Global Change and the Biodiversity Crisis Biology 4983.003 MICHAEL A. PATTEN, Oklahoma Biological Survey and Department of Biology
Semester: autumn 2014 Class time: Monday, 1:30–4:20 p.m. (Sutton 111) Contact information: [email protected] or (405) 325-5061 or my office (room 236) at the Biological Survey (111 E. Chesapeake; south campus, northeast of LNC)
Required text: none (!) — just think of the money you save
iii all required readings (see syllabus, below) will be available at Desire2Learn iii
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The senior capstone is a forum for learning about and discussing key social, ethical, and economic issues raised by advances in biology and technology. An understanding of current topics is an important component to an undergraduate education, can provide a solid foundation either for employment in the field or for graduate school, and is essential to honing critical thinking. In this seminar students will use basic knowledge of ecology to grapple with how ecological processes are being altered by global change, including climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species. Topics for discussion include evolutionary responses of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and organisms, changing climate systems, biogeographic shifts, forecasting, and conservation and planning. Topics covered in the course will provide not only a deeper understanding of ecology but also, I hope, clearer insight into the challenges facing efforts to conserve the Earth’s biodiversity.
COURSE COMPOSITION
In-Class Format
This course centers around classroom interaction. It consists of assigned reading, introductory lectures, discussions of readings and interactive debates, and student presentations. Students will get good practice in accessing original literature, thinking critically about scientific evidence supporting various points of view, and organizing concise written and oral arguments about specific issues. To an extent, then, the students are responsible for the content and direction of this course. My role will include leading and evaluating classroom discussions and providing guidance during selection of, research for, and creation of an individual project.
Given the format of the class, participation in discussion and debates is essential. In this way you can learn how to take part in a meaningful, collegial exchange of ideas and thus be prepared to offer an informed opinion about topics covered in the course. Individual Projects
A key aspect of the course will be an individual research topic. I will not allow students to work on the same topic or project. The individual project will require each student to research a particular topic—within the course’s theme, naturally—and to explore ecological (chiefly) and social issues related to this topic. The student will share his or her findings with the class during a 20-minute in-class presentation (using PowerPoint or a similar program) and will produce a review paper on the topic.
I will consider any topic broadly related to the course’s theme, and I encourage each student to choose a research topic that matches his or her background, interests, and future goals. The student will benefit from reading widely and selecting a topic that will not only provide a new perspective to other students but also an enjoyable learning experience. To that end, unless you are sure of what you want to study, spend some time in the library perusing a variety of topical books and journals to get a sense of the breadth of the field. You must select a topic of which I approve no later than the fourth week of class (preferably sooner). Once you have an approved topic you will need to provide me with a typed, one-page outline of it.
A goal of this class is training you to find and make sense of primary literature. Thus, when selecting and researching a topic, make use of the numerous books and journal papers that have been published about the ecology of global change. Also make judicious use of the internet, but please do not rely on it too much. The internet is an easily accessible repository of information, but bear in mind that anyone can post to it, meaning that there will be as many (and probably more) useless sites as useful ones. You probably do not need to be as leery of sites maintained by universities (.edu) or professional organizations, societies, or institutes (.org), but beware of personal blogs and dot-coms. You are responsible for verifying all information that is included in your presentation and review paper. You therefore may not cite any website in your work; only a clear reference to peer-reviewed literature will suffice. If you locate citations that you cannot find in the library, please come see me or ask a science librarian for help. Similarly, if you find apparently useful information on a website, trace that information to its source.
