BIOLOGY 63 ECOLOGY  -  Lecture and text Readings  Fall 2004

Date   Lect. Topic and Text Readings  [Students are responsible for material in links

            No.                                             in the Lecture Schedule]

Aug 30  1    Introduction; Definitions and scope of course, Models in Ecology  Ch.1

 

Sep 2    2     Ecosystems,  Energy transfer, Eltonian Pyramids, Primary Production Ch 6, 18 pp 453-456

                    Stable isotope analyses Ch. 18 pp 457-458

 

Sep 9    3     Measurement of primary production and geographic patterns

          

Sep 13  4     Gaseous and sedimentary nutrient cycles; The Hydrologic Cycle; The Carbon Cycle (Also downloadable as a pdf file);

                     See also the Univ. Michigan Global Carbon Cycle page); Read “Impact of rising CO2 in world’s oceans. “; Ch. 19

  

Sep 20  5     Nitrogen Cycle ; Nitrogen Fixation 

 

Sep 23  6     Phosphorous and Sulfur Cycles [Useful powerpoint review of Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles]

 

Sep 27  7     Nutrient budgets and ecosystems Ch. 18 pp 443-448; use of stable isotope rations in ecological studies

 

Sep 30  8     Pollution and eutrophication in estuarine waters

 

Oct 4     9     Eutrophication and Acid Precipitation; Lakes; (Read also Canadian Experimental Lakes page);

                     Estuaries ; Read Scott Nixon's article (need pdf reader)

 

Oct 7     10   Soils, cation exchange [pp21-22], experimental manipulation of entire ecosystems

 

Oct 14   11  Populations; Characteristics of Age  Structured population Ch 10,11

 

Oct 18    12   Life tables and survivorship curves; Leslie Matrix; Homework – Instruction to be given in class

 

Oct 21    13  *NO CLASS;  Simple models of population growth Ch 11

 

Oct 25    14  The logistic model

 

Oct 28    15   Midterm Examination

 

Nov 1      16   Species Interactions:  Competition Ch 13, 14 [Homework Assignment, Lotka-Volterra ]

 

Nov  4    17  Competitive exclusion; Lotka-Volterra Models; Experimental Studies

 

Nov  8    18  Field studies of competition; Character displacement, release

 

Nov 11   19  Grazing and Plant Defense Mechanisms

 

Nov 15   20  Parasitism and Mutualism Ch 15; Homework -  Use an internet search engine such as Google to prepare a brief

                    report on the ecological factors affecting the frequency of Lyme Disease (e.g. host species, cyclic patterns over

                    time, effects of ecological disturbance such as habitat disruption. Be sure to include proper citations for internet

                    resources.  For citing WWW sites, use the Columbia guide for scientific sites.

 

Nov 16   21  Predation models – Lotka-Volterra; ; Numerical and functional responses Ch 6 pp 158-159; Prey Patchiness (Huffaker's Citrus Mites)

                    pp 363-364

 

Nov 18   22  Cycles and Rhythms, Population cycles caused by factors other than predation (Time delays etc.) Predator-Prey cycles

                    (Lynx/Hare    Cycles; Isle Royal       Wolves;) Ecology of Lyme Disease [Institute of Ecosystem Studies page]

 

Nov 22   23  Prey Defenses

 

Nov 29   24  Behavioral ecology - Optimal Foraging  Ch 6 pp 159-164

 

Dec 2     25  Introduction to Communities; Food webs, trophic relays and trophic cascades Ch 17,  Ch. 18 pp 448-451

 

Dec 6    26  Life History Strategies; Concepts of Diversity Ch 12, 16

 

Dec 9    27  Succession; Mechanisms and models Ch 20

 

Dec 13  28  Succession Con’t

 

 

 

 

 

Text:  ECOLOGY, Concepts and Applications, M. C. Molles, Jr.  Third Edition, McGraw Hill  ISBN 0-07-243969-6

*  On these dates, there will be no lecture because Dr. Franz is at a professional meeting out-of-town.  Students are required to prepare an extended outline (as if taking

    lecture notes) based on text readings and internet.  These may be collected and evaluated.