General Ecology
Instructor Peter A. Kish, Ph.D.
Telephone 522-7815
Email office pkish@ossm.edu
Home pakish@itlnet.net
Home page http://www.ossm.edu/~pkish
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
This course is a study of the relationships of plants and animals to each other and to their physical environments. Focus will be on ecosystem ecology with emphasis on terminology, relationships within the environment, processes, which permit growth, development and/or destruction of the biosphere, study of environmental problems and their solutions, and the relationship between Ecology and Field Biology including some identification and taxonomy of different types of organisms. Prerequisites: General Biology or equivalent.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The student will be able to examine interactions between groups of organisms, with the environment, and the effect that has on their distribution and abundance. Also the students will have the opportunity to become familiar with the breath of Ecology and to begin to develop an understanding of basic facts, principles, and concepts.
In the laboratory, the students will develop the skills necessary for the use of various mathematical models, and be able to express those calculations in the form of a written report. Students will also have the opportunity in laboratory sessions to come in direct contact with organisms in the environment and to develop an understanding of the organism’s role in those environments.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
There will be three 1-hour exams during the course of the semester worth 100 points each. These exams will be announced at least one week in advanced of the actual exam date and returned within one week of the exam. On the last day of the week (either Friday or Thursday depending upon the class schedule) there is the possibility of a quiz. The total point value of the quiz will depend upon the amount of material and the importance of that material to the course. The final exam will be cumulative for the entire semester and will be given during final exam week. You will be responsible for at least one primary journal article summary. The summary will cover a topic within the scope of the course and will be a non-review article.
I do not grade on a curve and I do not give extra credit assignments.
Course grade will be determined in the following manner
Lecture: ¾ 3-one hour exams @ 100 points each
1 final exam @ 200 points
Quizzes Various number of points
Article Summary @25 points
Laboratory: ¼ The grade for the laboratory will be determined from various laboratory reports. The lab reports will be written as scientific papers, and will be graded as to style, and content. These grades will be added to the lecture grade for and overall grade in the course.
It will be helpful to keep a journal style lab notebook to record your observations. It may become necessary for the instructor to collect these notebooks from time to time to determine if the work is being completed. These collections may be random or announced.
Text:
The texts for this course is:
Ehrlich P.R. and J. Roughgarden., 1987. The Science of Ecology MacMillan Publishing Co. New York, New York
Lab manual will be in the form of handouts detailing the specific laboratory exercise
Ecology Lecture Outline
Laboratory Outline