Much of your work for this course will be completed outside the classroom. As soon as you have an approved project spend time in the library or online searching for and reading appropriate journal articles and book chapters. Be assured that the amount of time you spend researching your paper will be directly correlated with the quality of your paper and presentation. In addition to the required textbook, various books that may be of useful to selecting and researching your topic include (but are not limited to):
Burroughs WJ (2001) Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Burroughs WJ (2005) Climate Change in Prehistory: The End of the Reign of Chaos. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Chapin FS III, Sala OE, Huber-Sannwald E, editors (2001) Global Biodiversity in a Changing Environment: Scenarios for the 21st Century. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Gates DM (1993) Climate Change and its Biological Consequences. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. Hoffmann AA, Parsons PA (1997) Extreme Environmental Change and Evolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Huston MA (1994) Biological Diversity: The Coexistence of Species on Changing Landscapes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Low PS, editor (2005) Climate Change and Africa. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Mace GM, Balmford A, Ginsberg JR, editors (1998) Conservation in a Changing World. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Moore PD, Chaloner B, Stott P (1996) Global Environmental Change. Blackwell Science, Oxford, U.K. Schlesinger WH (1997) Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change. Academic Press, San Diego. Shugart HH (1998) Terrestrial Ecosystems in Changing Environments. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Steffen W, Sanderson A, Tyson PD, Jager J, Matson PA, Moore B, Oldfield F, Richardson K, Schellnhuber HJ, Tuner BL, Wasson RJ (2004) Global Change and the Earth System: A Planet Under Pressure. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Turekian KK (1996) Global Climate Change—Past, Present and Future. PrenticeHall, New York. Woodward FI, editor (1993) Global Climate Change: The Ecological Consequences. Academic Press, San Diego.
Likewise, numerous journals routinely publish papers that are germane to the theme of this course. A by no means comprehensive list includes the following journals:
American Naturalist Evolutionary Ecology Research Biodiversity & Conservation Global Change Biology Biological Conservation Global Ecology & Biogeography Biological Invasions Global Environmental Change BioScience Journal of Biogeography Canadian Journal of Zoology Nature Climate Dynamics Oecologia Climatic Change Oikos Conservation Biology Proceedings of the Nat’l Academy of Science Diversity & Distributions Proceedings of the Royal Society B Ecological Applications Science Ecology Trends in Ecology and Evolution Ecology Letters Urban Ecosystems
As with the books, do not feel restricted to the titles provided—they are only meant as a helpful guide to get the ball rolling. If you find a reference to a paper in a journal that OU’s library does not carry, you likely can get a copy of it (in about a week) through the interlibrary loan program. Ask a science librarian for help.
I will go over in class how to conduct a literature review and how to read a scientific paper, and some of your assignments will be writing short reviews of such papers. As always, if you have questions or need guidance, do not hesitate to see me at my office, to give me a call, or to drop me an email. Reading and understanding the scientific literature is an acquired skill.
GRADING
The nature of this course makes a student’s participation in discussion a critical part of his or her grade. Oral presentations will be assessed by other students, with written critiques turned in to me. I will assign occasional quizzes and short exams. Obviously, the individual assignments—both the in-class presentation and the resultant research paper—will form a considerable part of a student’s final grade. To facilitate classroom discussion, students will be assigned the task of leading the debate. But just because you are not leading the discussion that week is not an excuse to avoid participation.
I will use the following point system as a guide for grading:
assignment points review paper 150 substance = 75 organization and clarity = 50 tables and figures = 25 oral presentation 100 substance = 40 organization and clarity = 30 graphics = 30 classroom participation 75 short writing assignments (3) 75 exercises and quizzes (3–4) 100 total points: 500
The nature of this course makes absences costly. Be warned that missed assignments cannot be completed later. It should go without saying, but a student’s grade will suffer drastically if he or she misses multiple classes.
iii IMPORTANT NOTICES iii
I will tolerate neither plagiarism nor academic misconduct. Please consult OU’s website (http://www.ou.edu/provost/integrity/) to learn the university’s stance on these policies. Any student guilty of plagiarism—including self-plagiarism (turning in your own work for more than one course) and copying information directly from a web site—will receive no credit for that assignment.
