Download Conservation Biology

Conservation Biology- BIOL 21200/ENVS 21200
Course Information and Policies
General Info
Time: Tu Th 9:25-10:50 Laboratory M 1-3:50 PM
Meet in: CNS 1C (Tu Th) and CNS 105 (M)
Instructor: Dr. Anne Stork; Administrative Annex 119
Office Phone- 4-3575 Email- [email protected]
Office Hours- W 3-4 PM; F 10-11 AM or contact me to make an appointment.
Course Description: Currently, we are experiencing an unprecedented loss in species number and many
scientists think that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction. This extinction event is unlike past mass
extinction events in that humans are largely responsible for such species loss. In this course, we will investigate
how we can apply biological principles to reverse the trends in species loss that we are experiencing. We will
focus on case studies to develop our understanding of what maintains, reduces, and restores biodiversity on this
planet. In addition, we will periodically collaborate with members of the Conservation Psychology course to
share perspectives and understanding of various issues in conservation biology.
Our objectives during laboratories will be develop skills that are important for work in conservation biology
such as the use of motion cameras to assess wildlife and benthic macro invertebrate ID to assess water quality.
We will share our Introduction to Benthic Macro Invertebrates lab with one of Dara Engler’s art classes.
Professor Engler, and her students, will give us beginner drawing instruction so that we can become more
confident and skilled at seeing and drawing organisms. In exchange, BIOL/ENVS students will help the art
students understand the biology of the organisms that we will be examining. In addition, we will meet a variety
of practitioners that work in conservation biology. For example, we will examine local conservation efforts
around Ithaca, NY by working with and meeting the staff of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the Community
Science Institute, the Lab of Ornithology and the Department of Environmental Conservation. Lastly, we will
conduct a campus tree survey and design an Arbor Day event and service project so that we can apply for Ithaca
College to be a Tree Campus USA site for the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Student Learning Objectives:
Students will:
Explore current topics in conservation biology, including status and trends, case studies, and theories in a
multidisciplinary setting;
Understand root causes of the conservation crisis using principles of genetics, ecology, biogeography, and
evolutionary biology;
Study linkages between the conservation crisis and philosophical, economic, social, and political
perspectives;
Discuss problems and synthesize solutions in an objective manner, based on scientific training;
Research, present, and write concise but descriptive summaries of conservation issues.
Text:
Williams, T. (2012). The Odyssey of KP2. New York, New York: Penguin Books.
Additional readings, including all course materials, will be posted on Sakai.
GRADING:
Homework assignments (HW) 24%: There will be reading/homework assignments/presentations due on Sakai
to help everyone prepare for our class discussions. If the assignment isn’t submitted to SK before our class
discussion, then you will only receive 50% credit for the assignment. If you submit the assignment and
miss class due to an unexcused absence, you will only receive 50% credit.
In-class responses (ICR) 24%: Throughout the semester, you will complete a series of short writing
assignments for a variety of reasons: 1) synthesize your answer to a prompt regarding a reading assignment; 2)
in‐class writings to reflect on a speaker or topic; 3) answer a question to provide the instruct with continuous
feedback of your learning. If you miss class you will not be able to make up the in-class response that you
missed.
These assignments will be used for a variety of reasons, and grading will be based primarily on 1)
demonstrating that you are fully engaged in the material and work to think through it even if you don’t know the
answer, and 2) demonstrating that you have completed readings and are working to make connections with the
different aspects of this course. You won’t be graded on writing quality for In-class responses, but poor writing
quality that reduces clarity may result in lower scores. The scores for In-class responses will represent the
following criteria:
8-10: Strong submission: demonstrates clear, concise and rigorous analysis; demonstrates full understanding of
the readings or other pertinent material; provides clear evidence linking your answer/thought process to
readings and previous course content.
5-7: Moderate submission: demonstrates modest understanding of the readings or other pertinent material; some
attempt to link your answer/thought process to readings or other pertinent material, but of limited success;
answer isn’t always clear or concise.
1-4: Limited submission: demonstrates limited understanding of the readings or material; little evidence of
linking answer/thought process to other topics; superficial analysis; limited evidence of critically engaging the
question.
0: Unacceptable submission: no clear evidence that student read or understood the material; no evidence that the
student attempted to think through the question and engage the material; short, confusing, or superficial answer;
no answer submitted.
