Ground Rules, exams, etc. (no

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Biology 301M. Ecology, Evolution, and
Society Designed for non-science majors.
Introduction to environmental adaptations,
diversity of organisms, species interactions,
organization and processes of communities,
population growth and limitations, evolution
and population genetics, origin of life, and
human impact on the environment. Three
lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for
one semester. May not be counted toward a
degree in biology.
Varanus eremius
(Varanid)
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Biology 301M Ecology, Evolution,
SocietyProfessor Eric R. PiankaOffice
Patterson 125, Mon., Fri. 1-2 PM (or by
appointment)471-7472, email erp_at_austin.utexas.ed
uLectures Tuesday and Thursday, 11-1215 (Welch
1.308) Instructor and Course
Websiteshttp//uts.cc.utexas.edu/varanus/http
//www.zo.utexas.edu/courses/bio301/Download
Syllabus from above site (Contract)
(Agamid)
Ctenophorus isolepis
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Teaching Assistant Craig Handley, Office
PAI 148.D (or by appointment, use email)
Email BIO301MFALL2015_at_gmail.com
Discussion Sections (20 of letter grade) (24
readings and Problem Sets)
Wednesday 9-10 AM Welch 4.224 Wednesday 10-11
AM Jester A216A Wednesday 12-1 PM Jester A218A
Wednesday 1-2 PM Jester A218A Wednesday 2-3 PM
RLM 7.124 Wednesday 3-4 PM RLM 7.124
Ctenophorus nuchalis (Agamid)
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Notice the demanding course requirements placed
on this class as part of UT's Core Curriculum,
and accordingly, this coursemust meet standards
and objectives of the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board for Natural Science and
TechnologyCommunication Skills effective
development, interpretation and ?expression of
ideas through written, oral and visual
communication. ?Critical Thinking Skills
creative thinking, innovation, ?inquiry, and
analysis, evaluation and synthesis of
information. ?Teamwork ability to consider
different points of view and to work effectively
with others to support a shared purpose or
goal. ?Empirical and Quantitative Skills
manipulation and analysis of numerical data or
observable facts resulting in informed
conclusions.
Ctenotus
(Skink)
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Goals and Philosophy This course assumes
knowledge of High School algebra, geometry, and
genetics. You will be expected to be able to
understand 3-dimensional graphs and be able to
manipulate simple equations. We will attempt to
teach you the basic ecology and evolution that
everyone should know -- we will also do our
utmost to encourage you to think. We hope to
make students into better informed citizens of
this, our one and only spaceship, planet Earth.
Sceloporus (Iguanid)
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Please read each of the 24 links on the class
website _________________________________________
__________ Scientific Methods Natural
Selection Human Nature Hunter-Gatherers
Uncaring Humanoids Solutions Population
Growth Problem Gamblers ____________________
_______________________________ Agriculture Global
Warming Vanishing Book of Life
Plastics Intelligent Design? The Weakest
Link Technology Economics _______________________
____________________________ Energy Money
Unburnable Oil Land Food Water Sewage
Space Travel ___________________________________
_______________ Eight will be covered on each of
the 3 hour exams and ALL 24 will be included on
the Final exam.
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Pianka, Evolutionary Ecology, 6th ed.Read
Chapters 1-7Watch Dance, Monkeys, Danceand
Domino EffectsWe will follow this book, more or
less in the order of its chapters Powerpoint
presentations can bedownloaded from the course
websiteAvailable as an eBook 7th ed. from
GoogleAlso you can read it on line at course
webpage or Canvas(Use Safari, other browsers may
not show figures)UT provides students with 500
megs per week free, if you need more bandwidth,
you can buy 10 gigabytes per week for only 3 per
semester (Link).
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For this generation, who must confront
the shortsightedness of their ancestors
. . .
Moloch horridus (Agamid)
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First Exam 24 Sept. Second Exam 29
Oct. Third Exam 3 Dec. Best 2 of above 3
40 Discussion Sections 20 Final Exam 9
December 2-5 PM 40 -------------------------
------------------------------
Anolis carolinensis (Iguanid)
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First Exam 24 Sept. Second Exam 29
Oct. Third Exam 3 Dec. Best 2 of above 3
40 Discussion Sections 20 Final Exam 9
December 2-5 PM 40 -------------------------
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Anolis carolinensis (Iguanid)
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First Exam 24 Sept. Second Exam 29
Oct. Third Exam 3 Dec. Best 2 of above 3
40 Discussion Sections 20 Final Exam 9
December 2-5 PM 40 No Extra points, No
Make Up Exams! Final Grades are FINAL, non
negotiable
Anolis carolinensis (Iguanid)
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Politicians and other advertisers equate ecology
with beer cans and pollution and environment
with clean air and clean water, in short
the human environment. Anthropocentric. All
other organisms have environments, too.
Environment is defined as all the physical and
biotic factors impinging upon a particular
organismic unit, as well as everything
affected by that organismic unit.
Ctenotus pantherinus (Skink)
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An organismic unit could be an individual, a
population, or even all of the organisms living
together in a particular ecosystem, an entire
community. These constitute
different levels of organization in the
biological hierarchy of life.
Ecology is defined as the study of the
interactions between organisms and their
environments.
Phelsuma (Gecko)
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Ecology requires wild organisms in the
natural environments within which they evolved
and to which they have become adapted.
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Ecology requires wild organisms in the
natural environments within which they evolved
and to which they have become adapted.
Once, we were surrounded by wilderness and wild
animals, now we surround them.
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Ecology requires wild organisms in the
natural environments within which they evolved
and to which they have become adapted.
What good are rattlesnakes?
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Snakes in Cages
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(No Transcript)
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Love in Vials
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Captive organisms are out of context, they dont
have a natural environment (they might as well be
dead as far as an ecologist is concerned)
Henry David Thoreau (1854)
Walden Book of Life metaphor Holmes Rolston
(1985) Vanishing Book of Life Humans are just
beginning to be able to read it, but its pages
are tattered and torn, and entire chapters have
been ripped out. Need to save as much as
pos- sible (conservation biology), but also must
READ it (ecology) before it is gone. Other
Earthlings were here before us and have a right
to exist, too.
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Hierarchical Organization of the
Biological Sciences
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Hierarchical Organization of the
Biological Sciences
lt Integrative Biologygt
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Time and Space Scaling in Ecology
Daniel T. Haydon
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Time and Space Scaling in Ecology Daily
movements (home range, territory) Dispersal
events (immigration, emigration) Colonization
of new areas and habitats Geographic range
expansion or contraction Geographical
patterns of diversity
Daniel R. Brooks
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Models may be verbal, graphical, or
mathematical Model mere
caricatures of nature (all models are
imperfect) Trade offs in construction
of models precision generality realism