ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCES 325: FUNDAMENTALS OF ECOLOGY
FALL
QUARTER, 2023
Instructor: Dr. David Wallin Office: ES342 Phone: 650-7526 e-mail:
david.wallin@wwu.edu
Text: Ecology
(6th Edition) or on Amazon (here),
by, W.D. Bowman and S.D. Hacker
Note: The 6th edition of this text
recently came out. We’ve been using this text for several years now and there
is little difference between the editions. If you’d like to save a bit LOTS
of money, feel free to buy a used older edition. I’ve seen used copies of the 4th
edition for about $5. Prices for new textbooks are ridiculously high. Buy used!
Note that they have added a chapter or two and renumbered things from one
edition to the next. My reading assignments are based on the most recent
edition. This means that, if you are using an older edition, you will need to
be alert for these differences and you may need to borrow a 5th or
6th edition text from a classmate if your old edition is lacking a certain
chapter.
INCLUSIVE ACCESS: Another option for
getting the text is through Inclusive Access. Some of you may already be
familiar with this. On the Canvas site, you will see a link for Inclusive
Access. You have automatically been enrolled in this program. This provides you
with online access to the text for a reduced price ($55.73 vs. ~$170 for a hard
copy of the 6th edition) and you will be automatically billed for
this. NOTE THAT YOU CAN OPT OUT OF THIS AND AVOID THIS BILL. IF YOU CHOOSE TO
OPT OUT YOU MUST DO SO BY OCT 10. More info about inclusive access is available
here.
Class Meeting: MWF 10:00-10:50, Room: ES100
Office Hours: MWF 11:00 - 12:00 ; M 2:00 (sign-up on office door) and by
appointment.
Additional readings as assigned: Most, if not all of these additional
readings will be available online.
Teaching Assistant: Chloe Cason;
Office TBA; email: casonc@wwu.edu; Office hours
TBA and by appointment
Prerequisites: As noted in the WWU Bulletin and the online Classfinder, One
year of biology (Biol 204, 205, 206) AND one year of general chemistry (Chem
161, 162, 163) must be completed prior to enrolling in ESCI 325. If you have not completed these courses, you
SHOULD NOT enroll in ESCI 325. Just in case you are wondering if having these prerequisites
really matters, click here. Note
that if you are not majoring in Environmental Sciences or Biology and lack the
prerequisites for ESCI 325 but you would still like to take an introductory
course in Ecology, you should consider taking ESCI 225: Beginning Ecology. This
course is quite similar to ESCI 325 but it is targeted at those who do not have
the prerequisites for ESCI 325.
Student Learning Objectives: Upon
completion of the course, students will be well versed in theoretical framework
for the field of ecology as well as practical applications of this knowledge.
Academic Policies:
Western’s policies regarding academic honesty; disability and religious
accommodations; ethical conduct with technology; equal opportunity; finals;
medical excuse; and student conduct that are applicable to all students can be
found here: https://syllabi.wwu.edu/
Grades: 1. Midterm exam 40%
2. Final exam 40%
3. Homework 15%
4. Attendance 5%
ATTENDANCE? Really? Yup…..Over the past year or so,
I’ve noticed that many people don’t show up for class. And I’ve also noticed
that this has an impact on people’s grades. So, six times over the quarter,
I’ll take attendance. You can miss ONE of these for any reason (illness,
overslept, travel, etc.) with no penalty. But you will lose 1% for any
additional classes that you miss beyond this. Dates that I take attendance will
NOT be announced. On days when I take attendance, I’ll have a sign in sheet that
you can initial. And if I catch you trying to initial for a friend who is
absent, you will lose the full 5%.
Late Assignments: grades reduced by 5%/day if turned in late without a
valid excuse (illness, family crisis, etc.). Assignments that are more than one week late will not be accepted
without a valid excuse (illness, family
crisis, etc.)
Grading: A =93; A- 90-92; B+ 88-89; B 83-87; B- 80-82; C+ 78-79; C 73-77; C- 70-72; D+ 68-69; D 63-67 D- 60-62; F 0-59
Academic Dishonesty: There has
been a substantial increase in the number of cases of Academic Dishonesty in
recent years. For this reason, all
faculty members have been instructed by the Registrar’s Office to provide
students with explicit information about Academic Dishonesty. Briefly stated, lying, cheating and stealing
will not be tolerated in any form.
