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Biology 216, Ecology
Assignments
Due dates are subject to
change... Essay 1 . Due Feb. 9, Mar. 29, May 3 Essay 2 . Due March 29 Essay
3 . Due May 3 Dates for problem sets
and
lab assignments will be announced in lab, and will be posted at the lab
page when available First Essay Assignment Practical Environmental Problem Find one to three sources of information on a problem of your choice, and write a two to four page essay, in which you: 1. Briefly describe the problem 2. Consider whether it is truly a problem that justifies efforts to solve it, or whether it is simply a nuisance to people. 3. Discuss some possible solutions (or describe the solutions that have been attempted). 4. Anticipate new problems that may arise as a result of those solutions, and assess the possibility that the new problems may be worse than the old one. I encourage you to use any sources you can find. In the past, the more interesting essays have been those that focused on organisms, but you have complete freedom on your choice of topic. Remember that parasites and diseases of people, agricultural plants and animals can be viewed as environmental problems. To begin this assignment, take a look at the sections near the end of most chapters in your text, entitled "Applied Ecology," for background on a wide variety of these problems. These will lead you to a wide variety of references. In addition, you might find the following publications useful: Major newspapers The Boston Globe and The New York Times both have weekly science sections. Magazines: Environment
Internet sources are
also
acceptable. Who knows what you might find on the net? But
be
wary of poorly-documented sources. Essay 2. Please read the following instructions carefully. Find a paper in one of the journals listed below that describes an analysis of a life history characteristic or set of characteristics of a natural population (key factors in the timing of survival and reproduction, or factors that influence the amount of survival or reproduction that can occur, or factors that influence abundance). The paper you choose may be of any length, but it must present original results: it must not be a summary of other results published elsewhere. You may find your text useful as a guide to key papers, but you will find other papers just by scanning the tables of contents of the journals. Prepare an essay summarizing the paper. In your essay, incorporate answers to the following questions: 1. How was the information on the life history obtained? 2. Is the information obtained by observation or experiment? If the information was based on experiments, what preliminary information was used to develop the experiment? 3. What hypotheses does the author test, and what evidence does the author consider critical to support or refute the hypothesis? 4. Give your best summary of the key findings of the work, and the most important questions that come out of the work. I will grade these essays according to the clarity of your explanations, paying particular attention to signs that you have understood the paper. So don't write about a paper you don't understand. I expect that you can provide a thorough enough summary in less than 4 typed pages, although the length of the essay will be determined by the complexity of the paper you choose. You may have to read several papers before you find one that satisfies you. Include with your essay a photocopy of the entire paper, and be careful not to plagiarize. Papers from any of the following journals, all of which are found in the science library, are acceptable. If you wish to write about a paper from another source, please get prior approval from me. Science Nature Animal Behaviour Ecology Ecological Entomology Biological Bulletin Limnology and Oceanography Oikos American Naturalist Evolution Journal of Animal Ecology Journal of Ecology
Essay 3. Find a paper in one of the journals listed below that describes an analysis of an interaction between two or more species (competition, predation, plant-herbivore interactions, parasitism, mutualism). General instructions are the same as those for the previous essay. The paper you choose may be of any length, but it must present original results, and not a summary of someone else's results. You may find your text useful as a guide to key papers, but you will find other papers just by scanning the tables of contents of the journals. Prepare an essay summarizing the paper. In your essay, incorporate answers to the following questions: 1. What information is considered by the author to be critical to establishing the importance of the interaction? 2. Is the information obtained by observation or experiment? 3. What hypotheses does the author test, and what evidence does the author consider critical to support or refute the hypothesis? 4. What do the results mean, and what key questions come out of the work? I will grade these essays according to the clarity of your explanations, paying particular attention to signs that you have understood the paper. So don't write about a paper you don't understand. I expect that you can provide a thorough enough summary in less than 4 typed pages, although the length of the essay will be determined by the complexity of the paper you choose. You may have to read several papers before you find one that satisfies you. Include with your essay a photocopy of the entire paper, and be careful not to plagiarize . Papers from any of the following journals, all of which are found in the science library, are acceptable. If you wish to write about a paper from another source, please get prior approval from me. Science Nature Animal Behaviour Ecology Ecological Entomology Biological Bulletin Limnology and Oceanography Oikos American Naturalist Evolution Journal of Animal Ecology Journal of Ecology
Other journals may also be available and acceptable.
Feel free to ask. JStor is a good on-line resource. |