ENVR E-140/W Fundamentals of Ecology

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ENVR E-140/W Fundamentals of Ecology

• Instructor Mark Leighton Teaching
  Assistants Katherine McAuliffe
• leighton_at_fas.harvard.edu mcauliff_at_fas.harvard.e
  du
• markleighton9_at_yahoo.com Alexander Georgiev
• georgiev_at_fas.harvard.edu
• This course introduces basic concepts in the
  ecology of individual organisms, their
  populations, and the biological communities in
  which they live.
• Emphasis is on terrestrial plant and animal
  ecology.
• The historical, evolutionary, and ecological
  processes determining the distribution of
  ecosystems, habitats, and species are introduced.
  
• Evolutionary processes responsible for the
  adaptations of individuals are examined to
  understand the diversity of species and their
  features.
• Theories of competition, predation, disease,
  and mutualism help explain the functioning of
  biological communities.
• These fundamentals establish a basis for
  examining the challenges imposed by humans on the
  functioning of natural ecosystems. The
  sustainable harvesting and use of natural
  resources, the implications of human population
  growth and size, and the transformation of
  ecosystems through human activities and policies
  are examined in this ecological context.

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Grades are assigned on the basis of performance
on Undergraduate credit Graduate
credit in-class midterm examination 25 25 es
say I field trip write-up 15 15 essay II
assigned topic 25 term paper 25 in-class
final examination 35 35

• The two in-class exams will be a mixture of
  short answer, essay questions graphs.
• The first written assignment is a lab write-up
  for data collected on the field trip those
  unable to attend will have a slightly different
  assignment.
• The second essay is for undergraduates and will
  be limited to five double-space pages.
• Those taking the course for graduate credit are
  instead required to write a 10-15 page term paper
  that will allow you to explore a topic of your
  choice, requiring some outside literature review
  from library and/or internet research.
• A Saturday field trip to a nearby forest will
  examine ecological methods and concepts data
  collected will be presented and discussed in the
  first written assignment.
• For all written assignments, drafts are to be
  handed in for suggested improvements before the
  final version is submitted for grading.

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Writing-intensive courses at Harvard Extension,
such as Fundamentals of Ecology, offer students
the opportunity to develop their writing skills
in the context of a particular academic
discipline, and they all feature common elements.

• Students will
• --develop core writing skills, as defined by the
  instructor, in the discipline of the course
• (Field trip write up scientific essay or term
  paper)
• --complete multiple writing assignments of
  varying lengths, at least 2 of which must be
  revised (Drafts of both these assignments are
  required)
• --produce a minimum of 10-12 pages of writing,
  exclusive of the required revisions, over the
  course of the term
• --meet at least once in individual conference (in
  person, by phone, or electronically) with the
  instructor or TA to discuss writing in progress
  (Schedule with your TA)
• --and receive detailed feedback on their drafts
  and revisions, on both content and expression.
  (These will be annotated on drafts and revisions)

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Textbooks and Readings

• The required textbook (available at the Harvard
  Coop or Amazon.com) is Essentials of Ecology, 3rd
  edition, by Townsend, C. R., M. Begon J. L.
  Harper.
• (Note that students wishing a slightly more
  advanced, longer and expensive treatment can
  elect to substitute Ecology From Individuals to
  Ecosystems, the same authors but in different
  order (Begon, Townsend Harper), and available
  at the same two sources. The organization of the
  two books and the concepts and examples closely
  mimic each other, but note that reading will only
  be assigned from Essentials of Ecology. Note
  that this substitution is not recommended, but
  very easily done if a student so wishes.)
• In addition, expect a few short journal
  articles to be assigned as required reading to
  illustrate some relevant field research studies
  for essay assignments. These will be available
  as PDF files and placed on the class web site in
  advance of the lecture for which they are
  relevant.
• Some supplementary readings and materials of
  interest may also be posted on the website

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ENVR E-140 Fundamentals of Ecology Course
Outline

• Date Topic Assigned Reading
• Sep 18 Introduction Case Study on Ecology of
  Bornean Rainforests T,BH chap. 1
• Sep 25 The Ecological Context of Evolution
  Adaptation T,BH chap. 2
• Oct 2 Adaptations to Environmental Conditions
  and Resources T,BH chap. 3
• Oct 4 or 11 Saturday field trip to Estabrook
  Woods, Concord, MA (approx. 8am-5pm)
• (Note rain make-up on Sunday Oct 5th or 12th)
• Oct 9 Distribution of Earths Biomes T,BH
  chap. 4
• Oct 16 Population Ecology Demography T,BH
  chap. 5
• Oct 23 Population Ecology (cont.) / Competition
  Theory T,BH chap. 6
• Essay I draft of field trip write-up due
• Oct 30 Ecology of Predation, Grazing
  Disease T,BH chap. 7
• Essay I drafts returned for revision