Laboratory attendance and assignments- 20%: If you miss lab due to an unexcused absence you will lose
20 points on your overall lab score. We will have assignments to prepare for our laboratories and to
synthesize what we have learned from the lab. If the assignment isn’t submitted to SK before our lab, then
you will only receive 50% credit for the assignment. If you miss lab due to an unexcused absence, you will
not receive any credit for lab assignments related to that lab.
Take home mid-term essay exam - 10%: There will be mid-term take home essay that you can work on
collaboratively, but will turn in individually.
Community connection reflection essays - 6 %: There will be a variety of opportunities to learn about
conservation biology in action throughout the semester. You must attend two short or one long opportunity.
You will receive extra credit for opportunities that you attend- and submit a reflection for. The first available
opportunity - John Confer has graciously agreed to lead a Saturday field trip on February 1 to look for and learn
about a variety of owl species in the area. We will use an IC van for this trip and it will be from 3-8 pm. If this
trip is a success, John is open to leading another trip to Montezuma Wildlife Preserve in the spring. This trip
counts as one long opportunity. An additional long opportunity includes helping Leann Kanda with salamander
migration. Short opportunities include talks presented by the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell
University, Tu 3:30-4:30
http://dnr.cornell.edu/cals/dnr/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=1115799; The Cornell’s Lab of
Ornithology’s Monday Night Seminar Series
http://dnr.cornell.edu/cals/dnr/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=1115799; Winter Free Days at
the Paleontological Research Institute- February 2nd or March 2nd; PRI’s Glacier Lecture Series
http://www.museumoftheearth.org/events.php?page=atthemuseum/glacierlectures. If transportation is an issue,
see me and we can work something out.
Conservation Biology in the News- 6%: Twice during the semester, find a recent news article about an issue
in conservation biology to share with the class. Your presentation should be casual- but explain why the article
is interesting to you- and how it relates to what we are learning- or will be learning- in class. Each presentation
is worth 3% of your course grade.
Final project 10%: You will tackle a problem that interests you in conservation biology. You will present your
findings to the class during the final exam.
Attendance: This is an interactive class and your participation is critical to the success of the entire class. You
are expected to attend every class, and get to every class session on time. If you miss class due to an excused
absence, you are still responsible for material presented during class. If an emergency arises, and you would like
to have your absence counted as excused, you must contact me before class/lab to explain your situation.
Plagiarism: Please review the College’s definition of plagiarism is it appears in the Student Handbook. I will
report all plagiarism offenders to Judicial Affairs. In a collaborative project, all students in a group may be held
responsible for academic misconduct if they engage in plagiarism or are aware of plagiarism by others in their
group and fail to report it. Students who participate in a collaborative project in which plagiarism has occurred
will not be held accountable if they were not knowledgeable of the plagiarism.
Accommodations: Every effort will be made to accommodate special needs of students. Please consult the
Student Handbook for procedures and policies regarding accommodations.
"In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act,
reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis.
Students must register with Student Disability Services and provide appropriate documentation to Ithaca
College before any academic adjustment will be provided."
1
Conservation Biology Spring 2014
******* Denotes integration with Conservation Psychology
Week
Topic
Reading Assignments
1
What is
Conservation
Biology?
Introductions/conservation biology concept map
What is
conservation
biology?
*******
Chapter 1- skim
Voosen, P. 2013. Who is conservation for?
Chronicle of Higher Education. 60:B6-B13.
Tu
Jan
21
Th
Jan
23
2
Tu
Jan
28
Th
Jan
30
Conservation
biology in
action
*******
Conservation
ethics
Start viewing “Call of Life”
Don’t forget to start reading about KP2
Include CONS PSYCH
Finish viewing “Call of Life”
What’s due by
9:00 am day of
class
DVD-“Green
Fire”
Jacobson, S. K. and M. D. McDuff. 1998. Training
idiot savants: the lack of human dimensions in
conservation biology. Conservation Biology
12(2):263-267.
What’s due by lab
No lab this week since
there are no Monday
classes. We will have lab
the last day of classes in
May.
HW What is CB?
ICR CB in
action.
Schultz, P. 2011. Conservation means behavior.
Conservation Biology.25:1080-1083.
Discussion on film and readings and start
conversation about how do we use collaboration to
be a part of the solution.
