COURSE SYLLABUS

TulsaCommunity College, SEC

Spring Semester 2011

BIO-2313

Principles of Ecology

MW 2:00p.m.–3:20 p.m.

Room: SE 8277

Instructor: Daryl Richter

Assist. Professor of Biology

Office: SE 8283 Phone: 595-7735

email:

Science and Math Division

Associate Dean: Lyn Kent

Office: SE 8125 Phone: 595-7742

COURSE PREREQUISITE: None

TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS:

ECOLOGY: Concepts and Applications, 5th Edition, Manuel C. Molles Jr., McGraw-Hill

Course Objective

The Principles of Ecology course is designed for the science major interested in Wildlife Management, Ecology or other subjects that affect the environment. The course will introduce students to the basic concepts of ecology, including co-evolution, principles of hierarchal relationships, and the ecology of individuals, population and ecosystem. The purpose of the course is to help the student understand how ecology is interdependent to all of the varying aspects of both the biological and physical factors found on earth.

Description

A study of the key ecological concepts will introduce the student to the foundations of the various sub-disciplines that are used in ecology. You will become familiar with ecological terminology, such as: richness, biodiversity, biomes, habitats, ecoregions, niche, fecundity, nutrient recycling, landscapes and more. Resources and resource management in the environment and the interaction of species will also be covered. Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem will be covered in considerable detail, applying the principles previously learned.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

Students will be expected to take notes on the material covered by the instructor. The student is also expected to participate in all class discussions and to complete any assigned worksheets, problems, and writing assignments. The student will have regular reading assignments from the textbook and is expected to have completed these readings prior to attending class.

TEACHING METHODS:

The course will be taught by a combination of lectures and student participatory activities. The lectures will be supplemented by slides, films, and other visual materials to aid in the comprehension of concepts and knowledge-based information.

ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to be in attendance at all lectures. Material covered in the lectures WILL NOT always be covered in the textbook. The student is responsible for all material and announcements made during the lecture period. Information missed must be obtained from classmates not the instructor.

EVALUATION METHOD:

There will be threemajor exams, plus a comprehensive final exam, used to evaluate the level of understanding. There will be quizzes, which will happen at the option of the instructor, and there will be homework on a weekly basis.

Final course grade will be figured as follows:

Exams: 3 @ 100 pts - 300 points

Final Exam: 1 @ 200 pts- 200 points

Quizzes: 10 @ 10pts* - 100 points

Assignments: 5 @ 20pts- 100 points

Attendance and Participation - 50 points

Total possible: 750 points

Class exams may be made up ONLY if notification is made to the instructor prior to the test date. Make-up exams MUST BE completed prior to the next lecture class. Failure to do the above will result in a zero (0) exam grade. *Quizzes are unannounced and will take place in the first five minutes of the class, no make-up will be allowed.
Assignments are accepted only on due date.

Grading System:

A = 89.5-100%

B = 79.5-89.49%

C = 69.5-79.49%

D = 59.5-69.49%

F = 59.49% and below.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL: The deadline to withdraw from a course shall not exceed 3/4 the duration of any class. Contact the Counseling Office at any TCC campus to initiate withdrawal from a course (“W” grade) or to change from Credit to Audit. Check the TCC Academic Calendar for deadlines. Students who stop participating in the course and fail to withdraw may receive a course grade of “F,” which may have financial aid consequences for the student.

COMMUNICATIONS:

Email communications: All TCC students receive a designated “MyTCC” email address: (ex. ). All communications to you about TCC and course assignments will be sent to your MyTCC email address; and you must use MyTCC email to send email to, and receive email from, the instructor regarding this course. All announcements, and assignment changes will be on Blackboard.

