University of Arkansas at Monticello
School of Mathematical and Natural Science
Waterfowl Ecology
BIOL 5014
Spring 2015
Lecture MWF 8:10-9:00 RM A3
Lab H1:40-4:30 RM B31
Instructor: Dr. Christopher G. Sims
Office: B 4
Office Phone: 460-1664
E-mail:
Web Site:
Office Hours: MWF 1:30-3:00;TH 9:00-11:00. I will be in the office at other times as well. Changes in this schedule may occur at any time and will be posted outside my door or announced in class. If you need to see me it is strongly recommended that you e-mail and we can schedule an appointment.
Course Title and Credits: Waterfowl Ecology (BIOL 4594); 4 Credit Hours
Course Description: In this course we will study the environment and its components including energy flow, population and community structure, ecological succession, how evolution influences ecological structure.
Prerequisites: BIOL 3484
Textbook: Baldassarre G. A. and Bolen, E. G., Waterfowl Ecology and Management, 2nd ed. ISBN: 1-57524-260-5
Attendance, Testing, and Cheating: Attendance in this course is mandatory and will be recorded regularly.
You will be allowed 3 unexcused absences during the semester. After the third unexcused absence your grade will be reduced one percentage point for each unexcused absence thereafter.
Field trip attendance is mandatory in order to develop adequate identification skills. Failure to attend on field trip days will result in loss of 1 letter grade from your semester grade.
Exam attendance is required and make-up exams will be given only under extreme circumstances. Make-up exams will be allowed only in cases of illness with a doctor’s excuse, excused university functions, or family emergencies with a written excuse from a family member. If you are forced to miss an exam you must notify me within 24 hours of the exam. Failure to do so will result in a zero on that exam. If you know ahead of time that you will be absent please let me know and prior arrangements for testing can be made.
Cheating in any form will not be tolerated and will automatically result in failure of the course. Cellular phones are included in the cheating policy and any appearance of a cellular phone (or other communication devise) during a test will be considered an attempt to cheat by the student.
******Likewise electronic devices such as cellular phones etc. will not be allowed in lecture unless prior approval is given by the instructor. Failure to follow this rule will result in the student being asked to leave class.
Ethics Rule: Anyone known to be actively engaged in killing protected species of any kind (avian or other) will automatically receive an F in this course and will be reported immediately to the state and federal authorities. It is illegal to kill any species of animal that is not designated as a game species with a legal season or an introduced species that is not protected.
Course Grade: Lecture and Lab:
4 Lecture Exams:100 pts. each
Lab Exam Waterfowl Identification:100 pts.
Waterfowl Morphology Test100 pts.
Taxonomy100 pts.
Presentation100 pts.
Journal Article Summaries and Discussion100 pts
Total: 900 pts.
Point spread (grade based on a percentage of 800 possible points):
A = 100-89.5 pts., B = 89.4-79.5 pts., C = 79.4-69.5 pts., D = 69.4-59.5 pts., F < 59.4
********NO EXTRA CREDIT will be given under any circumstances!!!
Each student will choose a code number/code name prior to the first test and this will be used to post grades. Grades will be posted on my website (see above). If you do not wish to have your grade posted please let the instructor know prior to the first test. Grades will not be provided over the phone or E-mail.
Tentative Lecture Schedule (topics are subject to change):
Introduction and Historical Overview
Classification
Courtship Behavior, Mating Systems, and Pair-Bond Formation
Test #1
Reproductive Ecology
Nesting, Brood Rearing and Molt
Feeding Ecology
Test #2
Winter Ecology
Major Habitats
Individual Species Accounts and Ecological Requirements
Test #3
Conservation and Management
Final
Lab Schedule:
*********The Lab schedule is a tentative schedule and will change often with weather etc. Check your UAM e-mail often for announcements and changes.
Waterfowl Morphology
Field observation and ID (all weeks permitted by weather)
Field trips (2) to active waterfowl management area (private and/or government)
Important Dates:
January 7 (Wed) First day of classes for sessions 1 and 8W1.Admission application deadline.
January 9 (Fri)Last day to register or add classes.
January 19 (Mon) Martin Luther King Holiday. Offices and classes closed.
February 27 (Fri) Deadline to applyfor August and December graduation.
March 18 (Wed) Last day to drop a session 1 class or withdraw from the term (notapplicable to other sessions).Grade(s) will be W.
March 23-27 (Mon-Fri) Spring Break.
April 6 (Mon) Preregistration for Summer and Fall 2015 begins.
April 17 (Fri) Preregistration for Summer and Fall 2015 ends.
April 28 (Tues) Last day of classes for sessions 1 and 8W2.
April 29 –May 5 (Wed-Tues) Final exam period.
May 8 (Fri) Commencement.
Students with disabilities: It is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Monticello to accommodate individuals with disabilities pursuant to federal law and the University’s commitment to equal educational opportunities. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any necessary accommodations at the beginning of the course. Any student requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Special Student Services located in Harris Hall Room 120; phone 870 460-1026; TDD 870 460-1626; email:
Student conduct statement: Students at the University of Arkansas at Monticello are expected to conduct themselves appropriately, keeping in mind that they are subject to the laws of the community and standards of society. The student must not conduct him/herself in a manner that disrupts the academic community or breaches the freedom of other students to progress academically.
Academic dishonesty:
1.Cheating: Students shall not give, receive, offer, or solicit information on examinations, quizzes, etc. This includes but is not limited to the following classes of dishonesty:
a.Copying from another student’s paper;
b.Use during the examination of prepared materials, notes, or texts other than those specifically permitted by the instructor;
c.Collaboration with another student during the examination;
d.Buying, selling, stealing, soliciting, or transmitting an examination or any material purported to be the unreleased contents of coming examinations or the use of any such material;
e.Substituting for another person during an examination or allowing such substitutions for oneself.
2.Collusion: Collusion is defined as obtaining from another party, without specific approval in advance by the instructor, assistance in the production of work offered for credit to the extent that the work reflects the ideas of the party consulted rather than those of the person whose name in on the work submitted.
3.Duplicity: Duplicity is defined as offering for credit identical or substantially unchanged work in two or more courses, without specific advanced approval of the instructors involved.
4.Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as adopting and reproducing as one’s own, to appropriate to one’s use, and to incorporate in one’s own work without acknowledgement the ideas or passages from the writings or works of others.
For any instance of academic dishonesty that is discovered by the instructor, whether the dishonesty is found to be cheating, collusion, duplicity, or plagiarism, the result for the student(s) involved will be given a failing grade (F) in the course.