Department of Biological and
Environmental Sciences
Department of Biological and
Environmental Sciences
General Ecology Lab
Syllabus
BIO L229
Fall Semester 2008
Section TOBA, TUBB
Instructor: Dr. Alvin Diamond.
Prerequisites: BIO 1100, L100, CHM 1142, L142, or permission of the chair.
* NOTE: Lecture and Laboratory are co-requisites and must be taken
together.
Class Time TOBA: 8:30-11:20 T.
Class Location: 130 Math/Science.
Class Time TUBB: 2:30-5:20 T.
Class Location: 130 Math/Science.
Office Hours First half of the semester:
Office: 210K Math/Science.
Telephone: (334) 670-3938.
E-mail: adiamond@troy.edu
Course Description: Introduction to the terminology, procedures, and equipment of biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems; the functional and dynamic features of ecosystems; and climatic, edaphic, and biotic interactions.
Course Objectives: Students will learn basic skills for conducting ecological fieldwork in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Students will learn a number of sampling strategies for plant and animal communities and be introduced to the local fauna and flora. They will be instructed in the use of basic field sampling equipment for assessing the distribution and abundance of organisms, and the chemical composition of water.
Text: None
Course Evaluation: A written lab report will be required for each lab. Lab reports must be typed, written in complete sentences, and spell checked. Multiple page reports must be stapled. Any report turned in not stapled will loose one point. Lab reports should follow the lab report format. Lab reports are individual efforts- anyone who copies a lab report or allows their report to be copied will receive a grade of “0” for that lab. Each report is worth a possible of 10 points. A lab final will be given the last lab period and will be worth 30 points.
Total possible points = 150. A=90%, B=80%, C=70%, D=60%, F=<60%. Lab reports are due at the beginning of the next lab period. Late lab reports will loose one point for each day late.
Topic Outline:
1. The Species area curve. Aug. 19th.
2. Sampling plant communities: Plot Sampling Woody Vegetation.
Aug. 26th.
3. Sampling plant communities: Plotless Sampling Woody
Vegetation. Sept. 2nd.
4. Sampling plant communities: Herbaceous Vegetation Sampling.
Sept. 9th.
5. Microclimates. Sept. 16th.
6. Adaptations to a Xeric Environment. Sept. 23rd.
7. The Hydric Environment: Chemical Testing. Sept. 30.
8. The Hydric Environment: Biological Sampling. Oct. 14th.
9. Decomposition. Oct. 21st.
10. Soils. Oct. 28th.
11. Fire. Nov. 4th.
12. Succession. Nov. 18th.
13. Review for Lab Final. Nov. 25th.
14. Lab Final. Dec. 2nd.
Calendar:
August 13- Classes begin
August 18- Last day to add a course
September 1- Holiday
October 6-12- Fall break
October 17- Last day to drop a course without academic penalty
November 11- Holiday
November 26-30- Thanksgiving Holidays
December 3- Dead day
Course policies:
1) Attendance. Class attendance and participation are expected. Roll
will be taken for TSU attendance records. Students are expected to be in class
on time and must have their cell phones turned off.
2) Exams. Exams given during the semester will be closed book. When the
end of the exam period is announced, you are expected to put down your pens and
turn in the exam or it will not be accepted. Cell phones and pagers must be
turned off and out of sight during an exam. A 10% penalty will be given if
your cell phone or pager rings during an exam. You may not leave the room for
any reason during an exam.
3) Makeup exams. Make-up exams may be of a different format than the
original scheduled exam. Except in rare cases make-up exams will only be
given if the student notifies the instructor prior to the absence and has a
physician’s or university (example: athletic function or band function)
written excuse. If you miss a scheduled makeup exam you will not be
allowed to reschedule that exam.
4) Exam material. Lab questions will be drawn from information given to
the student in lab, hand outs, or in reading from the text (even if the
assigned reading is not discussed in lab).
5) Troy University ADA statement: Troy University supports Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990, which insure that postsecondary students with disabilities have equal
access to all academic programs, physical access to all buildings, facilities
and events, and are not discriminated against on the basis of disability.
