ESRM 350: Wildlife Biology and
Conservation
This
course is sponsored by the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
(SEFS) and the College of the Environment.
Quarter: Autumn 2016
Times: MWF 11:30-12:20 (lecture), M 12:30-2:20
(discussion section AA), T 1:30-3:20 (discussion section AB)
Locations: Winkenwerder (WFS) 201 (lecture);
Winkenwerder 107 (discussion sections)
Course website:
http://faculty.washington.edu/wirsinga/ESRM350.htm
Course listserve: esrm350_au16@uw.edu
Instructor
Aaron Wirsing (AW), School of Environmental and Forest
Sciences (http://www.sefs.washington.edu), Winkenwerder 101, (206) 543-1585, wirsinga@uw.edu
Office
hours: Wednesday 1:30-3:30 or by appointment
Teaching Assistant
Laurel Peelle, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences,
Winkenwerder 110a, laurelp@uw.edu
Office
hours: by appointment only
Course goal
This course is designed to provide a foundation of understanding
in wildlife science for undergraduates in natural science disciplines
(including Environmental and Forest Sciences, Biology, and Environmental
Studies). I assume that you have a solid background in basic biology and at
least some exposure to ecology and analytical methods.
Course objectives
My specific objectives for this course are to 1) introduce you to
the science of wildlife biology; 2) increase your understanding of local,
regional, and global wildlife conservation issues; 3) expose you to the primary
wildlife biology and conservation literature; 4) improve your research and
public speaking skills; and 5) prepare you for upper division wildlife science
courses (e.g., ESRM 450, 458).
Teaching approach
The course will be lecture based, but will also include in-class
discussions and exercises to promote learning via interaction between students
and instructors.
Readings
There
is no required text for this course.
Notes for each lecture are available for download on the course website (see
above). I encourage you to download
the notes before class and then embellish them during lecture.
ÒFive-minuteÓ papers
Near
the end of one randomly selected lecture per week, I will ask you to take a few
minutes to reflect on the weekÕs topics and jot down an observation or
follow-up question. These mini-papers will not be graded, but I will expect
them to be thoughtful and will use them as the basis for your course
participation grade.
Exams
There
will be three in-class exams, each covering one-third of the course material (i.e.,
exams will be non-cumulative). All
in-class exams will feature a short answer format and ask you to synthesize and
critically evaluate course concepts. There will be no cumulative final exam.
Discussion sections
Students in each discussion section will be placed into groups,
each of which will research and present a wildlife
conservation story. The first discussion
meetings (Oct 3 and 4) will detail the assignment, and I will also present an
example conservation story. Subsequent meetings will be devoted to group
formation and topic selection (Oct 10 and 11), research and preparation, a
review of draft presentations (Oct 31 and Nov 1), and finally the talks
themselves. Each group will be expected to give a 30-min PowerPoint
presentation to the rest of the section with the following components: 1)
introduction of the speakers; 2) introduction of the animal (natural history);
3) explanation of the conservation issue (what is the conservation problem/threat,
and what parties are involved?); 4) synthesis of pertinent research on the
issue (i.e., what does existing science have to say about the severity of the
threat/problem, likely outcomes if the issue is left alone, possible solutions,
and future research needs); 5) recommendation (what should be done next?). The
presentations will be worth 100 points, and students will receive up to an
additional 50 points for participation based on peer evaluation. Note, the TA
(LP) and I will be available to assist with these conservation stories only during the discussion section
meetings. Thus, though work on the stories outside of the discussion meetings
is also encouraged, all students will be expected to be present for the full duration of all discussion meetings
to work with their groups on the stories. Accordingly, all students will be
expected to bring laptops to each discussion meeting; laptop rentals are
available through the Odegaard Undergraduate Library (http://www.lib.washington.edu/ougl/learning-spaces/macbook).
