Dr. Quenton Fontenot2M (MWF 8:35)Spreadsheet Exercises in Ecology and Evolution, Therese M. Donovan and Charles W. Welding, Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2002COURSE GOALSMETHODS OF EVALUATIONMAKE-UP PROCEDUREThe instructor makes extraordinary efforts to ensure that students facing unforeseen and urgent problems have an opportunity to succeed in the course. As you can imagine, however, this privilege is too often abused, and abuse causes the establishment of stipulations for all students. Understanding that personal problems can arise on dates and occasions important in this course, the instructor has developed the following policy for remediation (make-up work):ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICYDishonesty cannot and will not be tolerated. Cheating during examination and submission of non-original work are each grounds for dismissal and application of sanctions in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct of Nicholls State University. Plagiarism or any other form of dishonesty detected in reports or exams will result in a course grade of F.ATTENDANCE POLICYDATE OF “DROP WITH ‘W’” GRADEA formula increasing your chances of success in this course:IMPORTANT DATES (Fall 2005)Exam 2Lab PeriodDateFinal ExamBIOLOGY 404 (ECOLOGY) - COURSE SYLLABUSLECTURE LOCATION: 209 GOUAUX HALL LABORATORY LOCATION: 209 & 401 GOUAUX HALLLECTURER: Dr. Quenton FontenotLecture time: 2M (MWF 8:35) Lab time: 5:00 – 8:00 pm WedOffice: 116 Gouaux HallPhone: 449-7062E-mail: [email protected] Hours: MTWR 1:00-4:00 or appointmentWeb Site www.nicholls.edu/biol-qcfCOURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTIONBiology 404 – Ecology. A study of the interrelation of plants and animals with their environment. Emphasis is on quantitative techniques for analyzing the structure and function of populations and communities. Includes laboratory experiences.COURSE PREREQUISITESBiology 155 and Biology 156REQUIRED TEXTSEcology, Fifth Edition, Charles J. Krebs, Benjamin Cummings, 2001. A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold, Ballantine Books, (Reissue edition 1990)Spreadsheet Exercises in Ecology and Evolution, Therese M. Donovan and Charles W. Welding,Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2002COURSE GOALSThe course will present the fundamental principles and concepts of ecology at the population, community and ecosystem level. Students will be challenged to use ecological concepts to draw conclusions from data, to develop alternative hypotheses to explain observations, to make predictions and design experiments to test competing hypotheses. In the laboratory, students will learn and use the fundamental concepts and statistical methods of ecology to draw conclusions from data, to develop alternative hypotheses to explain observations, to make predictions, and to design experiments to test hypotheses.COURSE STUDENT OUTCOME OBJECTIVESUpon completion of this course, the student will:- Define ecology - Recognize the physical and biological factors that influence an organisms ability to grow and reproduce in any one place- Recognize factors that regulate a species ability to disperse to and survive in new environments- Discuss ecological limitations to population growth- Define a community- Describe species interactions regarding symbiosis, predation, and competition- Define ecosystem- Interpret the relationship between producers and consumers- Describe the nature of nutrient cycles- Describe the natural succession of ecosystems- Discuss how human impacts can affect natural ecosystems- Analyze ecological data- Interpret the results of statistical analysis of ecological dataCOURSE CONTENT The contents of the lecture and laboratory components of the course, including exam and due dates, are described in the Lecture Schedule and Laboratory Schedule pages which are attached.COURSE REQUIREMENTS Each student is required to:(1) attend all course lectures. Three unexcused absences from lecture will result in the student receiving an FEA (failed due to excessive absences)(2) attend and participate in all sectional laboratory sessions. Two unexcused laboratory absences will result in the student receiving an FEA (failed due to excessive absences).(3) read and become familiar with material in all assigned readings.(4) activate his/her personal Academic Computing Account and memorize the account’s password. For information or problems with accounts, contact Academic Computing at 448-4224.(5) participate in four lecture examinations.(6) participate in two laboratory examinations.(7) independently compose and submit one typewritten report.(8) independently complete assigned laboratory reports.(9) conduct himself/herself in a manner respectful, harmless, and nondisruptive to the instructor and fellow students in both the lecture room and the laboratory.(10) accept and abide by all other parts and provisions of this syllabus.(11) accept and abide by all sections of the Laboratory Safety Agreement (distributed during first lab session).Participation in examinations, submission of semester report, and completion of assigned laboratory reports (numbers 5, 6, 7, and 8 above) are absolute requirements for earning graduation credit for the course. A student will automatically earn a failing grade in the course for either (i) failure to take any exam or (ii) failure to submit either laboratory report. METHODS OF EVALUATION(1) Final Grades in the course will be based on a weighted average of lecture (60%) and laboratory (40%) grades. Lecture grades will be based on the numeric average of three exams and semester report (100 points each). Laboratory grades will be based on the numeric average of a midterm exam (100 points), a comprehensive final exam (100 points), and laboratory exercises (20 points each). All grading is based on the ten-point scale, where a score of greater than 90% receives the grade of "A," 80-90% the grade of “B,” 70-80% the grade of “C,” 60-70% the grade of “D,” and less than 60% the grade of “F.”Algebraically, the student can monitor progress of his/her final grade by using the following formula: FINAL = 0.60 [average lecture grade] + 0.4 [average laboratory grade] (2) Examinations. All examinations (lecture and laboratory) will be given during regular class time, except for the lecture final examination, which will be given at the scheduled time (TBA). The four lecture exams will consist primarily if not exclusively of short answer and essay questions basedon your mastery of fundamental ecological