Dr. Suzanne Koptur, Professor of Biological Sciences
|
| OE 232, ph. 305-348-3103 |
| office hours Wed 9 am - 12 pm
and by appt. |
| e-mail:
kopturs@fiu.edu (please note on subject line "PCB 3043 student" and
your reason for writing) |
Classroom activities and your textbook reading will be assisted with
a
course website in which you can review terminology, read more on
subjects
that interest you, and take practice quizzes to help you master the
material.
You can also explore the quantitative aspects of ecology using
exercises and models. Many students find that the greater their
involvement with these activities, the better their performance in the
class. The lab will
complement the lecture class, with
exercises in the field and lab to provide real data to analyze as well
as solve how best to answer certain questions and test
hypotheses.
There will be three exams and a final. No make-up exams will be given. If you must miss an exam, the zero will become your low grade. Your lowest midterm grade will be dropped. All students must take the final. Keys will be posted on the course web page. If you feel that an error was made in the grading of your exam, you may request in writing that your test be regraded, handing in your exam with the problems described on a sheet stapled to the front of your exam within two weeks of the exams being returned in class.
The writing component of this lecture course has two parts:
pop
quizzes
(essays) in lecture, and a group project called a jigsaw. The
five-minute
essays will pop up in lectures throughout the semester, and the best
60%
of them will be counted for a significant portion of your final
grade.
The jigsaw will be done in stages with topics assigned; we will have
some training in library research to help you find
references
relevant to your topic. It is advisable to start this project
early
to give yourself time to obtain references from InterLibraryLoan (if
needed),
read the scientific articles, and to put together your
ideas.
Students will present their findings as group powerpoint presentations
in class, and also turn in their papers via TurnItIn.com to verify
originality. Plagiarism is unethical and will not be tolerated in
this or any course
activity.
| Exams (20% each, a total of 2 (best 2 of 3) midterms and 1 final) | 60% |
| Best 60% of "pop" essay grades | 20% |
| Jigsaw - oral and written presentation |
20% |
| Date/ day |
Topic | Readings |
|
| 24 Aug T |
Introduction | Ch. 1 |
|
| 27 Aug R |
The Physical Environment | 2 | |
| 1 Sep T |
Adaptation to Environments |
3 | |
| 3 Sep R |
Biological Communities |
4 & 5 |
|
| 8 Sep T |
Energy in Ecosystems |
6 |
|
| 10 Sep R |
Elemental Cycles | 7 |
|
| 15 Sep T |
Nutrient Flow in Ecosystems [jigsaw assigned] | 8 |
|
| 17 Sep R |
EXAM 1 | ||
| 22 Sep T |
Adaptation and Natural
Selection - Library session - Last names A-J |
9 |
|
| 24 Sep R |
Adaptation and Natural Selection - Library
session - Last names K - Z |
9 |
|
| 29 Sep T |
Life History Strategies |
10 |
|
| 1 Oct R |
Sex, Family, Society, Evolution | 11 & 12 |
|
| 6 Oct T | Population Structure | 13 |
|
| 8 Oct R | Population Growth and Regulation | 14 |
|
| 13 Oct T |
Population Dynamics | 15 |
|
| 15 Oct R | Population Genetics and Evolution | 16 |
|
| 20 Oct T |
EXAM 2 | ||
| 22 Oct R |
Predation, Herbivory, Predator/prey | 17 & 18 |
|
| 27 Oct T |
Competition | 19 |
|
| 29 Oct R |
Coevolution and Mutualism | 20 |
|
| 3 Nov T |
Community Structure | 21 |
|
| 5 Nov R | Jigsaw Presentations |
||
| 10 Nov T |
Jigsaw Presentations |
||
| 12 Nov R | Community Development |
22 |
|
| 17 Nov T | Ecology Film Festival |
||
| 19 Nov R | Biodiversity | 23 | |
| 24 Nov T | Conservation Biology | 25 |
|
| 26 Nov R | Thanksgiving holiday |
||
| 1 Dec T | Global Ecology |
26 | |
| 3 Dec R |
EXAM 3 |
||
| 8 Dec T |
Final Exam (Cumulative) |