Further Reading

1) Here is a link to a chapter entitled - The response of animals to disturbance and their roles in patch generation. that Mike Willig and I wrote for a book Ecosystems of Disturbed Ground. The first portion of this chapter talks about our view of disturbance

http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/people/willig/Willig_pdf/094.Willig&McGinley.1999.pdf

2) The Fire Ecology Factsheet- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Fire_ecology_fact_sheet

3) Slideshow

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/bL1TCLiLtoH5Np

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define disturbance
- list examples of disturbances
- distinguish between a disturbance and a disaster
- discuss the characteristics of a disturbance regime
- discuss some adaptations of organisms to disturbances
- discuss why disturbances are natural parts of many ecosystems
- discuss the intermediate disturbance hypothesis

Invasive Species

Invasive species are an important threat to biodiversity and can be very costly to humans.

Further Reading

1) Invasive Species- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Invasive_species

2) Marine Invasive species - http://www.eoearth.org/article/Marine_invasive_species

3) Aquatic Invasive Species- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Aquatic_invasive_species

4) Invasion Fact Sheet- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Invasion_fact_sheet

5) Invasive Species Slideshow- http://www.slideshare.net/secret/bL1TCLiLtoH5Np


Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- discuss threats caused by invasive species
- discuss strategies to exclude or eliminate invasive species
- discuss some invasive species in Texas
- discuss factors that allow species to invade new communities

Schedule to Meet With Me About Papers

As I mentioned in class, I would like us all to meet so that we can discuss your paper on climate change. Remember that you are all going to give a presentation on a topic of your choice, so this might be a good time to start a discussion about your topic.

Here is my finalized meeting schedule. Let me know if we need to make any changes.

Wednesday Feb 10

5:30 - Rami
6:00 - Megan

Thursday Feb 11

9:00 - Geoff
9:30 - Elizabeth
10:00 - Devin
10:30 - Kristi

4:oo - Obed
4:30 - Shauna
5:00- Brittany

Friday Feb 12

4:00 Brad
4:30 Rebecca
5:00 Emily

Monday Feb 15

1:00 Steven
1:30 Christine

3:30 Laura
4:00 Coleen
4:30 Rebecca

Tuesday Feb 16

9:30 Kyle

Thursday's Class Discussion

I enjoyed "circling the wagons" today and having a discussion about science, climate change, how to effectively communicate with your audience, etc. After the seeming lack of enthusiasm in our discussions about discussions, I was pleased that everyone contributed and I hope that you got as much out of the discussion as I did.

I think that you identified two critically important issues today. First, how do we deal with the portion of the public that is suspicious of science for religious or political reasons? Second, how do we defuse the tendency for people to think of issues in a "partisan" way? For example, is recycling a Republican/conservative, Democratic/liberal, or a "people" issue?

Ecosystem Ecology

Ecosystem ecologists focus on the flow of enery and the cycling of nutrients through the ecosystem.

Further Readings

Ecosystems- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecosystem

Ecological energetics- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecological_energetics

Nitrogen cycle- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Nitrogen_cycle

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- diagram and discuss the flow of energy through an ecosystem

- diagram, discuss the causes of, and discuss some of the implications of the enegy pyramid

- diagram nitrogen cycle within an ecosystem

- discuss the factors that influence the rate of flow from dead bodies to the soil and discuss the implications of differences in this rate

Ecosystem Services

On Thursday I would like us all to be prepared to discuss the value of the ecosystem services provided by the environment. I know that you have all been bottling up your desire to discuss in class this semester so Thursday will offer you the opportunity to let loose.

Readings

Classic Paper

The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital by Costanza et al.
NATURE |VOL 387 | 15 MAY 1997

http://www.uvm.edu/giee/publications/Nature_Paper.pdf

Value of the world’s ecosystem services: the influence of a single paper
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Value_of_the_world%C3%83%C2%A2%C3%82%C2%80%C3%82%C2%99s_ecosystem_services%3A_the_influence_of_a_single_paper

Other Readings

Biodiversity and ecosystem services- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biodiversity_and_ecosystem_services

Marine ecosystem services- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Marine_ecosystem_services

Ecosystem services and human well-being synthesis: summary for decision-makers.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecosystems_and_Human_Well-being_Synthesis:_Summary_for_Decision-makers

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define ecosystem services

- discuss the variety of services provided by the environment

- discuss how scientists have attempted to determine the monetary value of ecosystem services