Actions of this type will result in severe consequences that could
include a failing grade in the class and dismissal from the university. Hopefully, this does not come as a surprise
to anyone. All students should review
Appendix D, Academic Dishonesty Policy and Procedure Appendix D,
Academic Dishonesty Policy and Procedure in the back of the University Catalog for a more detailed discussion of what
constitutes academic dishonesty. For
more information see:
Plagiarism Policies &
Guidelines: http://libguides.wwu.edu/plagiarism
The Student’s Guide to Avoiding
Plagiarism: http://www.wwu.edu/soc/docs/plagiarism.pdf
Reasonable Accommodation: Reasonable accommodation
for persons with documented disabilities should be established within the first
week of class and arranged through Disability Resources for Students: Telephone
650-3083; email drs@wwu.edu and on the
web at http://www.wwu.edu/depts/drs/
The TH Huxley controversy at WWU: In case you are interested in learning
more about this controversy, there is more information here
Tentative Schedule: CHECK HERE FOR UPDATES TO
THIS SCHEDULE THROUGHOUT THE TERM! Due dates
for assignments, exam and lecture schedule may change through the quarter.
Last Updated: 11/17/2023
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Topic |
5th and 6th Edition Book Chapters & Supplementary
Readings |
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Week 1 |
Introduction to Ecology: The Web of Life and Historical Foundations of
Ecology Unit 1: ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT |
1, 6 & papers by J.R. Platt (Click
here to view this paper) and another paper by Jerry Coyne (Click here to view this paper) Optional papers: Eby_etal_2023_Pathogen_spillover_driven_by_rapid_changes_in_bat_ecology_Nature.pdf Amphibian-apocalypse-Chytrid-fungus Science
Magazine article: Fungus-has-wiped-out-more-species-any-other-disease Kettlewell 1955. Industrial Melanism kettlewell_1955.pdf |
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Week 2 |
First Homework; Kettlewell Abstract Homework due Friday, 10/13 The Physical Environment The Bioshpere |
2, 3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_Floatees,
tubtoys_ocean_circ.pdf Optional: Here is a link to From the Forest to the
Sea: A Story of Fallen Trees Lenton_etal_2023_Quantifying_human_cost_global_warming_Nature.pdf |
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Week 3 |
Coping with Environmental
Variation: Temperature and Water
Relations |
4 & paper by Waring and Franklin waring_and_franklin_1979.pdf
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Week 4 |
Coping with Environmental Variation: Energy |
5 |
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Week 5 |
Unit 3: POPULATIONS Population Distribution and Abundance, Population
Growth and Regulation Click
here for homework assignment: Mountain Goat Population Dynamics *** Tentative DUE DATE FOR Homework Assignment: 10/27,9AM** Note correction on due date for this assignment* |
9, 11 Note that in the 6th edition
of the text, they have switched chapters 10 & 11. What was Chapter 10 in
5th edition is now chapter 11 and what was Chapter 11 in 5th
edition was chapter 10. Exam will cover through Chapters 9 and 11: Pop Growth & Reg We will cover Chapter 10 after the exam In class, several people have asked about the ln, the natural log. There is lots of information about this on
the web. Here is one good source of
information: |
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Week 6 |
Tentative DATE FOR MIDTERM EXAM: 10/30 Note correction for date of midterm exam Population Dynamics *** |
10 |
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Week 7 |
Unit 4: INTERACTIONS AMONG ORGANISMS |
12, 13 |
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Week 8 |
Parasitism,
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14 |
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Week 9 |
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15 |
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Week 10 |
Unit 5: COMMUNITIES Global
Ecology Click
here for Second Homework Assignment: A Simple Forest Carbon Budget Homework Assignment Due 12/1 by 5PM***
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16, 17 Wolves_for_Yellowstone; Trophic
Cascades 25 (you are
responsible for the part of Chapter 25 that deals with the global carbon
budget and climate change) and see my PNW
Carbon Budget Lecture |
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Week 11 12/4-8 |
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TBD |
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Finals Week |
Check University’s Timetable of Classes for date and time of final exam Click here for the WWU Online Final Exam Schedule |
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