Course Syllabus

Ecology and Evolution for Teachers BIOL 5311
Spring 2009
Course Syllabus

Instructor

Dr. Mark McGinley
Associate Professor
Honors College and Department of Biological Sciences
Room 215 McClelland Hall
742-1828 ext. 242
mark.mcginley@ttu.edu

Contacting Me
The best way for you to contact me during this course is via email (I spend much of my life attached to my computer and I am usually pretty good at getting back to people via email). I am also happy to chat with you on the phone. If you would like to chat on the phone send me an email and we can set up an appointment for a time for us to talk by phone). We should also be able to communicate via the course blog.

Note: I will be traveling out of town during the middle portion of the semester. I will be traveling to Malaysia from February 25 – March 11th and I will be on a field trip on the Rio Grande River from March 13 – 20 so I will not be able to communicate with you during those times.

Course Outline
The purpose of this course is to provide a content knowledge in the fields of ecology and evolution to practicing teachers. The ecology portion of this course will examine ecology of individuals, populations, and communities and introduce you to the techniques that ecologists use to develop hypotheses (including mathematical modeling) and test their hypotheses in the lab and the field. The evolution portion of the course will discuss the apparent controversy between science and religion and discuss topics of micro and macro evolution.

Required Readings.
There is no textbook required for this class. The readings for the ecology portion of this course will come from this class will come from the Ecology for Teachers Reader published in the Encyclopedia of the Earth.

Course Blog
I have created a blog for this course (my initial effort at blogging). The Ecology for Teachers blog can be found at http://ecologyforteachers.blogspot.com/. This blog will offer a means of communication among all members of this course. I will post regularly (at least weekly) on this site and I encourage you to use this as a forum for interaction. I am not going to grade your participation in the blog, but obviously the more that you share your thoughts on the blog, the better indication I will have about how the class is going.

Expected Learning Outcomes
Explicit expected learning outcomes for each lesson are located in the Ecology for Teachers Reader on the EoE.

Methods for Assessing the Expected Learning Outcomes
The expected learning outcomes will be assessed using a midterm exam, a final exam, and a project. Students in this class will be involved in the Student Science Communication Project with the EoE. You will be required to write an article suitable for publication by the EoE. All articles that meet my approval will be submitted for review by the EoE and articles that are accepted by the Topic Editor will be published. More details of this assignment will be coming.

Grading
Midterm Exam (Due February 21st) 30%
Cumulative Final Exam (due May 2nd) 40%
Term Paper (due April 25th) 30%

Because it is not always possible for me to make the grades fall on a 90, 80, 70, etc. scale, I will let you know the grade that your score would have earned after each assignment. This course is not graded on a curve, so it is possible for all, or no, students to earn a particular grade.


Course Outline

Week 1. Jan 7 - 10 The Physical Environment (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

Week 2. Jan 12 - 16 The Evolutionary Context (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)
Hierarchical Organization of Ecology- Individual Traits (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

Week 3. Jan 19 - 23 Hierarchical Organization of Ecology – Population Ecology (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

Week 4. Jan 26 - 30 Hierarchical Organization of Ecology- Community Ecology- Competition, Predation, Mutualism (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

Week 5. Feb 2 - 6 Hierarchical Organization of Ecology- Community Ecology- Food Webs, Indirect Effects (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

Week 6. Feb 9 - 13 Hierarchical Organization of Ecology- Ecosystem Ecology (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

Week 7. Feb 16 - 20 Hierarchical Organization of Ecology – Landscape Ecology, Biomes, and Biosphere (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)
Take Home Midterm Due February 21st by 5:00 PM Submit via email

Week 8. Feb 23 - 27 Biodiversity (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

I will be traveling to Malaysia from February 25 – March 11th and I will be on a field trip on the Rio Grande River from March 13 – 20.

