ENVS 220 – Topics in
Conservation Biology:
Winter 2010
Instructor – Chris Wilmers, Office hours Thursday
2-4 in ISB 445.
Meets: 12:00-1:45 T,Th in Room
455 Interdisciplinary
Course overview/expectations
This
course is intended as a graduate discussion class covering topics in
conservation biology. Success of the
discussions requires participation from all class members. As such, I anticipate that students
will attend all classes, but students may miss one class with no additional assignment. If a student anticipates missing more than three class sessions
they should not take the class.
Please
do all readings before coming to class.
Term paper and presentation
Each student
will be asked to write a review paper discussing the literature on a topic in
conservation biology as applied to their doctoral research or senior exit
requirement. The format should follow
that for submission of a review article for the journal Conservation Biology or any comparable journal. Papers should be 10-15 double spaced
pages. Instructions to Authors for cons
bio are available at http://conbio.net/SCB/Publications/ConsBio/Instructions. Students will make a brief oral presentation
to the group to introduce the paper and set the tone for the discussion. I
encourage you to consider the possibility of trying to publish your review.
Criteria and timetable for term paper
14 January proposal:
Students will hand in a 1-2 paragraph proposal for the topic, scope, and
approach for the paper, including the full citations for at least 3 relevant
papers from the literature. I will
review the proposals, offer suggestions, and approve your topics.
3 days before presentation: Distribute
(via email) your best effort draft (one you would feel comfortable submitting
to a journal for publication) to everyone in the class.
Presentation: Make
a 5-30 minute, clear and organized presentation to the class that helps
establish the framework for the discussion.
Present your findings, set the tone for the discussion, indicate
possible directions for discussion, and highlight areas in which you would
particularly like feedback.
Feedback: At
the presentation, all course members will participate in discussion of the
paper, and provide oral feedback. In
addition, for each of the three presentation days, each course members will
provide detailed, thoughtful comments on one of the manuscripts (to be
assigned). Written comments should be provided to the authors during the
session at which the paper is presented.
Comments should focus primarily on content, structure, logic, clarity,
and completeness, but notes on grammar, spelling, and format are also
helpful. The job of the reviewer is not
to do copy-editing, but rather to provide feedback helpful to the author in
producing a better paper.
Rewrite due 7 days after presentation:
By one week from the
presentation, a revised manuscript should be turned in. Include a brief cover letter explaining how
suggested changes from the reviewers were handled. Turn in a paper copy, the cover letter, the
revised manuscript, and the original comments / draft manuscript.
ENVS 220 – Topics in Conservation
Biology:
Fall 2007
Draft syllabus
Day Date Theme
T 05 Jan Organizational meeting
Th 07
Jan Biodiversity patterns
and loss
T 12
Jan Niche vs. Neutral
based theories of biodiversity
Th 14
Jan Hot spots and latent
risk
T 19
Jan Climate change trends
and patterns
Th 21
Jan Climate envelopes and
species interactions
T 26
Jan
Population
viability analysis
Th 28
Jan Metapopulation and
source sink dynamics
T 02
Feb Fragments and
corridors
Th 04
Feb Predator
impacts on ecosystem function and diversity
T 09
Feb
Th 11
Feb Biological
invasions
T 16
Feb Restoration
ecology
Th 18
Feb
T 23
Feb Bat conservation
Th 25 Feb Marine conservation
T 02
Mar Student presentations
Th 04 Mar Class canceled
T 09
Mar Student
presentations
Th 11
Mar Student
presentations
Topic: Organizational meeting
Topic: Biodiversity patterns and loss
Review
of Environmental Resources 28:1-31.
Rosenzweig, M. L. 1992. Species diversity gradients: we know more and less than
we thought.
Topic:
Niche vs. Neutral based theories of biodiversity
Leibold, M. A. and McPeek, M. A. 2006. Coexistance of the niche and neutral perspectives in community ecology. Ecology 87:1399-1410
Topic: Hot spots and latent risk
Readings: Myers, N. et
al. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation
priorities. Nature.
403:
853-858.
Cardillo, M. et al. 2006.
Latent extinction risk and the future battlegrounds of
mammal conservation. PNAS. 103: 4157-4161.
Brooks, T.M. et al. 2006. Global biodiversity conservation
priorities. Science. 313:
58-61.
