Download bio 353 syllabus, course description and rules

BIO 353 - Marine Ecology - Spring 2017
Syllabus and Course Description
Note: The course web site is NOT on Blackboard. The URL is:
http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/bio353
For general information, consult the university academic calendar for spring.
All downloadable exercises and assignments will be obtained from this URL.
There will be no paper handed out in class after this syllabus.
Please note: The powerpoint notes are not complete course notes and you
cannot study only from them to pass the course. In many cases the powerpoints
are only in outline structure. Photos are also sometimes missing in the
downloads.
CLASS MEETS IN ROOM 079 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES BUILDING,
MWF
11:00-11:53 A.M.
Instructor - Jeffrey Levinton, rm 680 Life Sciences (phone (631) 632-8602; email
[email protected]), Office Hrs: Tu 2:00-4:00, phone or email
anytime for appt. or Do drop in!)
Teaching Assistant – David Charifson, rm 657 Life Sciences. email
[email protected] , Office Hrs: Tuesdays 10-12, email anytime for
appt. or drop in.)
BIO 353 COURSE SCHEDULE
Downloading ppt lectures: The transparencies were prepared in Microsoft
PowerPoint and you will be downloading pdf file versions. The PowerPoint files
can be accessed from the course web site from the link titled “Powerpoint
Archive”, just below the Downloadable syllabus.
PLEASE DO NOT OPEN THEM UP BEFORE MONDAY OF THE WEEK A
CHAPTER IS COVERED. THEY ARE BEING REVISED. BY FRIDAY OF THAT
WEEK THEY MAY BE SLIGHTLY REVISED AGAIN
Required textbook: Levinton, J. 2013. Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity,
Ecology, 4TH edition, Oxford University Press, New York. Available at Stony
Brook University Bookstore
Lecture Schedule and Text Assignments
Week of:
23 Jan Introduction: The Ocean, Topography, Sea Floor (Ch. 1, pp. 1-6, 10-12;
Ch. 2)
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30 Jan The Ocean (Cont'd) Circulation, Coastal Processes (Ch. 2); also read
this: How Coriolis Effect works going east and west
6 Feb Ecological Principles (Ch. 3) [RESEARCH LITERATURE
EXERCISE, DUE FRI. FEB. 10 as a hard copy in class]
13 Feb Physiological Responses to Marine Environments (Ch. 4)
20 Feb Life in a Fluid Medium (Ch. 5)
27 Feb Reproductive Strategies, Dispersal, and Migration (Ch. 6)
6 Mar Life in Open Water (Ch. 7 and Ch. 8) [EXAM I on Monday March 6,
covers Chs 1-5] [GRAPHICS AND DATA INTERPRETATION EXERCISE, DUE
Friday MAR 10 in class]
13 Mar Spring Break
20 Mar Critical Factors in Plankton Abundance (Ch. 9) [PAPER I DUE FRIDAY,
MAR 24, 5 P.M.]
27 Mar Productivity in the Sea (Ch. 10) [PAPER II TOPIC AND ABSTRACT
DUE FRI MAR 31 by email, by 5 P.M.]
3 Apr Marine Benthic Life Habits (Ch. 13)
10 Apr The Tidelands and Estuaries (Ch. 14)
17 Apr Sea Grass Beds, Kelp Forests, Coral Reefs (Ch.15) [EXAM II on
MONDAY, 17 APR. Covers Ch. 6-13)]
[DRAFT OF PAPER II DUE FRIDAY APRIL 21, 5 P.M. EMAILED MSWORD
FILE]
24 Apr From the Continental Shelf to the Deep Sea, Patterns in Marine Diversity
(Ch. 16, Ch. 17); Chapter 16: read pp. 466-491; Chapter 17: read pp. 492-508
1 May Food From the Sea (Ch. 18), Pollution (Ch. 19) [PAPER II FINAL DRAFT
DUE FRIDAY MAY 5, 5 P.M. by email]
FINALS PERIOD: [EXAM III, covers Ch. 14-19] Final Exam is Thursday, May
11, 2017, 11:15-12:15.
REQUIRED FIELD TRIP Saturday, May 6, 2:30 P.M. or Sunday, May 7, 3:30
P.M. (trip will last 3-4 hours)
BIO 353 - MARINE ECOLOGY -SPRING 2017
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE AND REQUIREMENTS
PURPOSE OF COURSE
Marine ecology is the study of the relationship of marine organisms to their
environment and the effect of these relationships on their distribution and
abundance. We will first introduce aspects of oceanography and sea water
properties necessary to understand how marine creatures survive and
reproduce. Next, we will discuss physiological function and reproduction. We will
introduce the organisms living in open waters and then we will cover coastal
marine habitats. Important will be a synthesis of how the overall ocean influences
the diversity of marine life. Finally, we will discuss fisheries, mariculture, and
pollution.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The following learning outcomes are expected to be met in this course
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-An ability to apply general principles of ecology and evolution to marine
ecological scientific hypotheses, problems and controversies.
- Develop your writing skills, improve your ability to reason using marine
ecological concepts and data, and develop your skills at examining the scientific
literature. We will build these skills through the semester.
- Help to develop your reasoning skills, through problem solving approaches in
class and through assignments.
- Help to develop your skills at explaining concepts, both with writing and
speaking.
-A basic understanding of oceanography as applied to marine ecology, with
special emphasis on the understanding of oceanographic processes on large
scales appropriate to regional climate and oceanic transport processes and
microscale processes that affect function of individual organisms.
-A basic understanding of how major decadal scale climate processes and
climate change in general affects marine ecological processes.
-An understanding of how small-scale physical processes affect marine
organismal function.