Grading
Your final grade will be determined by the quality of your course
participation (i.e., submission of insights/questions at end of each lecture
and contribution to lab discussion), the three exams, and the group
presentation. Excused absences and
prior notification are required to receive make-up exams. It is your
responsibility to let me know that you will be unable to take an exam. If you
fail to do so, you will not receive credit for the missed test. Points will be assigned as follows:
Course participation: 100 points (50 for five-minute papers, 50
for group participation in discussion sections)
Exams: 100 points each (300 points total)
Group presentation: 100 points
Total: 500 points
Final
grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
A
= 3.5-4.0, 90-95+%, 450-475+ points
B
= 2.5-3.4, 80-89%, 400-449 points
C
= 1.5-2.4, 70-79%, 350-399 points
D
= 0.7-1.4, 60-69%, 310-349 points
F
< 0.7, < 60%, 0-309 points
Academic integrity
Plagiarism,
cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a
student. We expect that you will know and follow the University's policies on
cheating and plagiarism. Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be
handled according to University regulations. More information, including
definitions and examples, can be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm
<http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm>
Disability accommodations
To
request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled
Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter
from Disabled Student Services indicating that you have a disability that
requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to the instructor
so we can discuss the accommodations needed for this class.
This course is offered in accordance with
UW College of the Environment (http://www.coenv.washington.edu) privacy
(http://www.washington.edu/online/privacy) and terms
(http://www.washington.edu/online/terms) policies.
Lecture schedule
Date |
Lecture |
|
9/28 |
|
|
9/30 |
Evolution: a brief review (LP) |
|
10/3 |
Temperature regulation (LP) |
|
10/5 |
Food and feeding
(AW) |
|
10/7 |
Habitat use (AW) |
|
10/10 |
Habitat use (AW) |
|
10/12 |
Animal movement
(AW) |
|
10/14 |
Exam 1 review (AW, LP) |
|
10/17 |
EXAM
1 |
|
10/19 |
|
|
10/21 |
|
|
10/24 |
Demography and population growth (AW) |
|
10/26 |
|
|
10/28 |
Competition (AW) |
|
10/31 |
Predation (AW) |
|
11/2 |
|
|
11/4 |
Wildlife communities
(AW) |
|
11/7 |
Exam 2 review
(AW, LP) |
|
11/9 |
EXAM 2 |
|
11/11 |
NO CLASS - HOLIDAY |
|
11/14 |
|
|
11/16 |
|
|
11/18 |
Urbanization
(AW) |
|
11/21 |
Consumptive and
non-consumptive exploitation of wildlife (AW) |
|
11/23 |
Invasive species
(AW) |
|
11/25 |
NO CLASS - HOLIDAY |
|
11/28 |
Insularity (AW) |
|
11/30 |
|
|
12/2 |
Exam 3 review
(AW, LP) |
|
12/5 |
EXAM 3 |
Discussion schedule
Date |
Discussion Activity |
|
10/3 (AA) 10/4 (AB) |
Introduction;
Formation of groups (WA species of
concern lists); selection of case studies (LP) |
|
10/10 (AA) 10/11 (AB) |
Example conservation story, ÒThe dingo: baby
stealing pest or keystone species?Ó (AW) |
|
10/17 (AA) 10/18 (AB) |
Preparation for presentations |
|
10/24 (AA) 10/25 (AB) |
Preparation for presentations |
|
10/31 (AA) 11/1 (AB) |
Preparation for presentations;
Presentation outlines ready for review by AW and LP |
|
11/7 (AA) 11/8 (AB) |
Preparation
for presentations |
|
11/14 (AA) 11/15 (AB) |
Presentations (2) Section AA: Gray Wolf; Fisher Section AB: Western
Pond Turtle; Grizzly Bear |
|
11/21 (AA) 11/22 (AB) |
Presentations
(2) Section AA: Sage Grouse; Marbled
Murrelet Section AB: Tufted Puffin;
Burrowing Owl |
|
11/28 (AA) 11/29 (AB) |
Presentations
(2) Section AA: Cascades frog;
Leatherback sea turtle Section AB: Larch
Mountain Salamander; KeenÕs Myotis |