Topic: Climate change trends and patterns
Topic: Climate envelopes and species
interactions
Readings: Kueppers,
L. M. et al. 2005. Modeled regional climate change and
endemic oak ranges. PNAS. 102:16281-16286.
Suttle, K. B. et al. 2007. Species interactions reverse grassland responses to changing
climate. Science: 640-642.
Wilmers, C. C. et al. 2006. Predator disease out-break modulates top-down, bottom-
up and climatic effects on herbivore population dynamics. Ecology letters. 9:
383-389.
Schmitz, O. J. Ecosystem responses to global climate change: Moving beyond color
mapping. Bioscience. 53:1199-1205.
Topic: Population viability analysis
Crouse et al. A stage-based population model for loggerhead
sea turtles and
implications for
conservation. Ecology. 68: 1412-1423.
Topic: Metapopulation and source sink dynamics
checkerspot
butterflies. Conservation Biology 1:122-131.
of
greater gliders into reserve design in disturbed landscapes. Ecology 80: 651-
667.
Doak
DF. 1995. Source-sink models and the problem of habitat degradation: general
models
and applications to the
9:1370-1379.
Topic: Fragments and corridors
Laurance, WF TE Lovejoy, HL Vasconcelos,
EM Bruna, RK Didham, PC Stouffer, C Gascon, RO Bierregaard, SG Laurance, and E
Sampaio. 2002. Ecosystem decay of Amazonian forest fragments: A 22-year
investigation. Conservation Biology 16:605-618.
McRae et al. 2008. Using circuit theory to model connectivity in ecology, evolution and conservation. Ecology: 89: 2712-2724.
Tewksbury et al. 2002. Corridors affect plants, animals, and their
interactions in fragmented landscapes. PNAS 99:12923-12926.
Topic: Predator impacts on ecosystem
function and diversity
Readings: Springer, A. M. et al. 2003. Sequential megafaunal collapse in the North
Pacific
Ocean:
an ongoing legacy of industrial whaling?
PNAS 100: 12223-12228
Soule, M.E. et al. 2003. Ecological Effectiveness: Conservation goals for interactive
species. 17:
1238-1250.
Croll, D. A. et al. 2005. Introduced predators transform subarctic
islands from
grassland
to tundra. Science. 307:1959-1961.
Estes et al 2009. Using ecological function to develop recovery cirteria for depleted species: sea otters and kelp forests in the aleutian archipelago.
Topic: People in parks; Making Parks Work
revisited
Readings: Bruner, A.G. et al. 2001. Effectiveness of parks in protecting
tropical biodiversity.
Science
291: 125-128.
Schmidt-Soltau, K. 2003.
Conservation-related resettlement in
Development and Change
34:525-551.
comparative perspectives
from
Management 30:748-763.
Wittemyer et al 2008. Accelerated Human Population Growth at Protected Area Edges. Science
Topic: Biological invasions
Parker, IM et al. 1999. Impact: toward a framework for understanding the
ecological effects of invaders. Biological Invasions 1: 3-19.
Hierro, JL, Maron, JL, and RM Callaway. 2005. A biogeographical approach to plant invasions: the importance of studying exotics in their introduced and native range. Journal of Ecology. 93: 5-15
Topic: Restoration ecology
Matthews, JW; Peralta, AL; Flanagan, DN; et al. 2009 Relative influence of landscape vs. local factors on plant community assembly in restored wetlands. Ecological Applications, 19 (8): 2108-2123
Jackson, ST; Hobbs, RJ. 2009. Ecological Restoration in the Light of Ecological History
SCIENCE, 325 (5940): 567-569
(OPTIONAL) Holl, KD; Crone, EE; Schultz, CB. 2003. Landscape restoration: Moving from generalities to methodologies BIOSCIENCE, 53 (5): 491-502
Topic: Emerging infectious disease
infectious diseases of
wildlife - Threats to biodiversity and human health. Science
287:443-449.
Harvell, C. D., C.
E. Mitchell, J. R. Ward, S. Altizer, A. P. Dobson, R. S. Ostfeld, and M. D.
Samuel. 2002. Ecology - Climate warming and disease risks for terrestrial and
marine biota. Science 296:2158-2162.
Skerratt et al 2007. EcoHealth
Norris 2006. Conservation In Practice
Topic: Bat Conservation.
Topic: Disease and sea otters in coastal conservation