Winona
State
University
Biology
313
GENERAL
ECOLOGY
LABORATORY
Syllabus
Instructor: Neal D. Mundahl
Office: Pasteur Hall Room 250
Telephone: 507-457-5695
E-mail: nmundahl@winona.edu
Office hours: MWF 8-9, 11-12, MW 1-3 or by appointment
Course goal and objectives: The primary goal of this course is to expose students to the variety of tools, techniques, and processes used to gather and analyze ecological data. By the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:
1) explain the basic process of ecological research,
2) apply appropriate techniques for analyzing ecological data,
3) design and conduct basic ecological research projects,
4) analyze and evaluate the ecological data gathered, and
5) organize and present the results of ecological research in both written and oral form.
Text: Field and Laboratory Methods for General Ecology by Brower, Zar, & von Ende
Evaluation:
One statistics problem set = 50 points
Seven lab calculations (20 points each) = 140 points
Two lab reports (50 points each) = 100 points
One independent group project (50-point presentation + 50-point report) = 100 points
You will be writing two laboratory reports on the field exercises you conduct this semester. REPORTS WILL BE PRODUCED IN SMALL GROUPS (2 OR 3 STUDENTS) OR BY INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, YOUR CHOICE. DATA WILL BE GATHERED AND SHARED AMONG STUDENTS, AND ANALYZED, GRAPHED, AND PRESENTED BY INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS OR BY THE SMALL GROUP (ONE PER GROUP). I WILL NOT ACCEPT REPORTS THAT ARE NOT ENTIRELY THE WORK OF A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP. IF MULTIPLE STUDENTS AND/OR GROUPS PRESENT THE SAME REPORT FOR GRADING, THEY ALL WILL RECEIVE A SCORE OF 0 FOR THAT ASSIGNMENT. All students within a group are expected to contribute equally to each report---no slackers! The instructor reserves the right to lower the grade of any student deemed to have contributed less than their fair share of work to the report. Your first report will be written on the Animal Sampling lab exercise. Your second lab report will be written on the Dispersion and Distribution lab exercise. They will be due at 10:00 AM on Friday the week following the week of the lab exercise. ASSIGNMENTS TURNED IN LATE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A 10% PER CALENDAR DAY REDUCTION IN VALUE. The format to be followed will be explained during the first week (read Unit 1c).
For the remaining seven (7) lab exercises, you will be asked to analyze the data as described in the weekly lab description and turn your analysis in to be graded. AS WITH THE LAB REPORTS DESCRIBED ABOVE, INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS OR SMALL GROUPS MUST PRODUCE AND TURN IN THEIR OWN, UNIQUE WORK. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF 0 FOR THAT ASSIGNMENT. All students within a group are expected to contribute equally to each assignment---no slackers! The instructor reserves the right to lower the grade of any student deemed to have contributed less than their fair share of work to the assignment. These lab calculations will be due at 10:00 AM on Friday the week following the week of the lab exercise. ASSIGNMENTS TURNED IN LATE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A 10% PER CALENDAR DAY REDUCTION IN VALUE.
The independent group project will be designed, conducted, and reported by you as a small group (1 to 3 students). Projects should not be identical to work done during the lab exercises, but may be similar. You may use one of the suggested exercises included in the lab manual, or design your own. Please outline your proposed project and discuss it with me before beginning. All students should have devised their projects and discussed them with me by 2 October. Get started early! A group oral presentation (supported by a Powerpoint slide presentation) describing the group project and its major findings will be given to other students in the class during the final lab period. A single, written report produced by all group members working together will be due from each group at the time of the oral presentation. All students within a group are expected to contribute equally to both the oral presentation and written paper---no slackers! The instructor reserves the right to lower the grade of any student deemed to have contributed less than their fair share of work to the group project.
Grading: 90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, <60% = F
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