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Course Outline Terrestrial Ecosystems BIOL 399 AC Course outline Terrestrial Ecosystems BIOL 399 AC Course Number: BIOL 399 AC Course Title: Terrestrial Ecosystems Term/Year: Fall 2021 Times and Location: Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:30 to 12:45 (all lectures will be on Zoom) Laboratory sessions Tuesday 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm (5 lab sessions (maybe more) on Zoom; see page 2) Excursions: no excursions this year (video of excursion will be viewed and discussed in a lab session) Instructor: Dr. Daniel Gagnon, Professor of Biology ([email protected]) Teaching Assistant: Dana Green ([email protected]) D. Gagnon Office Location: LB 243 Office Hours: please contact me by email for any questions Any student with a disability who may need accommodations should discuss this with the instructor and contact the Coordinator of the Centre for Student Accessibility at 306-585-4631. Course Description: This course will examine factors regulating distribution and functioning of major temperate terrestrial ecosystems, and some tropical ecosystems, as well as their ecosystem processes. Factors: climate, geology, surface deposits, soils, microorganisms, flora, fauna. Processes: disturbances (fire, wind, anthropogenic), succession, productivity and biomass, carbon capture and sequestration. Field Excursions: There will be no excursion this year. We usually have two full days of field excursions, on a weekend early in September. The purpose of these excursions was to sample 4 types of terrestrial ecosystems (conifer plantations, aspen and ash forests, native prairie), to identify major plants and animals, and discuss their ecology and role/importance to their ecosystem. We will see (discuss) during a lab session a video on how to sample forest vegetation plots and understory vegetation, as well as how to sample soils. Laboratory sessions: lab sessions will be held via Zoom (using videos, powerpoints, and discussions) Lab 1. Field excursion video and discussion (vegetation sampling and soil sampling) Lab 2. Calculating tree basal area and vegetation analysis; site data interpretation Lab 3. Counting growth rings on tree cores Lab 4. Soil moisture determination, soil particle size analysis (texture), soil pH measurements Lab 5. Discussion of soil pH, nutrients and texture Other labs: The lab period of Oct. 19 will be used to have the midterm exam. We may also use other lab periods to discuss other subjects. Useful textbook (not required): F.S. Chapin III, P.A. Matson & P.M. Vitousek. 2012. Principles of Terrestrial Ecology. 2nd Ed. Springer. 1 Course Evaluation: Midterm exam (includes classes 1-12) 25 % (October 19, during lab period) Final exam (includes classes 13-25) 25 % (December 21; 2 to 5 pm) Forest Vegetation Analysis assignment 25 % (Nov 17 for comments; Dec 7 due date) 5 Short in-class quizzes (5 % each) 25 % (dates to be determined; 1 week notice) Lecture and lab schedule: Date (2021) Classes Lab sessions on Tuesdays at 2:30/ Midterm exam date / Assignment due date Tues. Aug. 31 1. Thur. Sept. 2 2. Tues. Sept. 7 3. Thur. Sept. 9 4. Tues. Sept. 14 5. 1. Vegetation, site data & soil sampling Thur. Sept. 16 6. Tues. Sept. 21 7. 2. Tree basal area; vegetation analysis; site data Thur. Sept. 23 8. Tues. Sept. 28 9. 3. Tree growth ring count Thur. Sept. 30 10. Tues. Oct. 5 11. 4. Soil moisture, pH & particle size analysis Thur. Oct. 7 12. Tues. Oct. 12 13. 5. Discussion: soil pH, nutrients and texture Thur. Oct. 14 14. Tues. Oct. 19 15. Midterm during lab period: October 19 Thur. Oct. 21 16. Tues. Oct. 26 17. Possibility of a lab discussion Thur. Oct. 28 18. Tues. Nov. 2 19. Possibility of a lab discussion Thur. Nov. 4 20. Nov. 9 & 11 Fall break Tues. Nov. 16 21. Possibility of a lab discussion; Assignment due (for comments): November 17 Thur. Nov. 18 22. Tues. Nov. 23 23. Possibility of a lab discussion Thur. Nov. 25 24. Tues. Nov. 30 25. Possibility of a lab discussion Thur. Dec. 2 Review Tues. Dec. 7 Assignment due (final version): December 7 Dec. 21 (2 to 5 pm) Final exam 2 Details of topics/content of classes: 1. Introduction, basic definitions, ecological factors, limiting factors: abiotic & biotic (predation, competition, mutualism); producers, consumers, decomposers 2. Basic bedrock geology, surface deposits (since the end of the last ice age) 3. Soils: definitions, soil horizons and pedogenesis, major soils of Canada and the World 4. Soil organisms (mycorrhizae, microorganisms, invertebrates) 5. Biogeography: effect of glaciations, continental drift, distribution patterns, extinctions 6. Temperature: latitude, continentality, elevation, microclimates 7. Precipitation: high & low pressure zones, dominant wind, orographic precip., rain shadow 8. Climate: evapotranspiration (effect on productivity), climate of Canada (west to east transect) 9. Disturbance and succession (primary and secondary succession, climax) 10. Disturbance and succession: natural disturbances (fire, wind), anthropogenic disturbances 11. Biodiversity gradients, ecosystem structure (life forms, vertical structure, horizontal patterns, temporal patterns, adaptations to fire, wind, water, heat, cold) 12. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: definition and distribution, Whittaker’s biome diagram 13. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: temperate coniferous forest (boreal, mountain) 14. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: temperate deciduous forest 15. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: temperate grasslands 16. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: temperate rainforest 17. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: tropical rainforest 18. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: tropical montane rain forest and tropical alpine ecosystems 19. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: arctic tundra and temperate alpine ecosystems 20. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: Mediterranean scrub 21. Biomes/terrestrial ecosystems: hot and cold deserts, and semi-deserts 22. Effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems: arctic, boreal 23. Effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems: temperate, tropical 24. Terrestrial ecosystem restoration for conservation of biodiversity 25. Ecosystems (natural and planted) for carbon and excess nutrient capture Forest Vegetation Analysis assignment report Preliminary Assignment report (optional; due Nov. 17): Presentation of data collected in vegetation plots (with calculations of: tree seedling % density, small sapling % density, large sapling % density, tree % basal area, total tree basal area/ha, % cover of understory shrubs and herbaceous plants species), the site data collected (elevation, % slope, aspect, etc.) and tree core data. I will review and annotate this preliminary report to help you prepare the final version. Final version (due Dec. 7): This assignment report will contain a presentation, an analysis and a discussion of the vegetation, site data and soil data of several plots (one Prairie aspen plot, SK; several Coastal BC (Vancouver Island) forest vegetation plots; several southern QC sugar maple - hickory plots). This report will have a discussion on how the site/soil results help to interpret the vegetation (and vice versa). This final report will include summary data (means of vegetation species cover or importance, site & soil data), tables and references, in order to create a comprehensive report. 3 .
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