WFSC 403, Animal Ecology, Fall 1996
Instructor: Dr. Fran Gelwick
Text: Begon, Harper & Townsend, 1996, Ecology 3rd Edition
Click here for the lab syllabus
Note: Copies of the lecture outline for the week will be available at the Evans Library Reserve Desk, the Copy Shop and the web site, figures used in class will be available on reserve and in the copy shop. Returned quizzes will be in Melissa Bussell's office, 216 Old Heep (enter through room 215).
The syllabus has been rearranged to reflect when lectures/labs actually occur (more or less).
To view the notes for a particular week, simply click on the hypertext (colored text) description.
Syllabus
| Date | Activity | |
| Sept 2-6 | Lecture | Overview; Organisms and their Environments |
| Lab | Introduction: Stella Models, Data Entry, Statistics | |
| Sept 9-13 | Lecture | Organisms and their Environments; Conditions |
| Field | Ex. 1. Survey of stream animals, diversity, distribution, habitat use | |
| Sept 16-20 | Lecture | Resources; Life/Death (Ch. 3) |
| Laboratory | Ex. 1 cont: identify and count invertebrates, data entry and analysis | |
| Sept 23-27 | Lecture | Dispersal, Dispersion, Migration in Space and Time (Ch. 5) |
| Field | (Ex. 1 Due); Ex. 2. Effects of a predator on stream-animal diversity, habitat use | |
| Sept 30- Oct 4 | Lecture | EXAM 1 (30th); Intraspecific Competition (Ch. 6) |
| Lab | Ex. 2 cont: trophic analysis of fish, data entry and analysis | |
| Oct 7-11 | Lecture | Interspecific Competition (Ch. 7); Nature of Predation (Ch. 8) |
| Field | (Ex. 2 Due); Ex. 3. Survey of terrestrial animals, diversity, distribution, habitat use | |
| Oct 14-18 | Lecture | Review of competition, predation, populations dynamics |
| Lab | Ex. 3 cont: identify and count invertebrates, data entry and analysis | |
| Oct 21-25 | Lecture | Behavior of Predators (Ch. 9); Population Dynamics of Predation (Ch. 10); Detritivores (Ch. 11) |
| Field | (Ex. 3 Due); Ex. 5. Specialization and Food Distribution: effects on Survival and Reproduction (The Foraging Game). | |
| Oct 28- Nov 1 | Lecture | EXAM 2 (28th) ; Parasitism and Disease (Ch. 12) |
| Lab | Ex. 5 cont: data entry and analysis | |
| Nov 4-8 | Lecture | Symbiosis and Mutualism (Ch. 13); Life-History Variation (Ch. 14) |
| Field | (Ex. 5 due) Ex. 4 Foraging behavior a. Prey-choice, b. Prey-switching | |
| Nov 11-15 | Lecture | Abundance (Ch. 15); Manipulating Abundance ; Nature of the Community (Ch. 17) |
| Lab | Ex. 4 cont: data entry and analysis | |
| Nov 18-22 | Lecture | Effects of Competition on Community Structure (Ch. 20); Effects of Disturbance on the Community |
| Lab | (Ex. 4 due) Ex. 6. Stella Population Model: Hypothesis Generation and Testing | |
| Nov 25-29 | Lecture | EXAM 3 (25th); Effects of Predation and Disturbance on the Community (Ch. 21) (28-29th Thanksgiving Holiday) |
| ------- | NO LAB THIS WEEK | |
| Dec 2-6 | Lecture | Food Webs (Ch. 22); Islands, Areas and Colonization (Ch. 23) |
| Lab | Ex. 6 due; Present and Discuss Stella Model Hypothesis Test Results | |
| Dec 9-13 | Lecture | Patterns in Species Richness (Ch. 24) (no exams); 11th (no class) |
| ------- | NO LAB THIS WEEK | |
| Dec 16 | Lecture | EXAM 4 (Final) Monday 16th 8-10 am |
WFSC 403, Animal Ecology,
Distribution of Grade Points and Information Exchange
| Lecture | ||
| knowledge census: 10 x 10 | 100 | |
| exams 1-3: 3 x 100 | 300 | |
| exam 4(final): 1 x 200 | 200 | |
| Lecture total: | 600 | |
| Laboratory | ||
| field participation: 6 weeks x 20 | 120 | |
| lab participation: 6 weeks x 10 | 60 | |
| exercises: 6 x 30 | 180 | |
| model: presentation | 30 | |
| discussion | 10 | |
| Lab total: | 400 | |
| Course Total | 1000 | |
Knowledge Census (Unscheduled). Exercises in class to check your
level of knowledge and comprehension or give you experience with
problem solving, data interpretation, and general application
of the information presented to that date. This is to keep you
and me apprised of your progress so that neither of us is surprised
at exam time. We usually will go over these in
Exams: (Scheduled). These cover lecture and reading assignments,
and will include multiple choice, short answers, problem solving
and data interpretation. Exam 4 is the final; it is comprehensive,
but half of the questions (and points) will be over information
in lectures after Exam 3; same format as other exams.
Communication - Lecture - Please contact me with your questions. It is likely others need similar information, so... the more students who communicate these questions, the better I can address them in class all at once, or on the WEB SITE for WFSC 403 (see below), rather replying similarly to many individuals. I will post general messages for this class on the class
Laboratory - (1) try to contact your TA first, or TA for another
section. (2) look on the class WEB SITE. (3) try to contact me
about lab activities if the other efforts fail and you need information
as soon as possible.
NOTE: When you leave messages, please include (1) your NAME, (2)
HOW TO REPLY TO YOU, and most importantly (3) WHAT IS THE QUESTION
or MESSAGE?, so as to get a reply quickly even if you do not speak
directly to your instructor, or so that you fulfill YOUR OBLIGATION
to NOTIFY YOUR INSTRUCTOR ABOUT ABSENCES
Absences from Lecture - (see p. 10. of A&M '95-'96 Regs for
rules and definitions) Basically, notify instructor no later than
the end of the 2nd working day after the last date of absence,
get an excused absence verified by the dean for undergraduate
programs, or dean's designee, of your college and bring it to
me. If your absence is excused I will assign an alternative.
Gelwick Office: Old Herman Heep 110 J
Office Phone: 862-4172
E-mail: fig0697@acs.tamu.edu
Gelwick Mail Box: Old Herman Heep
215
WFSC Mail Box: WFSC Dept. Nagle
210
Web Site for WFSC 403: http://wfscnet.tamu.edu/courses/wfsc403.htm
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