Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Slide 20Final 2 weeks of class…Next week - Dale Lockwood: The “should ecologists be neutral or advocates” debate…Final exam will be posted on-line soon…but a preview today!But first... Who wants to vent?•This is a great paper and a must read not only for ecologists but for all with a concern about the impact of human activity on our planet. •I felt that Ehrlich's paper, especially towards the end, gets really inspiring…•I liked the advocacy message of this article. It shows that there is hope and work to be done•Ehrlich and Pringle are unaccountably obnoxious. it's impressive that he's able to annoy me this much.•I was a bit irked… I’d would just like to say: I’m sick of it!! •This week's readings were both saddening and overwhelming. •I’ve heard many colorful descriptions of humanity’s behavior, but Ehrlich’s comparison to us as spoiled teenagers is my new favorite. It’s just so true. •I don’t think I have ever seen a more depressing description of ecology than the one quoted in the Ehrlich article, calling it "an ever more sophisticated refinement of the obituary of nature.”•They make a decent argument for getting rid of the blood suckers.•This attitude that the eradication of not just one species but of a group of species can be justified makes me very pessimistic about the future especially after reading about how much we have already impacted our planet and yet we are willing to continue the destruction. •As far as irritants go, I'd have to put mosquitos, Ehrlich, & Pringle all in the same Genus.The Control of NaturePublished by Farrar; Straus & Giroux Paperback: 0-374-52259-6; $12.00USECOL 505 Final 2010Throughout this class we have read a lot papers that are supposed to have a high impact in the field. Throughout the remainder of your career you will likely spend much more time reading specialized research papers. However, these high impact papers are supposed to be idea rich and clearly the authors hoped they would influence the field in a way that another standard data paper cannot. But how successful are they?Your assignment is to use Web of Science to search for recent (2009/10) ecological papers that cited one of these “classic” papers we read in class (Odum 1969, Ricklefs 1987, Hairston et al 1960, Lindeman 1942, Gleason 1939, Gould and Lewontin 1979, and Lawton 1999). You should be able to find hundreds for the 2009 publication year alone. Based on your interests, select one of these papers and read it (most papers should be available electronically from the CSU library).Your assignment is to address both 1 and 2 below:1. Explain how the authors of the paper cited the paper we read in class. Is it cited as an essential foundation for their work? Or do they use this paper merely to confirm some accepted idea? Is it cited along with a list of other similar papers or does this paper play a more central role in justification or explanation of their data or interpretation? Or it is cited in a very general, non-essential manner? What I want to know is, in your opinion, did the cited paper seem to have a strong impact? -- and how was it used in this recent research paper.2. Provide a brief overview of the paper you selected to read and address the following questions (make sure you include the complete reference of the paper you are reviewing:A. Is the study question/hypothesis driven? What is the main hypothesis?B. Does the underlying question(s) addressed follow logically from extant knowledge?C. Are logical predictions made and supported? D. Is the study truly capable of testing the hypothesis? E. Are mechanisms, or is causality, inferred with results or with speculation? F. What is the level of inference (space, time, taxonomic level) of the study? G. What is the “take home message”? (One sentence that summarizes what the author’s learned).Please limit your answer to 2 pages of text (single spaced). Email your final to me by Dec 13, 2010. This exam must be completed individually. No interactions with other students or faculty are permitted.Ecological SystemsGoldewijk and Battjes (1997)Reid & Miller (1989)Vitousek (1994)NOAAGlobal Change J.A. KleinA major challenge for research ecologists (you)…There are more fundamentally important questions to answer and more problems to solve than we have ecologists or resources available ($)… or (gulp) time (?). How do we prioritize?What if you were the “Czar of Global Ecological Crises”? How would you decide?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Individual/Class exercise (Groups of 4)Provide specific prioritizing criteria that you think we should use to determine what ecological research we fund and what we do not…Rare vs. dominant?Unique vs. broadly applicable?Aesthetic vs. economicUrgent vs. best science?Your criteria: We should support research that….Is broadly relevantFocuses on “big biomes” so that results are generalizableFocuses on dominant species or those with the greatest impactEmphasizes broad studies that attempt to identify underlying mechanismsFocuses on systems that are broadly applicable rather than unique Includes data collection (monitoring) that can be shared widelyFocuses on the dominant rather than the rare (unless the rare is cuddly, loveable, brings public support, or is an umbrella species)Focuses on Keystone Species…Is valuable to “us”Benefits human welfare or impacts the quality of life for humans…Has a broad focus on human impacts – both urgent short- and long-term effectsIs at the interface of human/natural interactionsHas economic relevance…Is policy relevant…Will enable proactive policies…Incorporates sustainability & non-market values of ecosystem services….Is practicalIs tractable and has the potential to actually influence the subject of study…Is in areas where it’s “cheap” to make changes…(China, Latin America)“We want it all” criteriaIs both theoretical and applied (theory must have application, applied research must link to theory…In both dynamic and static systems…Considers urgency vs. the long-term foresight of the problem…Seeks to establish parallels between paleo/historical changes and contemporary change…My favorite criteria!That will contribute to future research…That