Week 9 March 2 - 6 Environmental Issues- Invasive Species (Ecology For Teachers Reader- EoE)

Week 10. March 9 - 13 Work on Projects

Week 11. March 16 – 20 Spring Break

Week 12. March 23 – 27 Creation, Intelligent Design, and Evolution

Week 13 March 30 – April 3 Scientific Evidence for Evolution
Powerpoint presentation “Evidence for Evolution”

Week 14. April 6 – 10 Microevolution

Adaptation by natural selection by Dr. McGinley

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_25
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/search/topicbrowse2.php?topic_id=53

Week 15. April 13 – 18. Macroevolution
Understanding Evolution- Speciation (University of California, Berkeley) http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_40
Powerpoint presentation “Models of Speciation and Macroevolution” “Species Concepts and Speciation”

Week 16. April 20 – 28 Final Thoughts

Final Exam Due May 2nd

TEKS
Chapter 112. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for ScienceSubchapter C. High School
112.43. Biology.
(7) Science concepts. The student knows the theory of biological evolution. The student is expected to:
(A) identify evidence of change in species using fossils, DNA sequences, anatomical similarities, physiological similarities, and embryology; and
(B) illustrate the results of natural selection in speciation, diversity, phylogeny, adaptation, behavior, and extinction.
(9) Science concepts. The student knows metabolic processes and energy transfers that occur in living organisms. The student is expected to:
(D) analyze the flow of matter and energy through different trophic levels and between organisms and the physical environment.
(11) Science concepts. The student knows that organisms maintain homeostasis. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and describe the relationships between internal feedback mechanisms in the maintenance of homeostasis;
(B) investigate and identify how organisms, including humans, respond to external stimuli;
(D) summarize the role of microorganisms in maintaining and disrupting equilibrium including diseases in plants and animals and decay in an ecosystem.
(12) Science concepts. The student knows that interdependence and interactions occur within an ecosystem. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the flow of energy through various cycles including the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and water cycles;
(B) interpret interactions among organisms exhibiting predation, parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism;
(C) compare variations, tolerances, and adaptations of plants and animals in different biomes;
(D) identify and illustrate that long-term survival of species is dependent on a resource base that may be limited; and
(E) investigate and explain the interactions in an ecosystem including food chains, food webs, and food pyramids.

§112.44. Environmental Systems.
(4) Science concepts. The student knows the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors within habitats, ecosystems, and biomes. The student is expected to:
(A) identify indigenous plants and animals, assess their role within an ecosystem, and compare them to plants and animals in other ecosystems and biomes;
(B) make observations and compile data about fluctuations in abiotic cycles and evaluate the effects of abiotic factors on local ecosystems and biomes;
(C) evaluate the impact of human activity such as methods of pest control, hydroponics, organic gardening, or farming on ecosystems;
(D) predict how the introduction, removal, or reintroduction of an organism may alter the food chain and affect existing populations; and
(E) predict changes that may occur in an ecosystem if biodiversity is increased or reduced.
(5) Science concepts. The student knows the interrelationships among the resources within the local environmental system. The student is expected to:
(A) summarize methods of land use and management;
(B) identify source, use, quality, and conservation of water;
(C) document the use and conservation of both renewable and non-renewable resources;
(D) identify renewable and non-renewable resources that must come from outside an ecosystem such as food, water, lumber, and energy;
(E) analyze and evaluate the economic significance and interdependence of components of the environmental system; and
(F) evaluate the impact of human activity and technology on land fertility and aquatic viability.
(6) Science concepts. The student knows the sources and flow of energy through an environmental system. The student is expected to:
(A) summarize forms and sources of energy;
(B) explain the flow of energy in an ecosystem;
(C) investigate and explain the effects of energy transformations within an ecosystem; and
(D) investigate and identify energy interactions in an ecosystem.
(7) Science concepts. The student knows the relationship between carrying capacity and changes in populations and ecosystems. The student is expected to:
(A) relate carrying capacity to population dynamics;
(B) calculate exponential growth of populations;
(C) evaluate the depletion of non-renewable resources and propose alternatives; and
(D) analyze and make predictions about the impact on populations of geographic locales, natural events, diseases, and birth and death rates.
(8) Science concepts. The student knows that environments change. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze and describe the effects on environments of events such as fires, hurricanes, deforestation, mining, population growth, and municipal development;
(B) explain how regional changes in the environment may have a global effect;
(C) describe how communities have restored an ecosystem; and
(D) examine and describe a habitat restoration or protection program.