Inclement Weather: TCC rarely closes. If extreme weather conditions or emergency situations arise, TCC always gives cancellation notices to radio and television stations. This information is also posted on the TCC website (

GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS: General Education courses at TCC ensure that our graduates gain skills, knowledge, and abilities that comprise a common foundation for their higher education and a backdrop for their work and personal lives. TCC’s General Education goals are: Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Engaged Learning, and Technological Proficiency.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: Open and mutually respectful communication of varied opinions, beliefs, and perspectives during classroom or online discussion encourages the free exchange of ideas that is essential to higher learning and to the ability to learn from each other. Use of any electronic device is at the discretion of the instructor.

SYLLABUS CHANGES: Occasionally, changes to the syllabus may be necessary. Students will be notified of any changes to the syllabus in writing via Blackboard.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: TCC provides accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For information, students may contact the disabled StudentResourceCenter, 918-595-7115, or the ResourceCenter for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 918-595-7428V, 918-595-7434TTY.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty (cheating) is defined as the deception of others about one’s own work or about the work of another. Academic dishonesty or misconduct is not condoned or tolerated at campuses within the TulsaCommunity College system. TulsaCommunity College adopts a policy delegating certain forms of authority for disciplinary action to the faculty. Such disciplinary actions delegated to the faculty include, but are not limited to, the dismissal of disrespectful or disorderly students from classes. In the case of academic dishonesty a faculty member may:

  • require the student to redo an assignment or test, or require the student to complete a substitute assignment or test;
  • Record a "zero" for the assignment or test in question;
  • Recommend to the student that the student withdraw from the class, or administratively withdraw the student from the class;
  • Record a grade of "F" for the student at the end of the semester.

Faculty may request that disciplinary action be taken against a student at the administrative level by submitting such request to the Dean of Student Services.

PLAGIARISM POLICY:

Plagiarism is claiming, indicating, or implying that the ideas, sentences, or words of another writer are your own; it includes having another writer do work claimed to be your own copying the work of another and presenting it as your own, or following the work of another as a guide to ideas and expression that are then presented as your own. The student should review the relevant sections of the TCC Student Code of Conduct Policy Handbook.Plagiarism will be treated as cheating and work will be given a grade of zero.

INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT: Each student is responsible for being aware of the information contained in the TCC Catalog, TCC Student Handbook, Student Code of Conduct Policy Handbook, and semester information listed in the class schedule. All information may be viewed on the TCC website:

COMPUTER SERVICES ACCEPTABLE USE:

Access to computing resources is a privilege granted to all TCC faculty, staff, and students. Use of TCC computing resources is limited to purposes related to the College's mission of education, research, and community service. Student use of technology is governed by the Computer Services Acceptable Use Statements/Standards found in the TCC Student Codeof Conduct Policy Handbook. These handbooks may be obtained by contacting any Student Activities or Dean of Student Services office.

Tentative Schedule

Week of Topic(s) to be CoveredReading Assignment

Jan. 10 Introduction to Ecology Chapter 1

Life on LandChapter 2

Jan. 17 No Class Monday – MLK Day

Life on Land - continued

Jan. 24 Life in the Water Chapter3

Jan. 31Temperature RelationsChapter 5

Water RelationsChapter 6

Feb. 07 Water Relations - continued

Exam #1 – Wednesday Feb. 9th

Feb.14 Energy and NutrientsRelationsChapter 7

Feb.21Population Distribution and AbundanceChapter 9

Population DynamicsChapter 10

Feb. 28Population GrowthChapter 11

Life HistoriesChapter 12

Mar. 07 Life Histories - continued

Exam #2 – Wednesday Mar. 9th

Mar. 14SPRING BREAK

Mar. 21Interactions: CompetitionChapter 13

ExploitationChapter 14

Mar. 28Interactions:Exploitation – continued

MutualismChapter 15

Apr. 04 Species Interactions and Community Structure Chapter 17

Apr. 11 Primary Production and Energy FlowChapter 18

Apr. 18Nutrient Cycling and RetentionChapter 19

Apr. 25 Succession and StabilityChapter 20

Global EcologyChapter 23

May 02 FINAL