Wednesday April 29: The final exam goes through Chapter 12. All PP materials, including those from Dr. Cathy Langtimm's visit and the make-up class are posted. Note that I have increased the value of the final slightly to make up for some of the missed points to 200 (from 180). The exam will be about 110 points of material since exam #3 and the remainder will be comprehensive.
Remeber that there will be a review session on Friday at 11AM in the classroom.

Jan. 14 (W)
Cl #1

Introduction to the Course.
What is conservation biology?

Jan. 16 (F)
Cl #2

Introduction continued.
Begin conservation values and ethics.

Jan. 21 (W)
Cl #3

Conservation values and ethics.

Jan. 23 (F)
Cl #4

Bio- end eco-centrism.
Student-led discussion of Sand County Almanac readings -- 35minutes. Study guide is above
Introduction to biodiversity. Limited PP is included with next class.

Jan. 26 (M)
Cl #5

Global Biodiversity - Patterns and Processes over spatial and temporal distance.
The concept of species richness.
α, β, and γ diversity.

Jan. 28 (W)
Cl #6

An introduction to biodiversity, continued.
Species richness patterns in space and time .

Jan. 30 (F)
Cl #7

ESSAY #1 DUE AT START OF CLASS

Basic island biogeographical theory.
Disturbance and its effects on richness.

Feb. 2 (M)
Cl #8

Threats to Biodiversity.
Extinction and anthropogenic causes of extinctions.
Threats and "biological phenomena: monarch migration case.

Feb. 4 (W)
Cl #9

The IUCN red list.
Present threat patterns. Have we started a sixth mass extinction?
Key US laws to protect biodiversity.

Feb. 6 (F)
Cl #10

Class discussion of case studies -- mystery amphibian extinctions and Madagascar.

Feb. 9 (M)
Cl #11

Finish discussion.
Conservation laws and international conventions.

Feb. 11 (W)
Cl #12

Habitat degradation and loss. What is degradation and what processes affect it?

Case studies from textbook. END MATERIAL EXAM #

Feb. 18 (W)
Cl #15

Feb. 20 (F)
Cl #16

Final habitat loss/degradation case study -- soil loss and the Mississippi drainage (see study questions emailed last weekend).

Begin Habitat Fragmentation (text up through page 222 but do not read Box 7.1

Begin Habitat Fragmentation (text up through page 222 but do not read Box 7.1

Feb. 25 (W)
Cl #18

Tools to estimate fragmentation quantitatively
Shannon-Weiner diversity index

Proximity index
Use of fractal dimensions and geostatistics.
Use of GIS. Discussion of problems.
Biological effects of fragmentation.

Feb. 27 (F)
Cl #19

Case studies-- subdividing an area, fragmenting aquatic systems, and the effects of land bridges on natural island systems.

Case studies, continued. -- subdividing an area, fragmenting aquatic systems, and the effects of land bridges on natural island systems.

Class canceled due to instructor illness -- to be made-up after exam #2

Finish discussion on fragmentation articles

Overview of the importance of economics in conservation.
Cost-benefit analyses.

Cost-benefit analyses, continued.
Methods of monetizing biodiversity.

Discounting and its effects on CBAs

Finish economics of conservation -- alternatives to CBAs.

Begin overexploitation of biological resources.
Impacts on target and non-target species.
The mathematical theory of renewable resource exploitation (the main part of class).

Finish models of sustainable exploitation.
Case studies -- TBA END MATERIAL FOR EXAM #2

Finish over-exploitation.
Species Invasions. TERM PAPER TOPICS DUE
How are species introduced and how do we manage introductions?
Impacts of invasions.

Measuring the effects of invasions.
Factors that determine if a non-native will become an invasive.

The mathematics of species invasions.

Impact of climate change. Predicted impacts of climate change

Biological impacts and climatic change & conservation implications.

Discussion about climate change.

Begin conservation genetics.
Measures of genetic variation -- polymorphism and heterozygosity. .

Fixation statistics and their calculation.
Effective population size and genetic drift.

Population size and inbreeding.
Inbreeding and outbreeding depression.

EARTH DAY!

April 22 (W)
Cl #37

EARTH DAY!

EARTH DAY Metapopulations and extinction thresholds.

Species and landscape approaches to conservation.
Source -sink concept.
Introduction to population viability analysis (PVA) and stochastic models.

finish discussion of PVA

Dr. Catherine Langtimm, USGS visits the class for ~20 minutes.

Extinction threshold, delayed extinction effects, and ecologically funcitonal populations and "strong interactor" species.
No problems from this, but you should understand the concepts and especially the Levins model and changes (and their rationales) for the spatial model derived from Levins.

Study Period Begins

College of the Holy Cross

The Biology Department

Ken Prestwich's Homepage

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