Eligible students with appropriate documentation, will be provided equal
opportunity to demonstrate their academic skills and potential through the
provision of academic adaptations and reasonable accommodations. Further
information, including appropriate contact information, can be found at the link
for Troy University's Office of Human Resources at http://www.troy.edu/humanresources/ADAPolicy2003.htm .
6) Additional Services. Students who have or may be dealing with a
disability or learning difficulty should speak with the instructor, contact the
Office of Adaptive Needs Program (215 Adams Center), or call
670-3220/3221.Various accommodations are available through the Adaptive Needs
Program.
7) Tutors. Tutorial help may be available to students in the Science
Learning Center. All interested students are encouraged to visit the center.
8) Cheating. Students observed cheating by the instructor will be
dismissed from class. The action to be taken against the student will be
determined after consultation with the Department head and other appropriate
individuals.
9) Lab Safety. Absolutely no eating, drinking or use
of tobacco in the lab. All students must read, understand, and sign the
departmental lab safety rules handout.
10) Incompletes. Will be given only in special circumstances. See
Bulletin for guidelines.
11)
Link to the Departmental
plagiarism policy.
12) Cell phones and other electronic devices: Use of any electronic
device by students in the instructional environment is prohibited unless
explicitly approved on a case-by-case basis by the instructor of record or by
the Office of Disability Services in collaboration with the instructor.
Cellular phones, pagers, and other communication devices may be used for
emergencies, however, but sending or receiving non-emergency messages is
forbidden by the University. Particularly, use of a communication device
to violate the Troy University "Standards of Conduct" will result in
appropriate disciplinary action (See the Oracle.) In order to
receive emergency messages from the University or family members, the call
receipt indicator on devices must be in the vibration mode or other unobtrusive
mode of indication. Students receiving calls that they believe to be
emergency calls must answer quietly without disturbing the teaching environment.
If the call is an emergency, they must move unobtrusively and quietly from the
instructional area and notify the instructor as soon as reasonably possible.
Students who are expecting an emergency call should inform the instructor before
the start of the instructional period.
This syllabus is subject to change without notice. Students will be
informed of any changes at the earliest possible date.
General Ecology Lab Reports
Reports will include the following information in this order:
Name:
Date: Date that the lab was conducted.
Lab Section:
Location of the lab: This includes directions to the site
that person not in the lab could follow to find the area visited. Directions
must be given from a fixed point. Fixed points include road intersections,
county and state lines, stream crossings, and churches and cemeteries. Places
that are not fixed points include such things as Wal-Mart, the city limit,
Uncle John's house, and the big tree by the road that the red dog stays under.
Example: Pike County, AL. 8 miles west of U.S. Hwy. 231
on U.S. Hwy. 29 at the east side of Indian Creek. North side of
U.S. Hwy. 29 in low hardwood area along the stream.
Purpose of the Lab:
Physical Conditions: A general overview of weather conditions at the time of the lab. Specific readings should be included if measurements were taken during the lab--for example temperature and wind speed will be recorded for the Microclimate lab.
Species Studied: You will need to take notes on ALL of the species pointed out and discussed in the lab. This is just a list. Names must be presented in proper scientific format-- Pinus taeda L.
Summary of the Lab: Discuss methods used, species studied, and data collected. This is the most important section of the lab report. Do not just report data: I want you to interpret the results from the tests or observations that you perform. You are expected to use material covered in class as well as material from your text readings in your discussion.
Labs are due at the next lab period. One letter grade will be deducted for each day a lab report is late. Each lab is worth a possible 10 points. Labs must be typed. Labs are to be written in complete sentences and with correct spelling and punctuation. I will take off if this is not the case. Labs will be conducted outside, this means that you should dress for the field. Long pants and closed-toed shoes are required. Bear in mind that you may be in deep grass or weeds with possible insects, briars, poison ivy/oak, and /or mud. If you are allergic to any insect stings or poisonous plants, alert your instructor at the beginning of the first lab