Plant Ecology
Botany 451
Tentative Syllabus, Fall 2013
Professor: Dr. Susan Romano
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Tuesday, 9-11:30 am,Macomb,Waggoner Room 347
Wednesday, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Quad Cities, Room 129, Riverfront
Thursday, 9-10:30 am, Macomb, Waggoner Room 347
Class meets – August 19 through December 9, 2013, from 09:00 – 10:50 am (lecture), and 11:30 am to 1:30 pm (lab) at Nahant Marsh, 4220 Wapello Ave, Davenport, Iowa, 52802
Last day to drop course with "W" grade: 10/27/2013.
Note: Students may be asked to carpool to field sites for labs.
Course Description: A study of the interrelationships of plants with their biotic and abiotic environments
Course Objective: Provide classroom and field experiences that afford knowledge and understanding of plant ecology
Required book: Ecology of Plants
Edition: 2nd 06 Publisher:Sinauer
Author: Gurevitch
ISBN: 9780878932948
Recommended book: Wildflowers of Northeastern/North-central North America
Edition: 68 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Author: Peterson Guides
ISBN: 9780395911723
Academic Misconduct
http://wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php
If a student plagiarizes a lab report, they will receive a zero for the assignment. The student may choose to work with the instructor or the Writing Center and re-write the report for a higher grade, but will not receive a grade higher than a “C” for the assignment.
Late assignments will not receive a grade higher than 85%. All assignments are due 1 hour before the beginning of class on the due date.
Course Requirements and Grading
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 25%
Lab Reports (5) 25%
Research Presentation 25%
Date / TopicAugust 19 / Course overview
Research Project Discussion
August 26 / Chapter 1: The Science of Plant Ecology
Chapter 2: Photosynthesis and the Light Environment
Chapter 3: Water Relations and Energy Balance
Lab: Introduction to Plant Identification (Lab due September 16th)
September 2 / Labor Day, No class
September 9 / Chapter 4: Soils, Mineral Nutrition, and Belowground Interactions
Chapter 5: Population Structure, Growth, and Decline
Lab: Tree Growth and Structure (Dendrochronology) (Lab due September 23rd)
September 16 / Chapter 6: Evolutionary Processes and Outcomes
Chapter 7: Growth and Reproduction of Individuals
Lab: Tropical Plants (Quad Cities Botanical Center – No lab report)
September 23 / Chapter 8: Plant Life Histories
Chapter 9: Community Properties
Lab: Life histories of selected plants (Endangered plant species lab/life history)
September 30 / Midterm Exam
October 7 / Chapter 10: Competition and Other Interactions Among Plants
Chapter 11: Herbivory and Plant-Pathogen Interactions
Lab: Forest Competition Mapping
October 14 / Chapter 12: Disturbance and Succession
Chapter 13: Local Abundance, Diversity and Rarity
Lab: Prairie Seed Collection at Nahant
October 21 / Chapter 14: Ecosystem Processes
Chapter 15: Communities in Landscapes
Lab: Student research
October 27 – Last day to drop this class with a “W”
October 28 / Chapter 16: Landscape Ecology
Chapter 17: Climate and Physiognomy
Lab: Student research
November 4 / Chapter 18: Biomes
Lab: Student Research
November 11 / Student Research
November 18 / Student Research
November 25 / Thanksgiving Break – No class
December 2 / Student Presentations
December 9 / Final Exam
Lab Reports
Each field/lab experience should be documented with
Your name
Date
Course Name
Location
Ecosystem characteristics
terrestrial/aquatic
low/high light
soil conditions
unique conditions
Plant Community Type according to Plant Communities of the Midwest: Classification in an Ecological Context
Edited by Don Faber-Langendoen
http://www.natureserve.org/library/plantcomm.pdf
Ecoregion classification to Level IV
http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm
Observations concerning plants, animals, pathogens
Introduction
Methods
Directed data collection – forest sampling, aquatic plant sampling, soil sampling, etc.
Grading Scale (Graduate) Grading Scale (Undergraduate)
92% - 100% A 99.0% - 100%+ A
91% - 98.99% A
84% - 91.99% B 90% - 90.99% A-
89% - 89.99% B+
81% - 88.99% B
80% - 80.99% B-
79% - 79.99% C+
76% - 83.99% C 71% - 78.99% C
70% - 70.99% C-
69% - 69.99% D+
68% - 75.99% D 61% - 68.99% D
60% - 60.99% D-
67.99% and below F Below 60% F