-From this course, students will have an introduction of how ecological principles
operate to determine major ecological processes in major marine habitats.
-In this course, students will be introduced to principles behind fishery science
and management of marine fisheries.
Bio 353 – Marine Ecology – Spring 2017
FORMAT
The course will consist of three classes per week. The teaching assistant (David
Charifson ) will conduct a review session before each examination. There will be
three examinations, whose format will be relatively short answers (words,
sentences, diagrams). All examinations, including the final, will be noncomprehensive, which is to say that each exam will only cover part of the
semester's lectures. I will also ask you to write two papers. The purpose of these
papers is to: (1) develop your writing skills; (2) improve your ability to reason
using marine ecological concepts and data; and (3) develop your skills at
examining the scientific literature. You may turn in the two papers to fulfill the
upper division writing requirement for the Biology major. You can use the second
paper as part of the writing requirement for majors in SoMAS. Contact the
SoMAS Director of Undergraduate Studies for further information.
Paper 2 will have three phases, and you have to start thinking about this
NOW. Our purpose is to have a system that gives you feedback along the way.
Phase one involves developing a topic. I will ask you to give me a title and a 100
word explanation of what you want to cover. The topic should involve some
aspect that relates directly to the syllabus of the course and preferably focuses
on processes and interactions, as opposed to a listing of facts (e.g. about some
marine group of organisms). Some examples of titles: The Effect of Climate
Change on Biogeographic Ranges of Coastal Species; How Predation by Apex
Predators Affects Marine Food Webs; The Role of Disease in Coral Reef
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Structure. You will get feedback immediately on your topic. Phase two is the
first draft, for feedback. Then you will work on your paper and you can consult
with David Charifson or me about the directions you are taking. Phase three is
the final version. Then, a draft of your final paper will be due and you will be
given more feedback, to help in your progress to a thoughtful and well-organized
paper. Hopefully, this will make the final deadline of your final paper version a
relatively easy job to complete successfully. Your grade will be only on the final
paper, BUT you must be on time for all three phases.
Marine Biology Selfie Concepts. You will be required to explain a concept,
recorded as a video, in Marine Ecology, assigned in a list (will be available in the
second week of classes). This will count as 2 points on the total grade below.
More information by week 3.
GRADING
All three examinations will count for 43 % of the final grade (each exam weighted
equally) and the papers will count for 45 % (paper I counts 10 %, paper II counts
35%). Friday exercise quizzes in class will count for 5% of the final grade. Written
research problems and library research exercises will count for 5 % of the final
grade. Marine Biology Selfie Concept counts for 2 points. The total score is 100,
plus as much as two extra credit opportunities, each worth one additional point.
So the maximum score you can get is 102.
[SEE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES ON COURSE
WEB SITE. THERE ARE TWO TO START.]
MAKEUP EXAMS
All non-medically related makeup examinations will be given in advance of the
regularly scheduled exam. Otherwise, you must have a written medical excuse
from your physician or the campus infirmary or equivalent.
TEXTBOOK
The required text for this course, Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity, Ecology,
by J. Levinton (4TH edition Oxford University Press, 2013) is available through
the standard Amazon ordering system.
FIELD TRIP
There will be a 4-hour class field trip on Saturday, May 6, 2:30 P.M. or Sunday,
May 7, 3:30 P.M. The trip is required. You can choose to go on either Saturday
or Sunday. See field trip instructions for gear, etc., below.
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
We take academic honesty seriously. All written assignments must be prepared
individually. General discussion among students is welcomed, but the moment
you start working on an assignment you should do it on your own with no
seeking of answers from others. Plagiarism is defined as using the results or
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prose of others without citing it. You must not plagiarize the work of your fellow
students, or previously written works of any others. Exams are also individual
exercises. Studying with others is a good idea. In class at the time of the test,
however, you must use only your own individual wits and a pen. Don’t expect
much sympathy for violations; they will be handled according to university rules.
FIELD TRIP INSTRUCTIONS
The field trip is required. If you cannot make it, be prepared for a 5-point penalty
on the final score. This is part of the course so please check your schedule in
advance.
BIO 353 Field Trip Instructions – Spring 2017
Field Trip Instructions
Time: Saturday, May 6, 2:30 P.M. or Sunday, May 7, 3:30 P.M.
Meet: At Parking Lot, Flax Pond Lab (if you need a ride, we will arrange rides
from the pay parking lot, south of the Life Sciences Lab, departing 2:00 P.M.,
May 6 and 3:00 A.M., May 7).
What to wear:
Be prepared to get wet, especially your feet. Wear shoes that you don't mind
getting soaked or muddy, or boots that fit well. Don’t wear flip-flops or loosefitting sandals.
Bring: Bring a notebook and pencil, wet footwear, binoculars if you have them.
Where to meet:
If you have a car: meet at the appointed times at the Flax Pond Lab, listed above.
If you do not have a car: meet by the Life Sciences laboratory, one half hour
before the meeting time at Flax Pond. Meet by pay parking lot (south side of
building).
How long will it be: No more than 4 hours:
How to get there:
GPS: 20 Shore Drive, Old Field NY 11733
From campus. Go north on Nicolls Rd. to 25A. Make a left (going west) onto Rt.
25 A. Make a right at first stop light onto Quaker Path. Go north, past several
stop signs until you get to fork in road, just after stop sign. Take the left fork onto
Mt. Grey Road and keep going. You will reach 3rd stop sign at West Meadow
Beach Road. Keep going and follow map below-make left turn onto Crane Neck
Road and follow winding road until Shore Drive. Make a right on Shore Drive and
drive to end and park in parking lot of Flax Pond Lab. Drive according to speed
limits. The Old Field police LOVE to stop speeders.
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