Include CONS PSYCH
Leopold, A. 1949. The Land Ethic. The Sand
County Almanac. Oxford University Press, New
York.
Lab Topic
HW
Conservation
ethics – who is
responsible?
Forest Fragmentation case
study and Motion camera
set up- invite Leann (or
Jason) as a brief guest
lecturer?
Use Ipads for research to
design class experiment.
2
3
Tu
Feb 4
What is
biological
diversity and
why should
we value it?
Last name A-O Chapter 2- What is biodiversity?
HW Biodiversity
Last name P-Z Chapter 3 Where is the World’s
Biodiversity Found
Motion camera data
collection and data
presentation.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.html
global biodiversity outlook
3:http://www.cbd.int/gbo3/?pub=6667&section=6729
Visit Conservation Biology journal
Chapters 4 and 5
Th
Feb 6
Where is
biodiversity
found?
4 Tu
Feb
11
Habitat
Destruction
Roemer G.W. and R.K. Wayne. 2003. Conservation
in conflict: the tale of two endangered species.
Conservation Biology. 17(5): 1251-1260.
Th
Feb
13
Long term
data
collection
5 Tu
Feb
18
Invasive
Species
Pusey, A. E. et al. 2007. The Contribution of LongTerm Research at Gombe National Park to
Chimpanzee Conservation. Conservation Biology.
21: 623-634.
Mooney, H.A. and E.E. Cleland. 2001. The
HW Invasive
evolutionary impact of invasive species. Proceedings Species
of the National Academy of Sciences 98:5446-5451.
http://www.f
su.edu/~imsp
/silent_invad
ers/new_wee
ds/main_htm
l/
Mack, N. R. 2000. Assessing the extent, status, and
dynamism of plant invasions: Current and
emerging approaches. In: Invasive Species in a
Changing World, ed. by H. A Mooney, Island Press,
Washington, DC. Pp. 141-170.
HW Biodiversity
continued
ICR Conservation
in Conflict
Park Preserve with Chris
Olney –
View “Among the wild
chimpanzees” and some of
Jane’s Journey
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs
/DOC-849995
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/n
ature/episodes/janegoodalls-wildchimpanzees/introduction/
1908/
Lab report for motion
camera lab due today.
Reflective essay on trip
with Chris Olney and
conservation biology
2010 management plan.
3
http://www.wildchimpanze
es.org/educators/pdf/field_
sketch.pdf
OR Red Flag Monitoring
Th
Feb
20
6
Tu
Feb
25
BiodiversityGoldenWing
Warblers
Economics
and
conservation
*******
McLeish, T. 2007. “Golden-Winged Warbler.”
Golden Wings and Hairy Toes. University Press of
New England. Hanover, NH.
Confer, J., Barnes, K., & Alvey, E.. (2010).
GOLDEN- AND BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS:
DISTRIBUTION, NESTING SUCCESS, AND
GENETIC DIFFERENCES IN TWO HABITATS.
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 122(2), 273278. (on Blackboard- Confer golden warblers)
Costanza, R. et al. 1997. The value of the world’s
ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature
387:253-260.
ICR More
conflict in
conservation
biology
HW Ecosystem
Services
Field trip with Chris Olney
to newly acquired
Newfield protected
area
Lant, C.L. et al. 2008. The Tragedy of Ecosystem
Services. BioScience 58:969-974.
Maguire, L. and J. Justis. 2008. Why intrinsic value
is a poor basis for conservation decisions.
BioScience 58:910-911.
Pimm, S. 1991. The value of everything. Nature
387: 231-232.
Th
Feb
27
ExtinctionHow bad is
it?
7 Tu
The Odyssey
of KP2
Include both ENVS and PSYC
Chapter 7
Wagler, R. 2012. The sixth great mass extinction.
Science Scope. 35: 48-55.
Discussion of The Odyssey of KP2
HW 10 Extinction
HW KP2
Assignment
Meet with DEC forester
John Graham to brainstorm
Reflective essay on Jane
Goodall and conservation
biology.
4
Mar 4
********
Include both ENVS and PSYC
Th
Mar 6
Conservation
Biology
through the
eyes of
Sandra
Steingraber
Steingraber, S. (2008). Living downstream from
Silent Spring. In Rachel Carson legacy and
challenge. Albany: State University Of New York
Press.
