VEGETATION ECOLOGY (Botany
4700/5700) 2007 SYLLABUS
Dr. Elise Pendall
E-mail: pendall@uwyo.edu Phone:766-6293
Office hours: 9:30-10:30 AM, MWF, and by appointment
Office location: 110A Aven Nelson
Teaching Assistant:
E-mail:
Office
location:
Office Hours: Weds 9-11 AND by
appointment
Botany 4700/5700 is a
4-creditcourse on the ecology of vegetation, with emphasis on
vegetation-environment relationships, plant adaptations, succession, spatial
patterns in the landscape, the effects of management decisions, and methods of
vegetation analysis.
In discussing the ecology of
various vegetation types, we will consider the following topics: vegetation
characteristics, past and present distribution of different vegetation types on
the earth and in North America, environmental factors affecting current
distribution, special plant adaptations, plant demographic features of special
interest, unique plant-animal interactions (domestic livestock as well as
wildlife), land management issues, and the effects of periodic events such as
drought, pest outbreaks, and fire.
The laboratory will consist of
field trips during the first half of the course and lab exercises after that.
The purpose of the field trips is to provide students with opportunities to 1)
become more familiar with the flora and vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and
western Great Plains, 2) learn more about the methods commonly used for
studying the ecology of plants and the ecosystems in which they occur, and
3)better understand topics discussed in the reading assignments and lectures.
After the field trips are completed, indoor laboratory exercises focus on
methods of data analysis and interpretation.
Course web site: http://www.uwyo.edu/vegecology/
You will not find the lecture notes online until a day or two prior to each lecture.
This syllabus is subject to revision.
|
Date |
LECTURE or LAB TOPIC |
|
M Aug 27 |
Course organization and requirements; the science of ecology. Reading assignment: Chapter 1 in The Ecology of Plants by Gurevitch, Scheiner and Fox. |
|
|
|
|
T Aug 28 |
First
LAB meets in AV 316 at 12:30pm: Common plants in the |
|
|
|
|
W Aug 29 |
History and trends in plant ecology. Reading assignment: Odum, 1992, Great ideas in ecology. (E-reserves) |
|
|
|
|
F Aug 31 |
Setting the stage: environmental factors controlling plant distributions. Reading assignment: Pages 3-39 in Mountains and Plains by Knight. |
| T Sep 4 |
No Field Trip Today (review plant ID on your own) |
|
|
|
| W Sep 5 |
Population Dynamics: Plants vs. animals Reading assignment: Ch. 5, p. 101-109, GSF Also see Vieira PNAS article |
|
|
|
|
F Sep 7 |
Reading assignment: Chapter 6 in GSF. |
|
|
|
|
M Sep 10 |
Plant adaptations Part 1: Morphology and Life history strategies Reading assignment: Chapter 8 in GSF. |
|
|
|
|
T Sep 11 |
Afternoon Field Trip: Reading assignment: Billings, Vegetational pattern near alpine timberline (E-reserves) AND Ch. 13 in Knight. WRITE-UP DUE FRIDAY 9/14. (10 pts.) |
|
|
|
|
W Sep 12 |
Plant
adaptations Part 2: Physiological and symbiotic relationships |
|
|
|
|
F Sep 14 |
Plant adaptations Part 2 (con't) |
|
|
|
| M Sep 17 |
Reading assignment: Ch. 9 in GSF Optional readings: Clements: Plant Succession; Gleason: Individualistic Concept (E-reserves) |
|
|
|
|
T Sep 18 |
Afternoon Field Trip: Reading assignment: "Implications of Modern Successional Theory..." by Cook (E-reserves) AND Ch. 12 in Knight. WRITE-UP DUE FRIDAY 9/21. (10 pts.) |
|
|
|
| W Sep 19 |
Succession: current thinking about an old concept. Reading assignment: Chapter 12 in GSF |
|
|
|
| F Sep 21 |
Succession and disturbance, cont. |
|
|
|
|
M Sep 24 |
Competition: The Niche vs the Neutral Theory Reading assignment: Chapter 10 (p. 237-249) in GSF |
|
|
|
|
T Sep 25 |
Afternoon
Field Trip: DATA SHEETS DUE FRIDAY 9/28. WRITE UP DUE MON 10/8. (40 pts.) Reading assignment: Chapter 9 in GSF |
|
|
|
|
W Sep 26 |
Reading assignment: "Causes and Ecosystem Consequences..." by Fastie (E-reserves). |
|
|
|
|
F Sep 28 |
Class Discussion (Con't) |
|
|
|
|
M Oct 1 |
Ecosystem development over succession Optional reading: Ch. 14 in GSF. |
| T Oct 2 |
