The content and format of this syllabus have been altered from the original

Methods in Field Ecology

Fall 2009

Faculty: John Cooley
OML 401
2-7214
(email removed)

TF: Erica Westerman
OML 326
(email removed)

Meetings: T, Th 1-5 PM OML 227 or 124 Prospect Room B09 (see schedule)

Office hours: By appointment

One course credit. Prerequisite: Concurrently with or after E&EB 220a or with permission of instructor.

An intensive introduction to field and laboratory methods in ecology, emphasizing sampling procedures, data collection and statistical analysis. Computers will be used to model population and community dynamics and to analyze ecological data sets. Laboratory periods will consist of field and laboratory problems; field trips are required, including occasional weekend trips.

Course assignments

This course requires 10 short writing assignments, 5 of which may be revised as second drafts (marked with an asterisk above), 2 class presentations, and a number of in-class assignments. The writing assignments are intended to teach students how to focus specifically on effective composition, paragraph organization, word usage, and clarity in scientific writing. Revised drafts are accepted within 2 weeks of return to student. These revisions may result in a higher grade.

Some written assignments are highly structured in the style of a scientific research paper (abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, literature cited), whereas others are in essay format. A few assignments involve conducting outside library research, but most are based on laboratory assignments and readings. Students are given extensive comments on their papers and are invited to consult with faculty regarding questions.

In addition, you will be required to keep (and turn in) a field notebook during the course.

Policy on late papers:

Grade will be lowered by half a grade for each day after the due date (i.e. B+ to B) and there will be no opportunity to rewrite late papers. Papers more than 10 days late will not be accepted. If you anticipate a problem meeting a deadline, please meet with the course staff before the assignment deadline.

Policy on missed course periods:

This is an immersion class, and it’s not possible to recreate assignments or make up missed periods. We will accommodate students who have legitimate excuses from the Dean of Undergraduate Students. We will not accept other excuses (e.g., trips, vacations, etc). Plan ahead!

Grading:

The bulk of your class grade will be determined by (approximate values):

Hazards:

This is a field course. Please plan ahead and bring appropriate clothing that can protect you from cold and wet. If you have any allergies (bee stings, poison ivy etc.), medical conditions, food allergies (wheat, peanuts, etc.), or food preferences (vegan, etc.) please notify the course staff as soon as possible.

General Course Design:

This course is intended to expose students to the ups and downs of conducting biological field research. The course format is different from the format of other courses you may have taken. There is no grading curve, and you are not in competition with your classmates. Scientific research is by its nature collaborative, and in this small-group mentoring class, we will all collaborate to collect data in a number of field exercises and work to analyze our data. You will also conduct and design a small research project. Since field research is unpredictable, it’s unlikely that all of the exercises and analyses will work as intended; because of this unpredictability, grades aren’t based on whether things work perfectly or not, but on how you approach problems and how you adapt to surprises.

Policies on academic integrity, state and federal laws, etc.:

Scientific investigation requires integrity and honesty. Cheating, Plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be reported to the Yale College Executive Committee, as noted under the heading “General Conduct and Discipline” of the Yale College Undergraduate Regulations: (link removed)

For questions concerning academic integrity, consult Appendix F of the undergraduate regulations: (link removed)

Additional information concerning academic integrity resources may be found at: (link removed)
and at: (link removed)

If you have any questions or concerns about academic honesty, please don’t hesitate to contact Erica or me- that’s what we’re here for!
Finally, we expect that all students will follow state and federal laws concerning alcohol and other controlled substances while participating in class trips.

Yale Resources:

Writing Center: (link removed)

Resource office on Disabilities: (link removed)

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: (link removed)

Academic Resources: (link removed)

Yale Libraries: (link removed)

Additional readings and resources that may be helpful include:
(Alden et al. 1998; Cronon 1983; Jorgensen 1978; McMillan 2001; Perry and Perry 1997; Strunk and White 2000; Thorson 2002; Thorson 2005; Watts 1991; Wessels 1997)

Acknowledgements:
Many of the exercises and handouts are adapted from materials developed by Robin Chazdon, John Silander, Nancy LaFleur, and John Cooley at the University of Connecticut.

Literature:

Alden, P., B. Cassie, R. Forster, R. Keen, A. Leventer, and W. B. Zomlefer. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Connell, J. H. 1961. The influence of interspecific competition and other factors on the distribution of the barnacle, Chthamalus stellatus. Ecology 42:133-146.
Cronon, W. 1983. Changes in the Land. Hill and Wang, New York.
Cummins, K. W., and M. J. Klug. 1979. Feeding Ecology of Stream Invertebrates. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 10:147-172.
Day, C. H. 1987. Life on Intertidal Rocks: A guide to marine life of the rocky north Atlantic coast. Nature Study Guild, Rochester.
Friedrich, R. L., and R. V. Blystone. 1998. Internet teaching resources for remote sensing and GIS. BioScience 48:187-192.
Gosper, C. R., C. D. Stansbury, and G. Vivian-Smith. 2005. Seed dispersal of lechy-fruited invasive plants by birds: Contributing factors and management options. Diversity And Distributions 11:549-558.
Gregory, S. V., F. J. Swanson, A. A. McKee, and K. W. Cummins. 1991. An Ecosystem Perspective of Riparian Zones. Bioscience 41:540-551.
Jorgensen, N. 1978. A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide to Southern New England. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco.
Karban, R., and M. Huntzinger. 2006. How to do Ecology: A concise handbook. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Kricher, J., and G. Morrison. 1998. A field guide to eastern forests. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
Levy, S. 2006. A plague of deer. Bioscience 65:718-721.
McMillan, V. 2001. Writing papers in the biological sciences. Bedford St. Martin's, Boston.
Perry, J., and J. G. Perry. 1997. The Sierra Club guide to the natural areas of New England. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco.
Rooney, T. P., and D. M. Waller. 2003. Direct and indirect effects of white-tailed deer in forest ecosystems. Forest Ecology and Management 181:165-186.
Stiles, E. W. 1980. Patterns of Fruit Presentation and Seed Dispersal in Bird-Disseminated Woody Plants in the Eastern Deciduous Forest. The American Naturalist 116:670-688.
Stiles, E. W. 1982. Fruit Flags: Two hypotheses. American Naturalist 120:500-509.
Strunk, W., and E. B. White. 2000. The Elements of Style. Longman, New York.
Thorson, R. M. 2002. Stone by stone. Walker and Company, New York.
Thorson, R. M. 2005. Exploring stone walls: A field guide to New England's Stone walls. Walker and Company, New York.
Wagner, C. H. 1982. Simpson's Paradox in Real Life. American Statistician 36:46-48.
Watts, M. T. 1991. Tree Finder: A manual for the identification of trees by their leaves. Nature Study Guild, Rochester NY.
Wessels, T. 1997. Reading the forested landscape: A natural history of New England. The Countryman Press, Woodstock, VT.