Columbia College

Natural History and Ecology (NATRE 50)

Instructor: Dr. Tom Hofstra

Spring 2008

Meeting/Credit Information

Lecture: Tuesday 2:50-4:45 PM (Toyon 2 and field locations)

Field trips as announced

2 units

Office hours (Toyon 4): I welcome and encourage students to discuss course-related issues with me outside of lecture and lab time. Please make an appointment with me in a timely manner, either in person or by email.

Phone: 588-5155

E-mail: hofstrat@yosemite.cc.ca.us

Web Page: http://columbia.yosemite.cc.ca.us/hofstrat/Default.htm

Textbooks (recommended)

Natural History of California – Schoenherr – ISBN# 978-0-520-06922-0

Sierra Nevada Natural History – Storer – ISBN# 978-0-520-24096-4

The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada – Laws – ISBN# 978-1-597-14052-2

Course Description: Natural history and ecology with emphasis on the interrelationships among plants, animals, soils, geology and climate of California. Selected topics on plant succession, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, organism adaptation and diversity, evolution, California’s physical / biological environment, California biomes, and Sierra Nevada life zones. Field trips may be required.

Course Objectives:

By the conclusion of the course, each student should be able to:

1. Define ecology and relate the ecosystem concept to the interaction of consumers, producers, decomposers, and non-living matter.
2. List the basic characteristics of the science of ecology.
3. Explain the difference between ecology and natural history.
4. Design and explain a flow diagram or pyramid design ecosystem showing essential physical and biological components and interactions.
5. Define and explain the following terms: biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, trophic level, food chain, and food web.
6. Describe the role of Charles Darwin related to the science of ecology.
7. Provide examples of organisms that relate to fundamental observations of Darwinian evolution and ecology.
8. List and discuss major ecological concerns related to the world, nation, state, and county.
9. Define and explain the following as they relate to ecology: atmosphere, geology, hydrologic cycle, solar radiation, soil, climate, photosynthesis, phototropism, geotropism.
10. Define and explain the differences between plant epiphytes, hydrophytes, xeriphytes, saprophytes, and mesophytes.
11. Define and explain the difference between the following community interactions: mutualisms, commensalisms, partial parasitism, and true parasitism, and provide examples using California flora and fauna.
12. Define and explain the difference between the following ecological terms: niche, habitat, ecotone, edge effect, simple ecosystem, and complex ecosystem, and provide examples using California flora and fauna.
13. Define the term community and list the major plant communities of the West Sierra Slope Biotic Zone.
14. List and describe and describe some common plants and animals of various communities of the West Slope Sierra biotic zone.
15. Describe how communities can be arranged vertically and horizontally in the environment, and provide examples using California flora and fauna.
16. Describe the physical and biological aspects of various terrestrial and aquatic communities including the campus lake and West Sierra Slope Biotic Zone.
17. Discuss how community arrangements are influenced by geographic and climatic barriers and give examples.
18. Define succession as it applies to ecology and list the various causes of succession.
19. List the various stages of plant and animal succession from the hydrosere stage to the xerosere stage, and provide examples using flora and fauna from various California terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
20. Define and explain the following terms related to succession, and provide examples using local flora and fauna: climatic climax, subclimax, disclimax, primary succession, secondary succession, edaphic subclimax, and fire subclimax.
21. List the important reasons for understanding succession and its applications as a land management tool to manipulate the environment and allow prediction of the resulting plant and animal communities.
22. List and provide examples of adaptation through such means as color, camoflage, mimicry, size, shape, metabolic features, and behavior.
23. Explain how flora and fauna are distributed throughout North America related to variables of temperature and precipitation, which in turn are controlled by latitude and elevation.
24. List the major Sierra Nevada Life Zones, describe their geographic and elevational ranges, and list various flora and fauna characteristics of each life zone.
25. Describe the various climate, geology, soil, and socio-economic aspects of the major Sierra Nevada Life Zones.
26. List the ten major biomes of California, plot them on a map of California, and list various flora and fauna characteristic to each biome.
27. Describe the various climate, geology, soil, topographic, and socioeconomic aspects of the major biomes of California.

Rules:

1. Show up and pay attention – you get out of it what you put into it.
2. Cheating will not be tolerated and will result in immediate failure (F) for the course.
3. Turn off your cell phone during lecture and lab. No text messaging during lecture and lab. Don't even look at your cell phone during class time.
4. If you come in late (which is frowned upon) be quiet, don't let the door slam, and sit in the closest seat to the door you came in.
5. Wear or bring shoes and clothes that you can walk in the woods in if you have too.

Grading/ Points Breakdown

Source	Date	Points
Midterm Exam	Feb. 18	100
Final Exam	Finals Week	100
Independent or Group project	Week 15	100
General participation/attitude	Always	100
Quizzes (2)	Feb. 11, April 14	50 (2 x 25)
Total		450

90%+ = A, 80-90% = B, 70-80% = C, 60-70% = D, below 60% = F

Participation in lecture and on fieldtrips is mandatory and will be monitored (attendance will be taken on random days when I remember to) and figured into your final grade.

Exams will be in two parts. A take home portion consisting of a choice of questions (you pick 3 of 7) will be distributed the period before the scheduled day of the exam. This portion is worth 45 pts, is open book, and you are encouraged to use a variety of resources, but you must work alone. You may use the take home exam during the in class portion of the exam. The take home portion of the exam will be due the day of the exam before lab starts at 2:40 PM. Late take-home exams are marked down 1pt/minute late. The in class portion of the exam is worth 55 pts, and consists of short answer, multiple choice, and matching questions. Spelling of scientific terms is very important and will be counted when your tests are graded. Tests will cover the material discussed in lecture, activities, field trips, films, labs and corresponding text readings. The exams will not be cumulative.

Projects:

Each student will have the opportunity to complete an individual or group project. This project is worth as much as an exam (100 pts). Projects are intended to give students real-world experience in the field of wildlife biology. Depending on the project (independent or group) students will design their project either independently or as a group. Projects will be due at the end of the semester, with progress checks at regular intervals.

If you have an emergency, contact me prior to an exam. Make-up exams will be given under extenuating circumstances only and will require written documentation validating the reason for missing the exam (e.g. Doctors note).

Field trips:

When we go on field trips you may have to provide your own transportation (carpooling is encouraged). We meet at the site of the field trip. Fieldtrips may occur during lecture times or other times including weekends (scheduling problems will be considered and dealt with if necessary). Longer field trips on the weekends may require not having class some week(s).

Schedule – Very tentative and subject to change (stay tuned for revisions)

Week	Topic	Event
1	Introduction to course
2	Campus natural history
3	Evolution and diversity
4	Parrots ferry mine trail
5	Populations
6	Natural bridges
7	Community interactions
8	Table Mountain	QUIZ: Tuesday Feb. 26
9	California biomes	MIDTERM: Tuesday March 4
10	Red Hills
11	Trophic interactions
12	Westside railroad grade
13	Major Sierra Nevada life zones
14	Italian Bar Road
15	Project Presentations	QUIZ: Tuesday April 15
16	Finals	FINAL EXAM