Afternoon Field Trip: Laramie Basin. Sampling Mixed-grass Prairie. (Leave at 12:30pm; return by 5:30 PM). DATA SHEETS DUE WEDS 10/10. WRITE-UP DUE FRI 11/16. (100 pts) Reading assignment: Chapter 9 in GSF |
|
|
|
|
W Oct 3 |
FIRST EXAM during class. |
|
|
|
|
F Oct 5 |
Reading Assignment: Chapter 17 in GSF. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Oct 8 |
Reading assignment: Chapter 18 in GSF. |
|
|
T Oct 9 |
Afternoon field trip: Sagebrush/cheatgrass fire effects. Sybille Canyon. (Leave at 12:30 PM; return at about 5 PM). DATA SHEETS DUE Weds 10/17. WRITE-UP DUE 10/26. (40 pts) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
W Oct 10 |
Reading assignment: Chapter 6 and p. 133-140 in Knight |
|
|
|
|
|
|
F Oct 12 |
Suggested Reading: Westoby et al., Opportunistic management... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Oct 15 |
Communities in Landscapes: Classification Reading assignment: Chapter 15 in GSF Also see Ecological Classification on Veg Ecology home page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
T Oct 16 |
LAB (AG 229 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm): Introduction to PC-Ord. Classifying Communities, Species-area curve. See separate instructions. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
W Oct 17 |
Communities in Landscapes: Ordination Reading assignment: Chapter 15 in GSF |
|
|
|
|
|
|
F Oct 19 |
Biodiversity at local scales. Reading assignment: Ch. 13 in GSF. Also see "Biotic Invasions..." by Mack et al. (E-reserves) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Oct 22 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T Oct 23 |
LAB (AG 229 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm): Gradient analysis using PC-Ord; see separate instructions. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
W Oct 24 |
Desert plant adaptations and ecology |
|
|
|
|
|
|
F Oct 26 |
Deserts (con't) Sagebrush write-ups due. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Oct 29 |
Reading assignment: Chapter 5 in Knight |
|
|
|
|
|
| T Oct 30 |
LAB (AG 229 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm): Gradient analysis using PC-Ord. Continue data analysis for FINAL REPORT 2:30-4 pm: GRAD STUDENT DISCUSSION GROUP |
|
|
|
|
|
|
W Oct 31 |
Grassland vegetation dynamics: Woody encroachment and global change |
|
|
|
|
|
|
F Nov 2 |
Grassland vegetation dynamics (con't) |
|
|
|
|
|
| M Nov 5 |
Grassland vegetation dynamics:The role of grazers CLASS DISCUSSION Reading assignment: Knapp et al., Bison as keystone species (pdf download here!) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
T Nov 6 |
LAB
(AG 229 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm): Continue with ordination/classification
analysis for FINAL REPORT. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
W Nov 7 |
SECOND EXAM. BRING A CALCULATOR. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
F Nov 9 |
Reading assignment: Chapter 4 in Knight |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Nov 12 |
Wetland ecology (con't) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
T Nov 13 |
LAB: Work on final report. 2:30-4 pm: GRAD STUDENT DISCUSSION GROUP |
|
|
|
|
|
|
W Nov 14 |
Riparian systems and invasion |
|
|
F Nov 16 |
Forest ecology; coniferous forests Reading assignment: Chapter 10 and 11 in Knight
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Nov 19 |
Visit BioImages to see more forests as classified in North American Ecoregions HAND IN FINAL REPORTS by 5PM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
T Nov 20 |
No Lab this week |
|
|
|
|
|
|
WF Nov 21-23 |
Thanksgiving holiday |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Nov 26 |
Reading assignment: Hessl BioScience 2002 Web assignment: Visit the Climate-Vegetation Atlas to see your favorite tree |
|
|
LAB in AV 223 1-2 PM: Dendrochronology
|
||
|
Reading assignment: Chapter 13 in Knight |
||
|
LAB in Williams Conservatory 10AM to 4PM (anytime): Tropical vegetation.
4-5 pm: GRAD STUDENT DISCUSSION GROUP AV 223 |
||
|
Review
for exam |
||
|
FINAL EXAM IN CLASS The final exam covers all material since the last exam, plus general
concepts discussed during the semester, including labs and field trips. |
||