Professor: Joshua SchimelSyllabus WWMB/ ES 171 Fall 2016EEMB/ES 171 Ecosystem Processes Fall Quarter 2017 OverviewEcosystems are defined by the interactions among the plants, animals, microorganisms and abiotic, environmental features that affect them. This course will cover the flows of energy, carbon, and nutrients within ecosystems, tracing the key processes that define ecosystem function. Through the course, we will develop the connections between organisms, abiotic factors and ecosystem processes. The effects of environmental change on ecosystem processes will be highlighted. Professor: Joshua Schimel Office: Noble Hall 1008 e-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: 9:00 – 10:30 Tuesdays or either just come by or contact me by e-mail. TAs: Shannon Hagerty Office: Noble Hall 1111 e-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Readings - Principles of Ecosystem Ecology. Chapin et al. Springer.Either the 2nd ed. (2012) by Chapin, Matson, & Vitousek. or the 1st ed. (2002) by Chapin, Matson, & Mooney.I will place several copies of this book on reserve in the Library. - Additional articles posted on Gaucho SpaceEvaluationTests (35 %): 10 % for each in-class quiz, 15 % for the final.Problem sets (30%): Two of them 15% each (see separate sheet for guidelines) Section (35 %):Attendance and Participation: 15 % Attendance means being on time: If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will lose half attendance credit that day. More than 20 minutes late will mean no credit.Five research paper write ups: 20 % (see separate sheet for guidelines)1Syllabus WWMB/ ES 171 Fall 2016Class rules1. I expect you to attend class. Even though my powerpoints will be available, if you think that you will get what you need from them without attending lectures, you are almost certainly wrong. My visual materials are outlines and illustrations. Exception: Problem sets are due in class.2. I require you to attend section. These involve hands-on exercises and participation is a must. If you don’t attend section, your grade will directly suffer. It is not possible to pass the class without attending and participating in sections. 3. You must go to the section you are registered in. If you must miss a section meeting, talk to theTA and see if you can attend a different one.4. Problem sets are due in class on the day listed. Any problem set handed in after class that day will be considered late and will be marked down 10%. Problem sets handed in on subsequentdays will be marked down an additional 10% per day. 5. There will be no make-up exams. If you have a true problem that will prevent you from being there, talk to me (Josh Schimel) as soon as possible. I am willing to make alternate arrangements (e.g. using the average of other tests) for reasonable situations, but I get to define what I consider “reasonable.” 6. If you miss section or a test because of an emergency, contact the Professor or TA as soon as it becomes physically possible for you to do so (office, e-mail, whatever works). We will only consider excusing absences after-the-fact for a documented emergency: health, accident, family crisis, etc. I will require certified documentation of the emergency. The likelihood thatI will be willing to excuse an absence drops substantially with each day that passes. 7. I understand that things happen and that there are good reasons why you may need to miss class activities—I am willing and sometimes happy to work with you to facilitate these. But if you want me to treat you with respect by facilitating your activities, start by treating me with respect by coming to discuss the issue as early as possible. The old saying “it’s always easier to get forgiven than to get permission” is not true in this class. It will always be easier to get permission than forgiven. 8. Cheating and plagiarism are serious forms of academic misconduct and will not be tolerated. University policies for academic misconduct are strict, and the results of cheating and/or plagiarism can be a failing grade; in extreme cases it can lead to expulsion from the University. The definition of plagiarism is available at the Office of Judicial Affairs. We are required to report all cases of alleged cheating.These policies are deliberately strict. To be fair to students who come to class and who do the work, I must honor their efforts by not allowing other students to skirt by. But if you respect me by working hard and honestly, I will return the favor and try to help with your problems.Remember: I make the rules so I get to make exceptions to them.2Syllabus WWMB/ ES 171 Fall 2016Structure of Discussion SectionsOverall, your grade from section accounts for 35% of the total class grade. A total of 25% is based on the quality of the discussion section write ups and on the presentation of one of the “additional” recent papers from the primary literature. In most discussion sections there will be several activities, with short review sessions the week before the first quiz and before each problem set is due:Some mix of: A. Discussion of a paper(s). B. Student presentation of one of the “extra” papers. C. Exercise. D. Review for quiz/problem set.When there is a paper to be discussed, the paper and a set of questions posted on GauchoSpace.A) Read the paper beforehand. B) Type up and print out short answers to the questions—no more than 2 pages. The write upsare due at the beginning of discussion section (NO exceptions). Write ups will not be accepted late. The write ups are each scored out of 10 points, with grading based on both the intellectual quality of the answers and the quality of the writing. We look for grammatical sentences and a well constructed, thoughtful discussion. Recent Published Research Papers:Students will form groups of 4-5 students, and each group will be responsible for presenting one of the additional papers that I’ve set up on Gauchospace for each week discussion. Groups will pick one of those papers to present in section. Whereas the papers I assign for everyone to read are often review articles or sometimes “classic” papers that helped frame the current thinking, the additional recent papers will all be recently published work that targets similar ideas but presents some of the newest work on that topic. Groups will be expected to present the core points of the recent work (what’s the scientific problem, what’s their central