SYLLABUS and SCHEDULE Fall 2016

SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE – FALL 2016

COURSE NUMBER: BIO 315-06

COURSE TITLE: Ecology and Evolution Laboratory

CREDITS: 2:1:3

WHEN: Wednesday, 1:00 – 3:50 PM

COURSE WEB SITE: www.uncg.edu/~stavnr/Course/Bio315lab

PREREQUISITES / COREQUISITES: A grade of C or better in BIO 301 or BIO 330, or attending BIO 301 or BIO 330 in the same semester

FOR WHOM PLANNED: Core laboratory course for all undergraduate biology majors

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Instructor: Robert Stavn Office: 315 Sullivan Phone: 334-4979 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Free Drop-in or by appointment

BULLETIN DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to help students understand how species and populations evolve and how species and individuals interact with one another and with their environment

GENERAL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course 1. Students will be able to critically read, analyze, and synthesize scientific literature in Ecology and Evolution 2. Student will be able to interpret theoretical models in ecology and evolution and would be able to, accordingly, deduce hypotheses and predictions for particular study systems. 3. Students will be able to design an observational or experimental study that will test these predictions 4. Students will be able to statistically analyze data and summarize it appropriately in forms of figures and tables. 5. Students will be able to interpret their results and draw appropriate conclusions. 6. Students have developed scientific writing skills enabling them to communicate their study in a format of a scientific article. 7. Student will be able to collaborate with peers and provide constructive peer-review 8. Students will summarize and synthesize information from primary literature 9. Students will demonstrate proficiency in utilizing methods taught in class and labs.

1 10. Students will consolidate the scientific method as a framework for scientific investigation in ecology and evolution 11. Students will be able to present scientific data in front of live peer audience

WRITING INTENSIVE (WI) STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course 1. Be able to recognize and write in genres appropriate to the disciplines of the primary subject matter of the course. 2. Be able to use informal and formal approaches to writing and multiple drafts to deepen their mastery of the subject.

TEACHING METHODS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR ACHIEVING LEARNING OUTCOMES:  Teaching strategies include lectures (provided as pre-lab lecture materials) and laboratory exercises. The laboratory- and field-based projects in this course help students understand how species and populations evolve and how species and individuals interact with one another and with their environment. The projects would reinforce ecological and evolutionary concepts presented in the core ecology and evolution lecture courses. Multiple writing assignments would allow the development of the writing skills for the students for scientific papers. Students can work in groups during the lab but are expected to write the assignment on their own. Homework assignment must be typed and submitted as a hard-copy in the beginning of the class. E-mailed documents are not accepted.

EVALUATION AND GRADING:

Grading (in %): . 10 – Pre-lab quizzes (x10 total) (for preparing pre-lab lecture materials) . 5 – Research skills assignment . 8 – Research paper writing assignment . 10 – Population Differentiation-Field Experiment writing assignment . 7.5 – Darwinian snails simulation . 7.5 – Experiments with snails . 10 – Population Differentiation-Common Garden Experiment writing assignment . 5 – Draft Research Report (Stomatal Density) . 10 – Final Research Report (including improvements from Draft Research Report) . 10 – Leaf Decomposition writing assignment . 2 – Bird Quiz . 10 – Foraging ecology and niche partitioning assignment . 5 – Participation

GRADING SCALE

Course will be assigned a letter grade. The final grade will be derived as follows:

2 Grading Scale:

A (93–100%) I do not assign A+ grades A- (90–92%) B+ (87–89%) B (83–86%) B- (80–82%) C+ (77–79%) C (73–76%) C- (70–72%) D+ (67–69%) D (63–66%) D- (60–62%) F (0–59%)

REQUIRED TEXTS: none

TOPICAL OUTLINE/CALENDAR:

Tentative Schedule for Fall 2016 (dates are for Monday session)

DATE TOPIC Aug. 22 Lab 1: Introduction to course, Syllabus Exercise - Strengthening Research Skills (learn to use Excel and PowerPoint) Pre lab: Read chapter 1 in Smith and Smith Aug. 29 Lab 2: 1.Leaf Decomposition Experiment (Ecosystem Ecology) – set up packs, enter data. 2.“Darwinian snails” SimBio exercise Pre-lab: Read “Leaf decomposition” chapter from Smith and Smith DUE – Research Skills assignment, discuss answers in class