Please notify me if for any reason you require special accommodations to ensure that you participate fully in this course: this course will be made accessible to any student with a disability. Schedule Date Topic Reading
18 August Orientation none
25 August Biodiversity and biogeography Barnosky et al. (2011); Laurance (2007); Mooney (2010)
01 September iii Labor Day iii
08 September Aspects of global change Rockström et al. (2009); Chapin et al. (2000); Vilà et al. (2011)
15 September Climate change Karl & Trenberth (2003); Burrows et al. (2011); Parmesan (2006)
22 September Oceanic systems Harley et al. (2006); Diaz & Rosenberg (2008); Hollebone & Hay (2008)
29 September Habitat loss and fragmentation Fahrig (2003); Watling & Donnelly (2006); Ewers & Didham (2006)
06 October Evolutionary and Bell & Collins (2008); Davis et al. (2005); ecological responses Pruett et al. (2009)
13 October Synergistic responses Brook et al. (2008); Opdam & Wascher (2004); Pounds et al. (2004)
20 October Looking forward Bellard et al. (2012); Dawson et al. (2011); Van der Putten et al. (2010)
27 October Conservation and restoration Hannah et al. (2007); Araújo et al. (2011); Schwartz et al. (2012)
03 November Humans and policy Mace et al. (2012); Cook et al. (2013); Selin & VanDeveer (2007)
10 November Public understanding Reynolds et al. (2010); Li et al. (2011); Markowitz & Shariff (2012)
17 November iii ACAT test iii
24 November oral presentations
01 December oral presentations
08 December iii review paper due iii Note: For each week the paper listed first is a general overview or, at least, the closest to an overview that I could find. Read it first. Feel free to read other papers for that week in whatever order you wish. READINGS
Araújo MB, Alagador D, Cabeza M, Nogués-Bravo D, Thuiller W (2011) Climate change threatens European conservation areas. Ecology Letters 14: 484–492. Barnosky AD, Matzke N, Tomiya S, Wogan GOU, Swartz B, Quental TB, Marshall C, McGuire JL, Lindsey EL, Maguire KC, Mersey K, Ferrer EA (2011) Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived? Nature 471: 51–57. Bell G, Collins S (2008) Adaptation, extinction and global change. Evolutionary Applications 1: 3–16. Bellard C, Bertelsmeier C, Leadley P, Thuiller W, Courchamp F (2012) Impacts of climate change on the future of biodiversity. Ecology Letters 15: 365–377. Brook BW, Sodhi NS, Bradshaw CJA (2008) Synergies among extinction drivers under global change. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23: 453–460. Burrows MT, Schoeman DS, Buckley LB, Moore P, Poloczanska ES, Brander KM, Brown C, Bruno JF, Duarte CM, Halpern BS, Holding J, Kappel CV, Kiessling W, O'Connor MI, Pandolfi JM, Parmesan C, Schwing FB, Sydeman WJ, Richardson AJ (2011) The pace of shifting climate in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Science 334: 652–655. Chapin FS III, Zavaleta ES, Eviner VT, Naylor RL, Vitousek PM, Reynolds| HL, Hooper DU, Lavorel S, SalaI OE, Hobbie SE, Mack MC, Día S (2000) Consequences of changing biodiversity. Nature 405: 234–242. Cook J, Nuccitelli D, Green SA, Richardson M, Winkler B, Painting R, Way R, Jacobs P, Skuce A (2013) Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature. Environmental Research Letters 8: 024024. Davis MB, Shaw RG, Etterson JR (2005) Evolutionary responses to climate change. Ecology 86: 1704–1714. Dawson TP, Jackson ST, House JI, Prentice IC, Mace GM (2011) Beyond predictions: Biodiversity conservation in a changing climate. Science 332: 53–58. Diaz RJ, Rosenberg R (2008) Spreading dead zones and consequences for marine ecosystems. Science 321: 926–929. Ewers RM, Didham RK (2006) Confounding factors in the detection of species responses to habitat fragmentation. Biological Reviews 81: 117–142. Fahrig L (2003) Effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 34: 487–515. Hannah L, Midgley G, Andelman S, Araújo M, Hughes G, Martinez-Meyer E, Pearson R, Williams P (2007) Protected area needs in a changing climate. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5: 131–138. Harley CDG, Hughes AR, Hultgren KM, Miner BG, Sorte CJB, Thornber CS, Rodriguez LF, Tomanek L, Williams SL (2006) The impacts of climate change in coastal marine systems. Ecology Letters 9: Hollebone AL, Hay ME (2008) An invasive crab alters interaction webs in a marine community. Biological Invasions 10: 347–358. Karl TR, Trenberth KE (2003) Modern global climate change. Science 302: 1719–1723. Laurance WF (2007) Have we overstated the tropical biodiversity crisis? