Plant Ecology BIO 455/555 Fall 2003
Class meets: Tuesday-Thursday, 2:30-3:50 PM, ES 242
PLEASE NOTE: This is a 3 credit lecture course, not four credits as indicated in the Schedule of Classes. The 1-credit laboratory section is now listed as Bio 446/546.
Instructor: George Robinson, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Office Hours: Tues/Th 1-2:15, or by appointment; OFFICE: Bio 253B (442-4302)
Home Page: HTTP://www.albany.edu/~grobins
Email:
grobins@csc.albany.edu Required text:
Gurevitch, Shiner, and Fox.
2002. The Ecology of Plants.
Sinauer. Additional readings and class notes will be available
through the ULibrary EReserves site. Grading: 100 points
total Two Exams (2 best scores from 3 exams given, including the
final), 30 points each. Topic Paper or Research Proposal (Graduate students), 30
points. Unexcused late assignments lose one point per day. Participation, 10 points. Class Schedule Day Date Topic/Assignments Readings_______ Tu 9/2 Course introduction Ch. 1 Consequences of being a plant Th 9/4 Light
and photosynthesis Ch. 2 Tu 9/9 Light and photosynthesis Ch. 2, R 27, 38 Th 9/11 Plant water relations and energy balance Ch. 3 Sat 9/13 Adirondacks FIELD TRIP (optional) TBA Tu 9/16 Plant
water relations and energy balance Ch. 3,
R 39, 40, 44 Th 9/18 Life below ground: Soil ecology Ch. 4 Tu 9/23 Life below ground: Soil ecology Ch. 4, R 1, 23, 31, 43 Th 9/25 Plant microevolution Ch. 5, Ch. 6, R 3, 14 Tu 9/30 Plant
population biology Ch. 7 Th 10/2 Individual
growth and reproduction Ch. 8 , R 17 Questions
for Midterm #1 handed out Tu 10/7 Plant
life history traits Ch. 9, R 13 Th 10/9 Midterm
# 1 (one hour) Tu 10/14 Plant-plant
competition Ch. 10 Th
10/16 Herbivory and plant defenses Ch. 11, R 7, 22, 24 Tu 10/21 Herbivory:
Origins of medicinal plants Ch.
11, R 19, 37 Herbivory:
Transgenic crop plants TBA Th 10/23 Plant community ecology Ch. 12 Quantifying community structure Tu
10/28 Disturbance and succession Ch. 13, R 4, 11, 16 Fire
ecology Th 10/30 Diversity,
rarity, abundance Ch. 14, R 28,
29, 30 Invasive
plants Tu 11/4 Plants
and ecosystem processes Ch. 15,
R 5, 18, 21, 41 Paper
title due Questions
for Midterm #2 handed out Th 11/6 Distribution
of plant communities Ch. 16, R
36 Tu 11/11 Midterm
#2 (one hour) Th 11/13 Landscape
ecology Ch. 17 Disease
ecology Paper
outline due Tu 11/18 Climate
and plant physiognomy Ch. 18, R
34 Th 11/20 Major biomes Ch. 19, R 25 Tu-Th 11/25-27
No class (Thanksgiving Holiday) Tu 12/2 Regional and global plant diversity Ch. 20, R 8, 33, 35 Plant paleoecology Ch. 21 Th 12/4 Plant paleoecology Ch. 21, R 20,26,42 Plant response to global change Ch. 22 Research
topic paper due Tu 12/9 Plant responses to global change Ch. 22, R 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17 Questions
for Final Exam handed out Th 12/11 Reading Day Tu 12/16 Final
Exam 10:30 AM (one hour) Examinations
and assignments 1.
Exams (60 pts.) The two midterm exams and the final
will be the same length and carry equal weight. Each will cover 1/3 of the course material. All three will have the following format: 2. Topic Paper (30 pts.) (Graduate students and interested
undergraduates will have a different assignment — see below.) This is a term paper reviewing research on one particular
topic of plant ecology, using course material and focusing on primary
literature. Choose a topic early in the
semester. The topic is your choice, and
this is a solo project. A topic outline
must be submitted by the scheduled deadline, in order to receive feedback and
assistance. The format is as follows: Your paper should be written for a scientific audience.
Clarity and accuracy are most important, so avoid ambiguous phrases (e.g.,
“this shows that ...”), and make sure that your explanations and arguments are
straightforward. If in doubt about any
construction, read it aloud and decide whether improvements are required. Use active constructions whenever possible
(e.g., instead of, “It has been shown by Smith and Jones (1966) that the
ingredient responsible for skin rashes due to contact with poison ivy is
urushiol,” write, “Urushiol is the ingredient responsible for skin rashes due
to contact with poison ivy (Smith and Jones 1966).” 3. Participation (10 pts.) You are expected to attend every class and participate
actively. For a brief period during
each lecture, we will discuss current events relevant to the course, and you
are encouraged to introduce topics for discussion. Be prepared to briefly discuss your topic paper in class. If you
are very shy, you can also participate by communicating with me outside the
classroom. HOW TO GET A LOUSY GRADE Some students turn in a poor performance
accidentally. Here are some tips that
will help you with a deliberate plan to screw up: Graduate Student
Research Proposal This
assignment is an opportunity to explore possibilities if you haven’t begun
research, or to develop new expertise, if you have. Be imaginative. You will
be rewarded for creativity, but keep your methods practical and your approach
realistic. Topic: Your choice
of any branch of plant ecology, including a relevant aspect of your current or
planned research. This is an
opportunity to explore possibilities if you haven’t begun research, or to
develop new expertise, if you have. Be
imaginative. You will be rewarded for
creativity, but keep your methods practical and your approach realistic. We will discuss examples in class, and you
will have opportunities to view previous research proposals by former students. Format: In twenty or fewer pages (double-spaced, including
any maps, tables and figures, plus a bibliography) describe an original
research project, designed to answer an ecological question involving
photosynthetic organisms, as basic or applied as you wish. Include a brief Abstract, an Introduction
presenting the research question, a detailed Methods section, and an Interpretation
section, describing how possible outcomes would be evaluated, in light of the
research question. When in doubt, keep
it simple, to avoid confusing the reader (and yourself). Budget: Include
estimates for the major costs of your proposed studies, including salaries, and
their total. A few numbers will
suffice. Most projects are limited by
budget constraints, and it is worth considering potential costs of the research
you propose. Preparation: Submit
topics and outlines in advance. We will
meet as a group to discuss proposals before and after the submission
deadline. Plan to share your ideas and
help others with comments and criticism.
Guidelines for preparation will be distributed in class. Undergraduates may choose this option instead
of a topic paper, for extra credit — with instructor’s approval. Supplemental
material Required
readings: Additional readings: For
use in exploring paper topics, clarifying text material, a list is posted on
our ULibrary EReserves site. Also
posted is a list of relevant journals and call numbers. Video materials: The
Private Life of Plants series by David Attenborough, other possible videos. URLs: Botanical Society of America:
http://www.botany.org Ecological Society of America:
http://www.esa.org Flora of North America:
http://www.fna.org/FNA Nat. Acad. Press, Abrupt
Climate Change: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309074347/html/index.html New York State Invasive Plant
Council: http://www.ipcnys.org Ordination web page:
http://www.okstate.edu/artsci/botany/ordinate USDA Plants database:
http://plants.usda.gov Trees of North America: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm