COURSE SYLLABUS

FOREST ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY (FRS 5223)

FALL 2009

Instructor:                  Dr. Hal O. Liechty

Office:                        128 H.H. Chamberlin Complex

Office Hours:             M-W 11:00-12:00, T 1:00-4:00

Phone:                         460-1452         Email: Liechty@uamont.edu

Course Description:   Advance study into the structure and function of forest ecosystems including current and founding theories on energy flow, nutrient cycling, temporal change in and disturbance of ecosystems, landscape and spatial relationships, biodiversity, and anthropogenic alteration of ecosystems.

Course Objectives:    This course is designed to: 1) give students an advanced understanding of the principles and process which determine how forest ecosystems function 2) introduce new theories concerning spatial and temporal variation of ecosystems 3) discuss how application of this knowledge can be related to current problems and issues related to management of forest ecosystems such as introduction of exotic species, intensive management of monocultures, spatial and temporal patterns of forest management operations etc.  

Required Text:           Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology.  2002.  F. Stuart Chapin II, P.A. Matson, H. A. Mooney.

Texts on Reserve:     Terrestrial Ecosystems. 2001 J.D. Aber and J.M. Mellio. Academic Press 2^nd edition

Forest Ecology: A foundation for sustainable management. 1997. J.P. Kimmins  John Wiley & Sons Co. 2^nd Ed.

Forest Ecology 1998. B.V. Barnes, D.R. Zak, S.R. Denton, and S.H Spurr. John Wiley & Sons.

Forest Ecosystems. 1994. D.A. Perry.  John Hopkins University Press. 

Prerequisites:             Graduate status and one course in ecology or permission of instructor

Attendance and

Assignment Policy:    Attendance in lecture and on field trips is strictly optional.  Note:  Students will be held responsible for all material, handouts, or assignments presented in lecture and on field trips.  Summaries and assignments handed in late are accessed a 20% deduction/day penalty.

Grading Policy:          Grades will be based on the content of material presented to the instructor, subject to the following:

1. Exam & Final                                   45%

2. Summaries                                        15%

3. Other Assignments                            40%

Final letter grades will be calculated using the 90-80-70-60 and below percentiles (A-B-C-D- and F, respectively).  The instructor reserves the right (but does not promise) to alter this scale if a consideration of the final numerical grade distribution so indicates.

UAM will no longer mail grade reports to all students.  You may access your grades through Campus Connect on the UAM homepage, http://www.uamont.edu/.  To have your grades mailed to you, complete the grade request form available in the Registrar’s Office in Monticello or the Student Services offices in Crossett and McGehee.

CHEATING:  All work you turn in is to be your own.  Cheating or sharing answers on exams or plagiarizing on papers is highly unprofessional and unethical.  A first offense will result in a 0 grade for the exam or critique.  A second offense will result in automatic failure of the course and a note to your permanent record.  There is no appeal of these penalties, but my decisions can be appealed, in order, to the School Dean, the Curriculum Committee, and the campus Student Equity and Grievance Committee.

Design:                       The majority of the classes will consist of an overall introduction to selected subject matter by the instructor followed by student/instructor discussions of relevant literature.  However field and laboratory exercises will be incorporated into classes as well.  Students will be assigned reading (manuscripts, journal articles, etc.) materials periodically (potentially on a weekly or biweekly basis).  Students will be required to write a summary of each of two articles for each discussion period.  Laboratory exercises; reports on pertinent information, etc will be assigned to illustrate class subject matter.  Grades will be based on 1) written summaries (15%); 2) exams consisting of short and long essay questions related to readings, lectures, and other assignments, or other materials (45%); and 3) laboratory or other assignments (40%).  Essay questions derived from the readings, discussions, and lectures may be assigned as a take home portion of the exam.  Students will generally be allowed to use articles and summaries provided in class for a portion of the exams.  The 90-80-70-60 (A-F) grading scale will be used for a final grade. 

Summaries:                Summaries should consist of 1-2 printed pages that summarize the article.  It should include the type of study, results, and conclusions.  The most important portion of the summary is “What is the take home message”.  The purpose of the summary will be to help prepare you to discuss the article in class.  I would like you to state this information in your own words rather than repeating what the authors say verbatim.  The grading system for the summaries is Excellent=5, Adequate=3, Poor=1, Not Acceptable=0.  Grading will be based on writing quality, how well information is communicated, coherence of summary etc.

Forest Ecosystem Learning Objectives

Ecology and Biology

Learning Objective 1.  The student will obtain advanced knowledge related to forest ecosystem function, development, and characteristics including nutrient cycling, succession, energy capture/flows, and carbon sequestration in forests.

Learning Objective 2.  The student will be introduced to common methods for studying forest ecosystems and measuring ecosystem attributes such as net productivity.

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