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ENVR E-140 Fundamentals of Ecology Course
Outline

• Date Topic Assigned Reading
• Nov 20 Community Ecology T,BH chap. 9
• Proposed term paper topics submitted by graduate
  students
• Nov 27 Thanksgiving Holiday
• Dec 4 Sustainability/Human Population
  Ecology T,BH chap. 12
• Essay II assigned to undergraduates
• Dec 11 Resource Energy Cycling Anthropogenic
  Pollution T,BH chap. 11, 13
• Draft of term paper due from graduate students
• Dec 18 Patterns Determinants of Species
  Richness T,BH chap. 10
• Essay II draft due
• Jan 8 Conservation Ecology and Spatial
  Planning T,BH chap. 14
• Essay II final copy due from undergraduates
• Final version of term paper due from graduate
  students

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The Field Trip Assignment

• Oct 4th/11th Saturday field trip to Estabrook
  Woods, Concord, MA (8am-5pm)
• (note rain make-up on Sunday Oct 5th/12th, or
  following weekend)
• Field review of ecology of forest types 20
  miles west of Boston
• Field exercise Sampling Forest Vegetation at
  Estabrook Woods
• sample trees by both plot and plotless methods
• identify using floristic keys
• map measure dbh (diameter at breast height)
• calculate density, dominance and importance
  value
• Data collected by student teams will be
  collated into tables summary statistics
  calculated and presented (use of Excel
  spreadsheet format recommended, but not required)
• Write up comprised of Introduction, Methods,
  Results, Discussion
• lt 5 double-spaced pages of text (not including
  tables)

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Assignment for those who do not attend the field
trip

• Choose one of two options
• Write up the data collected by classmates
  attending the field trip
• extra Results and Discussion section will focus
  on analyzing and interpreting species diversity
• Sample local vegetation where you live!
• Incorporate same research design we will use at
  Estabrook Woods, or can modify according to local
  vegetation
• Identify species, measure dbh, etc.
• Can be modified if your local habitats are
  treeless, so need to characterize vegetation
  dominated by shrubs or forbsgrasses

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Ecology in PracticeObservations, Experiments and
Modeling

• Brown trout in New Zealand
• Old field succession in Minnesota
• Nutrient dynamics in New Hampshire forest
• Primates in Bornean rainforest

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Brown Trout vs. Galaxias in New Zealand Streams
Waterfalls restrict trout to low
elevations cobbles allow coexistence
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Brown Trout reduce herbivorous invertebrates,
allowing higher algal biomass on stream bottom
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Cascading trophic effects of Brown Trout
introductions
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Old Field Succession at Cedar Creek, Minnesota
Abandoned 1935, dominated by native
perennials Abandoned 1957, many exotic
agricultural weeds
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Trends with ecological successionbut field age
and nitrogen content are both correlated with
changes in species composition
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Convergence in species compositionExperimental
fertilization with nitrogen reveals both are
important 17 g N/m2/yr
1 g N/m2/yr
Note that 1 g N/m2/yr is typical annual input
from atmospheric pollution!
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Hubbard Brook Ecosystem, NH
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Case study of spatial temporal variation in
rainforest fruit resources from Gunung Palung
National Park, Indonesia
Borneo
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Forest habitats at Gunung Palung
Because Gunung Palung is a coastal tropical
mountain, altitudinal zonation is compressed and
lower compared to interior mountains
See Cannon Leighton (J. Veg. Sci. 2002) for
floristic comparisons among habitats
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Plot locations
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Measuring distribution abundance of fruit
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Fruiting Phenology mast fruiting (synchronized,
supraannual peaks ) is a feature of Bornean
rainforests
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Preferred foods

• vs.

Fallback foods
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Measuring food availability in space
Peat swamp forest high availability of fallback
fruits Lowland forest types mast fruiting
common Montane forest low fruit availabily
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Establishing habitat-specific densities of
vertebrates
Alluvium
Montane
Lowland granite
Peat swamp
Upland granite
Freshwater swamp
7 matched pairs of censuses
Lowland sandstone
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Orangutan distribution and abundance at Gunung
Palung
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Orangutan density peaks are not correlated
between habitats
High density correlated with mast-fruiting events
in LS AB habitats
Density in peat less variable
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Mean orangutan density in six forest types (n
4830 censuses over 72 months)
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All habitats are important in some months
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Habitat shifts in relation to fruit availability
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Asynchrony in fruit production indicates
phenological complementarity between habitats
Peat
Peat forest phenology is uncorrelated with the
five other habitats
Lowland
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Conservation Implications1) ALL HABITATS ARE
IMPORTANT!2) OVERALL POPULATION DENSITY HIGHER
BECAUSE OF HABITAT MOSAIC