ESCI
407/507:
SPRING
QUARTER, 2023
Instructor: Dr. David Wallin; Office: ES342; Phone: 650-7526; e-mail: david.wallin@wwu.edu
Text:
Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology by FS Chapin III, PA Matson and HA
Mooney, 2nd Edition. Note: I have asked the library to order the eBook
version of this text. When this comes in you can “check out” the ebook for the entire quarter, have it on your computer and
access it even when you are offline. There is not limit on the number of
students who can have the ebook checked out at the
same time. You can take notes and add highlighting to this ebook.
So, if you are OK doing your reading on a computer, this would mean that you
could get the book at zero cost.
Additional readings as assigned: on reserve in a folder in the Huxley
College Library.
(Click here to view the online
bibliography)
Class Meeting: MWF 10:00, ES413
Lab Meeting Room: W or Th, AH05
NOTE:
The lab WILL NOT meet during the first week of classes (March 27-28)
FIRST
LECTURE WILL BE ON Wednesday, 3/29
Office Hours: MTWF 11:00 - 12:00 (sign-up on office door)
and by appointment.
Teaching Assistants:
Monday Lab: Jacqui Bergner; Office Hours TBD
Office Location: ES430; email: bergnej@wwu.edu
Tuesday Lab: Jenna Schroeder; Office hours R 12-1 email to
confirm you are coming; Location ES301; email schroej8@wwu.edu
Prerequisites: The course requires a background in ecology. All students
must have completed BOTH ESCI 325 and 340 or Biol 325 and 340 or equivalent
courses at another institution. If you have not had these prerequisites, you
should NOT take this class.
Student Learning Objectives: Upon
completion of the course, students will have an understanding of the structure,
function and temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems. They will also gain
experience with basic forest inventory techniques and statistical methods for
the analysis of these data.
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/
Note Regarding Writing
Proficiency Requirements: This course meets the requirements of a WP2 class;
that is, completion of this course counts for two of the three WP points
required for graduation.
|
Grading |
Undergraduates |
Graduate Students |
|
Mid-term Exam |
30% |
25% |
|
Final Exam |
30% |
25% |
|
Lab Reports: Click here for information about the lab |
30% |
30% |
|
Class Participation |
10% |
10% |
|
Term Paper/Project Click here for information about this project |
--- |
10% |
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.). NOTE: Due Dates exist for a reason. I don’t want you to fall
behind. If you have a reasonable excuse for turning something in late (illness,
family crisis, etc.), it
is your responsibility to make me aware of this right away. Don’t come to me in week 9 and expect to be able to turn in
a bunch of late assignment.
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/
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
The class will include three hours of lecture and four hours of lab per
week. Some lecture and lab time may be used for discussion of assigned readings
from the scientific literature.
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 the WWU
Plagiarism Information Web Site.
Information about the Oregon State University salvage logging controversy
from the spring of 2006:
The paper that started the controversy:
Last updated: 3/8/23 (Check for updates of this schedule as the
quarter progresses.)
|
TENTATIVE Lecture Schedule |
Topic |
|
|
Week 1: 3/29-31 |
3/29: Organizational Meeting |
None |
|
Week 2: 4/3-7 |
Preface: Humans and the |
Chapter 1, Vitousek et al. 1997, Noble et al. 1997 Optional Reading: New_Republic_ID.pdf |
|
Week 3: 4/10-14 |
The Earth’s Climate System |
Chapters 2 Optional |
|
Week 4: 4/17-21 |
Geology and Soils |
Chapter 3 |
|
Week 5: 4/24-28 |
Part II: Mechanisms Carbon Input to Terrestrial Ecosystems Plant Carbon Budgets MID-TERM EXAM;Friday, April 28….(but may be delayed until
Monday May 1 depending on our progress) |
Chapters 4, 5, 6 |
|
Week 6: 5/1-5 |
|
Chapters 7, 8 |
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Week 7: 5/8-12 |
Terrestrial Nutrient Cycling |
Chapters 9, 10 |
|
Week 8: 5/15 – 19 |
Species Effects on Ecosystem Processes Temporal Dynamics |
Chapters 11,12 Optional readings RE plant defensive compounds: Harborne; Chap 3 IN: Plant defense against mammalian herbivory |
|
Week 9: 5/22 – 26 |
Part III: Patterns |
Chapters 13, 14 |
|
Week 10: 5/29-6/2 |
Part IV: Integration |
Chapters 15 |
|
Finals Week: 6/5-9 |
Final Exam: https://registrar.wwu.edu/calendars/finals |
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