Biology 475 Syllabus

Fall 2006 - Biology 475 - Syllabus - Scientific Writing

Notes:

• BBPGS = Barbour, M.G., J.H. Burk, W.D. Pitts, F.S. Gilliam, and M.W. Schwartz. 1999. Terrestrial Plant Ecology. Menlo Park: Addison Wesley Longman.
• KC = Kent, M. and Coker, P., 1992: Vegetation Description and Ananlysis: A Practical Approach. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
• MDE = Mueller-Dombois, L. D. and Ellenberg, H., 1974: Aims and Methods of Vegetation Ecology. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
• Blue rows are labs.
• Links will lead to related class or lab materials.

Syllabus

The PDF version of the syllabus ( />28 kb, updated: 2006-Oct-25) is the full syllabus, updated to the end of the semester. The table below contains the syllabus updated to the current lesson with links to lecture and lab materials.

Show: Labs | Lectures | All

Lesson File Size Updated	Date	Topics/Activities	Readings and Assignments
Lesson 1 2,200 kb 2006-Sep-11	11 Sep	Major considerations in vegetation sampling	KC, skim Chapter 1, Quantitative plant ecology and vegetation science.
Lab 1 60 kb 2006-Jan-20	11 Sep	Field trip to Murphy Dome: Description of vegetation in the field, physiognomic and floristic data, sampling design, choosing sample sites minimal area for plot size. Minimal area sampling exercise.	KC, Read p. 38-48 in Chapter 2, Methods of vegetation description based on floristics. Bring: rain gear (jacket and pants), good water-proof boots, sweater, cap, gloves, hand lens, notebook, pencil, scotch tape, collection bags.
Lesson 2 1,650 kb 2006-Sep-18	18 Sep	The Relevé Method of sampling plant communities	BBPG&S, Methods of sampling plant communites,the relevé method, Chap.9. p. 210- 220.
Lab 2 126 kb 2006-Sep-18	18 Sep	Field lab: UAF Arboretum, Relevé sampling, white spruce forest.	Soil Datasheet (30 kb) Releve Datasheet (63 kb)
Lesson 3	25 Sep	No Lecture: Leave for the field at T=13:00.	Westhoff, V. & van der Maarel, E. (1978). The Braun-Blanquet approach. In Classification of plant communities (ed R.H. Whittaker), Dr. W. Junk, Den Haag. Read pp. 289-313.
Lab 3	25 Sep	Field lab: UAF Arboretum, Relevé sampling, black spruce forest.
Lesson 4 117 kb 2006-Oct-03	02 Oct	Forest sampling, Point-centered quarter method	MDE, p. 93-135, Chapter 7, The count-plot method and plotless sampling techniques
Lab 4 71 kb 2006-Oct-03	02 Oct	Field lab: Point-centered quarter sampling in white and black spruce forests.	Point-centered quarter method handout
Lesson 5	9 Oct	Plot-count method.
Lab 5 36 kb 2006-Oct-03	9 Oct	Field lab: Plot count method, point-sampling methods, tree height determination; Measure dbh and height of all trees in relevé plots.	Plot count method and tree height handout
Lesson 6	16 Oct	Overview of moss and lichen identification
Lab 6 135 kb 2006-Oct-18	16 Oct	Herbarium: Plant identification of voucher collections	Plant ID handout
Lesson 7	23 Oct	Soils	BBPGS, pp. 473-500 in Chapter 17, Soil
Lab 7	23 Oct	Soils analyses: pH, grain size, soil color	Soil handout
Lesson 8 3,420 kb 2006-Oct-27	30 Oct	Braun-Blanquet approach to Classification I	KC, p. 245-275, Chapter 7, Phytosociology and the Zurich-Montpellier (Braun-Blanquet) school of subjective classification. Assignment Due: Plant IDs finished. Report on point-centered quarter and plot count methods (graded homework). Soil lab analyses finished.
Lab 8 65 kb 2006-Oct-27	30 Oct	Computer lab: (1) Data entry (2) Introduciton to TurboVeg (3) Begin Braun-Blanquet table sorting	TurboVeg Manual (reading to be determined). 2006 species data in Excel and tab delimited text formats (updated: 30-Oct-2006 10:03). Hennekens, 2001. (19 kb) Tichy. 2002. (475 kb) Lab software information (58 kb)
Lesson 9	06 Nov	Braun-Blanquet Analysis II	Shimwell, D.W. (1971) The Description and Classification of Vegetation. University of Washington Press, Seattle. Chap. 6, pp. 184-215.
Lab 9	06 Nov	Computer lab: (1) Classification: Sorted Table analysis using Excel (2) Introduction to JUICE and TurboVeg	JUICE Manual (9,690 kb)(reading to be determined)
Lesson 10 1,930 kb 2006-Nov-13	13 Nov	Indirect ordination, Similarity indices, polar ordination	KC, p. 162-185, Chapter 5, Ordination methods I, 1950-1970
Lab 10 56 kb 2006-Nov-21	13 Nov	Computer lab: Introduction to PC-Ord; Ordination of class data	PC-Ord manual Assignment Due: Sorted tables due:
Lesson 11 3,320 kb 2006-Nov-21	20 Nov	Ordination: PCA	KC, p. 186-214, Chapter 5, Ordination methods I, 1950-1970
Lab 11	20 Nov	Computer lab: Analysis of class data using PC-Ord I	PC-Ord manual
Lesson 12 />1,020 kb 2006-Dec-04	27 Nov	Ordination: DCA, CCA, NMS	KC, p. Chapter 6, Ordination methods II, 1970-1992
Lab 12	27 Nov	Computer lab: Analysis of class data using PC-Ord II	PC-Ord manual Assignment Due: Ordination exercise due: 01-Dec-2006
Thanksgiving	23-26 Nov	THANKSGIVING CAMPUS CLOSED	THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Lesson 13	04 Dec	Work on class project
Lab 13	04 Dec	Computer lab: Analysis of class data, Preparation of talks
Lesson 14	9 Dec	Final Oral Presentations	>Oral Prensentations