Course Description
Introduction to conceptual and empirical aspects of field ecology in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Athena Title
ECOL METHODOLOGY
Non-Traditional Format
As an ecological methods course, this course will require extensive work outside of classroom and 4 hours of lab a week. Students will be required to analyze data and write scientific papers for each field experiment. Students will be encouraged to learn how to use SAS for statistical analyses and will be required to write a grant proposal and conduct the experiments proposed in their proposal.
Prerequisite
[ECOL(BIOL) 3500-3500L and ECOL 4000/6000] or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Introduction to conceptual and empirical aspects of ecological methodology in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The course builds on the ideas, principles, and concepts presented in ECOL 3500. In both lecture and lab, students will be exposed to a variety of sampling and experimental methods employed by field ecologists. Emphasis will be placed on hypothesis testing and on the design, execution, analysis, and presentation of ecological experiments. Students will be involved in class exercises, group projects, and independent research projects throughout the course of the semester. This course will provide students with the skills needed to obtain a job as a field ecologist upon graduation. Moreover, this course will include a significant writing component. This writing component will teach students how to write an effective scientific paper, a skill which will be used in all aspects of their other scientific career.
Topical Outline
Introduction to conceptual and empirical aspects of ecological methodology in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The course builds on the ideas presented in ECOL 3500. In both lecture and lab, students will be exposed to a variety of sampling and experimental methods employed by field ecologists. Emphasis will be placed on hypothesis testing and on the design, execution, analysis, and presentation of ecological experiments. Students will be involved in class exercises, group projects, and individual projects throughout the course of the semester. Course Requirements: Text Book (required): Southwood, T. R. E. and P. A. Henderson. 2000. Ecological Methods. Blackwell Science, Oxford. Optional Text: Cody, R. P. and J. K. Smith. 1997. Applied statistics and the SAS programming language, 4th Edition. Prentice Hall, NJ. Optional Text: Scheiner, S. M. and J. Gurevitch. 2001. Design and analysis of ecological experiments. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Exams/Grading Points Final Exam 75 Writing assignments 200 Grant Proposal 75 Final Project 150 Total 500 Grant Proposal: Due 1 March, 2004 Subject of your choice written in the form of a graduate student Dissertation Improvement Grant to the National Science Foundation. See attached handout for specific requirements and grant review process. You will then conduct the experiments proposed in your grant proposal for your independent final projects. Independent Final Project: In your final project, you will conduct the experiment(s) that you proposed in your grant proposal. You will then write your work up in the form of a scientific paper. This paper will go through the "review process". Stay tuned for details. ECOL 4120 - ECOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY SYLLABUS This course will have 1 hour lecture and 4 hour lab per week. Lecture will cover conceptual aspects associated with each topic. Labs will provide hands-on experience concerning the appropriate methodological tools needed for each topic, including field methods, modeling, and statistical analyses. WEEK # TOPIC 1 Introduction: Theories, hypotheses, and statistics 2 Species richness and diversity (terrestrial) 3 Species richness and diversity (aquatic) 4 Wildlife population estimates 5 Observational vs. experimental methods 6 Experiments in controlled environments (greenhouse) 7 Experiments in controlled environments (field) 8 Large-scale spatial and temporal study and habitat classification 9 Life tables 10 Mark-recapture (invertebrates) 11 Estimation of productivity and the construction of energy budgets 12 Behavioral estimates 13 Independent projects 14 Independent projects 15 Independent projects ECOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY ECOL 4120 Writing Assignments For 3 experiments conducted in class (NOT including the final project), you must write up the work in the form of a Scientific paper. For all other experiments, you will only need to hand in Methods and Results Sections. All assignments must be TYPED and handed in 1 week after termination of the experiment. For the Scientific Paper, you should include the following sections: Title Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods (including Study System, Experimental Protocol, Data Analyses) Results (including Tables and Figures) Discussion Literature Cited. Writing is a creative process and there is no right or wrong way to present your work. The writing in this course is meant to be used as a learning tool so (1) you better understand the experiments you did, and (2) you learn how to write a scientific paper. Below I give you tips on how to write a Scientific Paper. In addition, I strongly encourage you to read current published articles in journals such as the American Journal of Botany or Ecology for further stylistic guidance. Title and Abstract - Should be clear and concise and describe the study you conducted. Introduction - Give brief background on the history of the problem. Why did you conduct the study you did? What new insights does your study bring (i.e., why is it different)? Clearly state the question you addressed. Methods 1. Write in the 1st person (I or we) and/or 3rd person (i.e., The observations were conducted from 7 AM to 6 PM). Mix it up - don't write exclusively in one voice. AVOID 2nd person (i.e., you)! 2. Give enough detail that someone can go back and redo your experiments. This detail may include: study organisms and sites used, sample sizes, measurements made, etc…. 3. Any information concerning the types of data analysis that you did (described below). Prior to writing your Results, you will enter your data into the computer (using Excel, notepad, or JMP) and statistically analyze your data using SAS. Your results section will include what you found written in words as well as any figures or tables that you feel are needed to present your results. Pointers for writing Results: 1. See (1) above. 2. All results should be written in the text even if there is a figure or table to describe them as well (i.e., We found that plants with more flowers received more pollinator visits (Figure 1).). 3. All Figures and Tables should have a title describing them. Discussion - Interpret your results in light of what is known in the literature on this subject. What is the next step in this system? Literature Cited - Only cite literature that was also cited in the text. Use standard citation format as in Ecology. ECOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY ECOL 4120 Grant Proposal February 1st - Topic due April 20th - Last day to hand in rough draft March 1st - Proposal due (no late proposals accepted) Grant writing is an integral part of ecological research - most research projects would be impossible to support without some funding source. This is true for graduate students as well as professors. You are assigned the task of writing a mock proposal to the National Science Foundation for a Dissertation Improvement Grant (DIG). DIGs are awards to graduate students. You must come up with a set of hypotheses that broadly fall under the category of plant-animal interactions, find a study system to address your hypotheses, design experiments to test these hypotheses, and persuasively explain the significance of your proposed work. The outline below will help you structure your proposal. Proposals will be handed in, assigned a number (so no one sees your name), and then sent out 'for review'. Each student in the class will be randomly given 3 proposals to read and comment on. You will be graded both on your proposal (100 points) as well as your constructive reviews of three other proposals (25 points). On the last two days of class, we will discuss the merits of each proposal. Grant Outline Cover Page - Include your name and date on this page only. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON ANY OTHER PART OF THE PROPOSAL. Abstract - Not to exceed 1 page. Should include a title, statement of objectives and methods to be employed, the intellectual merit of the proposed work, and broader impacts of the resulting work. Project Description - Not to exceed 8 pages. This is the main body of your proposal. Include the following subsections: Introduction with objectives and hypotheses/questions clearly stated. Literature review (i.e., where do your hypotheses fit into the broader knowledge of what is already known; this may be combined with the Introduction). Study system - describe the system. Why is this system appropriate to address the proposed hypotheses? Experimental design. Propose experiments to address each of your hypotheses. Your designs should include sample sizes and detailed methods such that someone could go out and do your proposed experiments. Significance of proposed work. Timeline of proposed work (how long is it going to take you and when will each experiment be accomplished). Literature Cited - cite literature as in Ecology. Note - write your proposal in the active voice.
Syllabus