Sept. 5 Labor Day week – No lab

Sept. 12 Lab 3: Population differentiation of clovers – Field Experiment (Evolutionary & Population Ecology). Hypothesis development, experimental design, data collection. Set up Common Garden Experiment. Pre lab: Read chapter 7 in Krone – “Intraspecific variation” DUE – Graded questions of “Darwinian snails” module

Sept. 19 Lab 3 continued – Data graphing and analysis: Using statistics to test hypotheses (mean, standard deviation, standard error, t test). Drawing conclusions from graphical data and

3 statistical tests Pre lab: Read “Experimental Design and Really Basic Statistics” Sept. 26 Lab 4: “Understanding Experimental Design”; SimBio module. Pre lab: Complete section 1 of “Experiments with snails” module DUE – Assignment for Population Differentiation - Field Experiment

Oct. 3 Lab 5: Writing a research report - Discuss the structure of a research paper in context of scientific method, Searching databases (using SCOPUS), how to cite articles and avoid plagiarism. Pre lab: read Meerts & Vekemans (1991) and answer all questions in part 1. DUE – Report: “Experiments with snails”

Oct. 10 Lab 6.a: Develop Independent Research Project on stomatal density (Physiological Ecology & Evolution) Learn leaf impression technique, review/learn correct microscope technique Turn in one-page research proposal following proposal guidelines Pre-lab: Read Smith and Smith chpt. 6 DUE – Completed “writing a research report” assignment

Oct. 17 Fall Break

Oct. 24 Lab 6.b: Continue stomatal density project Finish data collection and analysis for independent project Pre-lab: Read Spence 1987 DUE – Answers to Questions for Further Thought (see Lab handout), students work alone

Oct. 31 Lab 7: Population Differentiation – Common Garden Exp. (Evolutionary Ecology) Data collection and analysis, discuss results in context of field experiment Pre-lab: Read Lacey et al. 2012 pp. 342 – 346. DUE – Draft of research report on stomatal density [NOTE: for next week, learn to ID birds on powerpoint before class.]

Nov. 7 Lab 8: Foraging ecology and niche partitioning by Birds (Community and Behavioral Ecology & Evolution) Feedbacks and comments on the draft of research report provided Pre-lab: Read Smith and Smith (chp. 15: pp 280-285): optimal foraging DUE – Assignment for Population Differentiation – Common Garden Exp.) [NOTE: Bird Quiz: bird identification, begin observations] Draft research reports returned and discussed

Nov. 14 Lab 9.a: Leaf Decomposition Experiment – collect, clean, and dry packs, data Pre-lab: Read research article on Leaf decomposition (TBD). Due: Student presentations: Foraging ecology and niche partitioning by Birds

4 Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Week – NO Lab

Nov. 28 Lab 9.b: Leaf Decomposition Experiment: data collection and analysis Continue observations, develop hypotheses and experiments Pre-lab: Reading a review paper/chapter on evolutionary ecology (TBD) DUE – research report on foraging ecology and niche partitioning by birds

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY: Students are expected to adhere to the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy, discussed in the first class and linked from the syllabus. See http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/. Specifically, students can work in groups during the lab but are expected to write the assignment on their own. Plagiarism will be dealt with severely.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:  Laboratory attendance is mandatory, a student cannot miss more than one laboratory session. If a student misses a laboratory meeting for any reason, he/she is still responsible for all of the materials covered, any announcements made, and any assignments given in his/her absence. Lab make-up is possible but ONLY on the same week of that lab and re- quires pre-approval (at least 1 day ahead) by the instructor of the lab section you plan to attend for the make-up. Step-in make-up is NOT allowed.  Students should sign-in at the beginning of the lab and sign-out by the end of that lab. Students not signed-out will be considered absent.  Tardiness: Students more than 10 minutes late will not be allowed in and will be considered absent.  Students should bring a hard-copy of the lab handout corresponding to that lab. Students are not allowed to print it in lab.  Late assignments or other related materials will receive 10% off the grade for each calendar day past the due date.

FINAL EXAMINATION: none

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: none