*********
Spring Break
Include both ENVS and PSYC
8
on tree plan for Tree
Campus USA
MID TERM
TAKE HOME
ESSAY DUE Th
Mar 6 AT 11:45
PM!
Tu
Mar
11
Th
Mar
13
Spring
Break
9 Tu
Mar
18
Extinction
Th
Mar
20
10 Tu
Mar
Costello, M.J. 2013. Can we name Earth’s species
before they go extinct? Science 339:413-416.
HW- Extinction
Barnasky, A.D. et al. 2011. Has the Earth’s sixth
mass extinction already arrived? Nature 471:51-57.
Extinction
Start “The Unnatural history of the Kakapo”
Finish DVD
“The
Unnatural
history of the
Kakapo”DV
D 8110
Conservation
Genetics
Read:
HW Conservation
http://snrs.unl.edu/powell/teaching/nres862/cases/wo Genetics
BMI ID and methods intro- Come to lab with your
in lab
presentation for your
BMI family
Drawing lesson with Dara
Engler’s art class
ICR- Extinction
Visit Lab of Ornithology
and CSI
5
lves/wolves_genetics.htm The restoration of gray
wolves in Yellowstone Park:
Conservation Genetics
25
Th
Mar
27
11 Tu
Apr 1
Th
Apr 3
The
problems
with small
populations
John Confer
guest lecture.
Protecting
Biodiversity
Leann
Kandaprotecting
amphibian
diversity in
Tompkins
County
Multiple
threats to
biodiversity
Find this article through IC’s library website:
Forbes, S. H., and D. K. Boyd. 1997. Genetic
structure and migration in native and reintroduced
Rocky Mountain wolf populations. Conservation
Biology 11:1226-1234.
Chapter 11
ICR- John’s
lecture
ICR- Leann’s
lecture
Pounds, J.A. et al. 2006. Widespread amphibian
extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global
warming. Nature. 439:161-167.
HW Multiple
threats to
biodiversity
Each student
presents a paper
of their choice on
CB and global
warming
Each student
presents a paper
12 Tu
Apr 8
Global
Climate
Change
Student choice
Th
Apr
Global
Climate
Student choice
BMI collection field trip
BMI ID in lab
Reflective essay on trip to
Lab of O.
6
10
change II
13 Tu
Apr
15
Species
approach to
conservation
Th
Apr
17
14 Tu
Apr
22
Th
Apr
24
Ecosystem
approaches
to
conservation
Species and
landscape
approaches
to
conservation.
Landscape
approaches
to
conservation
Bushmeat
DVD 7922
Fordham, D.A. et al. 2013. Adapted conservation
measures are required to save the Iberian lynx in a
changing climate. Nature Climate Change.3”899903.
of their choice on
CB and global
warming
HW Species
approach to
conservation
biology
Or read online:
http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v3/n10/full/
nclimate1954.html
Mouillot, D. 2013. Rare species support vulnerable
systems in high diversity ecosystems. PLOS
Biology.11: 1-11.
ICR- Ecosystem
approaches to
conservation
SPECIAL ISSUE featuring an interdisciplinary
approach to Koala Conservation. Conservation
Biology. June 2000. Volume 14 Issue 3.
Use IC’s library website to find the articles in this
issue.
Whittimeyer, G. Effects of Economic Downturns on
Mortality of Wild African Elephants. Conservation
Biology. 25:1002-1009.
Tree Campus USA Project
BMI lab report due
HW
Tree Campus USA Project
Interdisciplinary
approach to Koala
Conservation
ICR- Landscape
approaches to
conservation.
http://smithsonianscience.org/2012/05/poachers-roamfreely-through-thailands-nature-reserves-despiteranger-outposts/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTkLzRVBUDE
http://on.aol.com/video/fighting-the-bush-meatpoachers-in-congo-506874739
15 Tu
Apr
29
Ecotourism
Stem, C.J. et al. 2003. Community Participation
in Ecotourism Benefits: The Link to
Conservation Practices and Perspectives. Society
and Natural Resources 16: 387–413.
HW- Ecotourism
and conservation
biology
Tree Campus USA Project
Lab report for Arbor Day
project.
7
Case study/role playing Costa Rica
Th
May
1
Mond
ay
May
5
Review
Tree Campus USA Project
Presentations