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22: 65–70. Li Y, Johnson EJ, Zaval L (2011) Local warming: Daily temperature change influences belief in global warming. Psychological Science 22: 454–459. Mace GM, Norris K, Fitter AH (2012) Biodiversity and ecosystem services: A multilayered relationship. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 27: 19–26. Markowitz EM, Shariff AF (2012) Climate change and moral judgement. Nature Climate Change 2: 243–247. Mooney HR (2010) The ecosystem-service chain and the biological diversity crisis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 365: 31–39. Opdam P, Wascher D (2004) Climate change meets habitat fragmentation: Linking landscape and biogeographical scale levels in research and conservation. Biological Conservation 117: 285–297. Parmesan C (2006) Ecological and evolutionary responses to recent climate change. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 37: 637–69. Pounds JA, Bustamente MR, Coloma LA, Consuegra JA, Fogden MPL, Foster PN, La Marca E, Masters KL, Merino-Viter A, Puschendorf R, Ron SR, Sánchez-Azofeifa GA, Still CJ, Young BE (2006) Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature 439: 161–167. Pruett CL, Patten MA, Wolfe DH (2009) Avoidance behavior by prairie grouse: Implications for wind energy development. Conservation Biology 23: 1253–1259. Reynolds TW, Bostrom A, Read D, Morgan MG (2010) Now what do people know about global climate change? Survey studies of educated laypeople. Risk Analysis 30: 1520–1538. Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K, Persson A, Chapin FS III, Lambin EF, Lenton TM, Scheffer M, Folke C, Schellnhuber HJ, Nykvist B, de Wit CA, Hughes T, van der Leeuw S, Rodhe H, Sörlin S, Snyder PK, Costanza R, Svedin U, Falkenmark M, Karlberg L, Corell RW, Fabry VJ, Hansen J, Walker B, Liverman D, Richardson K, Crutzen P, Foley JA (2009) A safe operating space for humanity. Nature 461: 472-475. Schwartz MW, Hellmann JJ, McLachlan JM, Sax DF, Borevitz JO, Brennan J, Camacho AE, Ceballos G, Clark JR, Doremus H, Early R, Etterson JR, Fielder D, Gill JL, Gonzalez P, Green N, Hannah L, Jamieson DW, Javeline D, Minteer BA, Odenbaugh J, Polasky S, Richardson DM, Root TL, Safford HD, Sala O, Schneider SH, Thompson AR, Williams JW, Vellend M, Vitt P, Zellmer S (2012) Managed relocation: Integrating the scientific, regulatory, and ethical challenges. BioScience 62: 732–743. Selin H, VanDeveer SD (2007) Political science and prediction: What's next for U.S. climate change policy? Review of Policy Research 24: 1–27. Van der Putten WH, Macel M, Visser ME (2010) Predicting species distribution and abundance responses to climate change: Why it is essential to include biotic interactions across trophic levels. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 365: 2025–2034. Vilà M, Espinar JL, Hejda M, Hulme PE, Jarošik V, Maron JL, Pergl J, Schaffner U, Sun Y, Pyšek P (2011) Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta-analysis of their effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecology Letters 14: 702–708. Watling JI, Donnelly MA (2006) Fragments as islands: A synthesis of faunal responses to habitat patchiness. Conservation Biology 20: 1016–1025.
iii ACCESS iii
All readings for this course have been posted online at OU’s Desire2Learn system (see https://learn.ou.edu/index.asp). You will need your OU 4×4 and password to download copies of the papers. If you wish to make hard copies, try to find a color printer: many of the research and review articles above include color photographs or graphics. The latter, especially, can be difficult to understand if color is omitted.
Note that I have placed four additional sources on the Desire2Learn site. We will not discuss these in class explicitly, but I encourage you to peruse them. The first is the official statement from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the second is by the United States Climate Change Science Program, the third is a lengthy dissenting review, and the fourth is a comprehensive analysis of data from a former climate skeptic.
IPCC (2007) Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva. CCSP (2008) Abrupt Climate Change. U.S. Climate Change Science Program and Subcommittee on Global Change Research. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. Khandekar ML, Murty TS, Chittibabu P (2005) The global warming debate: A review of the state of science. Pure and Applied Geophysics 162: 1557–1586. Rohde R, Muller RA, Jacobsen R, Muller E, Perlmutter S, Rosenfeld A, Wurtele J, Groom D, Wickham C (2012) A new estimate of the average Earth surface land temperature spanning 1753 to 2011. Unpubl. report http://berkeleyearth.org/. See also “The Conversion of a Climate-Change Skeptic” by Richard A. Muller, The New York Times, 28 July 2012.