland experiment. Science 294: 843-845.
Tilman, D. et al. 2001. Forecasting agriculturally driven global environmental change. Science 292: 281-284.
Pastor, J. and W. M. Post. 1988. Response of northern forests to CO2-induced climate change. Nature 334: 55-58.
Penuelas, J. and I. Filella. 2001.
Responses to a warming world. Science
294: 793-794.
Reich, P. et al. 2001. Plant diversity
enhances ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 and nitrogen deposition. Nature 410: 809-810.
Stokstad, E. 2001.
Myriad ways to reconstruct past climates. Science 292: 658-659.
Tentative Course Schedule
# Date Topic Schlesinger
or Pimm?
Unit 1: Setting the stage
1. Jan 15 Introduction: Does everything matter?
2. Jan 17 Brief history of the universe and the planet S Chpts 1 and 2
3. Jan 22 The atmosphere S Chpt 3
4. Jan 24 The land S Chpt 4
Unit 2: Ecosystems and global change
5. Jan 29 History of the ecosystem concept
Productivity and terrestrial carbon cycling S Chpt 5
6. Jan 31 Productivity continued
Homework
# 1 due
7. Feb 5 Humans and biological productivity P Chpts 1-6
8. Feb 7 Introduction to STELLA
9. Feb 12 Productivity and rising carbon dioxide
Reserved Reading: Ladeau and Clark 2001; Oren et al. 2001
Homework
# 2 due
10. Feb 14 Nutrient cycling on land S Chpt 6
11. Feb 19 Acid rain and N saturation
Reserved Reading: Hedin and Likens 1996; Likens et al. 1996
12. Feb 21 Exam I
Unit 3: The big global cycles
13. Feb 26 The global carbon cycle S Chpt 11
14. Feb 28 STELLA modeling of the carbon cycle
15 Mar 5 Jessica Becker’s Senior Seminar (Pete is the coordinator)
Nitrogen and Phosphorous cycles S Chpt 12
16 Mar 7 The global water cycle S Chpt 10; P Chpt 7
Homework
#3 due
Mar 12 Spring
Break
Mar 14 Spring Break
Unit 4 Changing communities past and present
17. Mar 19 Global warming and its impacts
Reserved Reading: Penuelas and Filella 2001
18. Mar 21 Paleo techniques and insights
Guest Lecture: Dr. Keith Brugger
University of Minnesota, Morris Campus
Reserved Reading: COHMAP 1988; Stokstad 2001
19. Mar 26 Tree ring lab Part I
Dispersal
Guest Lecture: Dr. Janneke HillRisLambers
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus
Reserved Reading: Davis 1989
20. Mar 28 Modeling forest response to climate change
Reserved Reading: Pastor and Post 1988; Loehle 1996
Review
Paper Due
21. Apr 2 Exam II
22. Apr 4 Tree ring lab Part II
Homework
# 4 due
23. Apr 9 Diversity and ecosystem function
Land use change and fragmentation
Reserved Reading: Tilman et al. 2001a; Reich et al. 2001.
24. Apr 11 Focus on Agriculture
Guest Lecture: Dr. Don Reicosky
USDA Soils Lab
Reserved Reading: Tilman et al. 2001b; Matson 1997.
Saturday, April 13 Field Trip to Cedar Creek
25. Apr 16 GIS and remote sensing
26. Apr 18 Focus on MN
GIS continued
Reserved Reading: Clark 1988
Homework #5 due
27. Apr 23 Student Oral Presentations
28. Apr 25 Student Oral Presentations
Homework #6 due
29. Apr 30 No class (make up day for Cedar Creek Trip)
30. May 2 Wrap-up and review
Final Exam
Tuesday, May 7, 4:00-6:00
Grades
Participation 50
Homework assignments
1. Bar napkin ecology 50
2. Learning STELLA 25
3. Using STELLA to model the Carbon Cycle 60
4. Forest modeling activity 25
5. Tree ring lab 45
6. GIS assignment 45
Homework Total 250
Oral presentation of research 100
Review paper (6-8 pages) or modeling project 100
(Note: there will be an additional 50 point, 3-4 page paper assigned for those who do not attend the field trip to Cedar Creek).
Exam 1 150
Exam 2 150
Final exam 200
Exam Total 500
---------------------------
Overall Total 1000
At worst: A = 90-100%; B = 80-90%; C = 70-80%; D = 60-70%; F
< 60%.
I may curve up, but I will not curve down.
Grade expectations
Satisfactory work demonstrating a simple, but largely complete, grasp of the course material will receive a “C.” An “A” or a “B” requires you to demonstrate more thought and sensitivity to nuance.
Partial credit on problems and calculations will only be given if you show your work. If I explicitly ask you to show your work on a homework or exam problem, then a mere answer is not enough (even a correct answer)—you must show me how you reached your answer.
On average, this course should require 12 hours a week of work (4 credits* 3 hours a week per credit). That means that you should expect to work an average of 8 hours a week outside of class. If the work associated with this class appears to be either too light or excessive, please let me know.
Policy on incomplete grades
In accordance with University policy, incomplete grades will only be awarded under extraordinary circumstances. Normally, I will only consider awarding an incomplete in cases where illness or family emergency prevent a student from completing the last assignments in a course (end of the semester projects, final exams, etc.). You can only be eligible for an incomplete if your average on all graded, completed work is greater than an F.
Attendance policy
Lecture attendance is not mandatory, but I will take attendance and deduct 5 participation points for each unexcused absence. Tests will be based primarily on material covered in class.
Excused absences will be granted for family emergencies,
illness, varsity athletic events, and other official university functions. Written documentation for excused absences
must be submitted and can be obtained from health services or chancellor’s office.
Late work policy
Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due (though they will not be counted as late if in by 5:00). Late assignments lose 20% of their value for each day or portion of a day they are late (not counting weekends). For example, if an assignment is due on a Friday, and you turn it in Tuesday, the assignment is 2 days late and thus only worth 60% of its original value.
Policy on Academic Honesty
I have no tolerance for cheating or plagiarism. Any paper, assignment or examination showing signs of academic dishonesty will be investigated. If I suspect dishonesty, I will notify the student that we must meet to discuss the matter. Failure to respond to a request for such a meeting will be taken as an admission of guilt. The standard penalty for dishonesty will be a grade of “0” on the assignment in question. In egregious cases, I will give an “F” for the course grade. In accordance with University policy, I will report any penalties levied to the vice chancellor for student affairs. Penalized students then have the right to appeal.
Any work submitted by a student must be written in his or her own words (i.e. you cannot simply copy or paraphrase textbooks, other written sources, or work submitted by other students). In the case of group work submitted with multiple names, I will assume that all have contributed equally. For homework and problem sets, I encourage students to work together, but that cannot mean that one student simply copies from another.
I encourage you to save paper by printing typed assignments on the back of previously used paper. If you do this, I ask that you draw an “X” through the side I don’t need to read. Alternatively, print your assignments on both sides of fresh paper. Spreadsheets and graphs can be sent to me via e-mail, and if possible, I will refrain from printing them at all.
Extra credit policy
I may periodically offer extra credit as an incentive to participate in activities that are related to class, but not otherwise required—public lectures, service projects, etc. Extra credit cannot be used to raise your final course grade more than one step—i.e. a C- to a C or a B+ to an A-. Thus, any extra credit earned beyond 40-50 points will enrich your soul, but cannot enrich your grade.
Disability Accommodations
I will make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities or special needs upon request.