Community Ecology BDC331 Pt1 Mark J Gibbons, Room 4.102, BCB Department, UWC Tel: 021 959 2475....
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Transcript of Community Ecology BDC331 Pt1 Mark J Gibbons, Room 4.102, BCB Department, UWC Tel: 021 959 2475....
Community Ecology
BDC331 Pt1
Mark J Gibbons, Room 4.102, BCB Department, UWC
Tel: 021 959 2475. Email: [email protected]
Image acknowledgements – http://www.google.com
Course Aims and Structure
Objectives:
•To train students in some of the basic theories of community ecology
•To provide students with the necessary skills to enable them to undertake surveys and identify biological communities
Required Background:
Any course on community ecology requires a certain level of background theory and skills - if it is to be successful. For this course, they include a working knowledge of:
Measures of central tendency and dispersionMSExcel
It is also assumed that students are able to build simple single-species models of population growth and that they have a knowledge of intra-specific competition.
As many of you may have forgotten this background, it will be necessary to spend a short period of time completing this work.
Approach:
The course is a balance between theory, laboratory and
field: any person that goes on to work (e.g.) in nature
conservation needs to know why data on communities need to
be collected, they need to know how to collect the data and then
how to analyse the data. They may also need to make informed
decisions (often of a management nature) based on the data. As
a consequence, any course on community ecology needs to
include elements of theory, fieldwork and laboratory simulation,
and here the theory and laboratory simulation go very much
hand in hand.
NB: It is not possible to cover everything in the theory AND
develop your field, analytical and report-writing skills. As a
consequence, some areas of theory are ignored entirely or are
glossed over very superficially.
ALL LECTURES AND SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL WILL BE PROVIDED ON THE INTERNET AFTER THEY HAVE
BEEN PRESENTED
Defining a community
Summarizing characteristics
Examining links
Introduction: Definitions
Inte
r-sp
ecif
ic In
tera
ctio
ns
I:C
om
pet
itio
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Inte
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ic In
tera
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II:P
red
atio
n
Community changesin space and time:
SuccessionDisturbance
Effect of Competition and Predation in structuring communities
Contents
[Field &] Analytical
Theory & Modeling
Theory, Modelling [and Field]
Timetable
There will be three lectures per week and two practical
classes. ALL classes will take place in the seminar room on
the 5th floor of the Life Sciences Building
IT IS EXPECTED THAT YOU WILL ATTEND ALL CLASSES
ON TIME
Day Week Date Period Official Type Duration Topic Assignment DeadlinesMon 1 02-Feb-15 1 L 1 Introduction, Aims, Definitions ETCTues 1 03-Feb-15 PM P 3 MSExcel & Population Dynamics: Assess. Report dataThurs 1 05-Feb-15 2 L 1 Sampling 1Thurs 1 05-Feb-15 3-4 P 2 Sampling 2
Fri 1 06-Feb-15 1 L 1 Community Properties; Area problemsMon 2 09-Feb-15 1 L 1 Community Properties; diversity indicesTues 2 10-Feb-15 PM P 3 How to ID Communities: Conceptual overviewThurs 2 12-Feb-15 2 L 1 How to ID Communities: similarity matrices by handThurs 2 12-Feb-15 3-4 P 2 How to ID Communities: drawing dendrograms by hand: PRIMER
Fri 2 13-Feb-15 1 L 1 CorrelationsMon 3 16-Feb-15 1 L 1 Competition - Mechanisms; simple 2 spp Models Poster 1 - Communities Tues 3 17-Feb-15 PM P 3 FIELD WORK - CFNRThurs 3 19-Feb-15 2 L 1 FIELD WORK - CFNRThurs 3 19-Feb-15 3-4 P 2 FIELD WORK - CFNR
Fri 3 20-Feb-15 1 L 1 Competition - Simple 2 spp Models: SUMMARYMon 4 23-Feb-15 1 L 1 Competition - Niche width: Searsia PracticalTues 4 24-Feb-15 PM P 3 Competition - Simple 2 spp ModelsThurs 4 26-Feb-15 2 L 1 Competition - Simple 2 spp ModelsThurs 4 26-Feb-15 3-4 P 2 Competition - Simple 2 spp Models: SUMMARY
Fri 4 27-Feb-15 1 L 1 Predation - Types & EffectsMon 5 02-Mar-15 1 L 1Tues 5 03-Mar-15 PM P 3Thurs 5 05-Mar-15 2 L 1Thurs 5 05-Mar-15 3-4 P 2
Fri 5 06-Mar-15 1 L 1Mon 6 09-Mar-15 1 L 1 Predation Models: Simple 2 spp models - exponential Searsia Practical Tues 6 10-Mar-15 PM P 3 Predation Models: Simple 2 spp models - logisticThurs 6 12-Mar-15 2 L 1 Predation Models: Simple 2 spp models - exponential with refugesThurs 6 12-Mar-15 3-4 P 2 Predation Models: Simple 2 spp models - SUMMARY
Fri 6 13-Mar-15 1 L 1 Succession - Markov ChainMon 7 16-Mar-15 1 L 1 Succession - biological mechanisms I: Markov Chains Poster 2 - LiteratureTues 7 17-Mar-15 PM P 3 Succession - biological mechanisms II, Climax conceptThurs 7 19-Mar-15 2 L 1Thurs 7 19-Mar-15 3-4 P 2
Fri 7 20-Mar-15 1 L 1 DisturbanceMon 8 23-Mar-15 1 L 1 Disturbance in Markov Chain Models ITues 8 24-Mar-15 PM P 3 Disturbance in Markov Chain Models IIThurs 8 26-Mar-15 2 L 1 Competition and Communities - IThurs 8 26-Mar-15 3-4 P 2 Null Models
Fri 8 27-Mar-15 1 L 1 Null Models CFNR Community REPORT
TEST
Mr A Engelbrecht
Assessments and Deadlines
Evaluation will take the form of continuous assessment. This continuous assessment is broken up as follows:
Class test (33%) + Practical work (67%) = Course Mark
Course Mark (60%) + Exam (40%) = Final Mark
Class Test
The class test will be held on THURSDAY 19 March 2015
during the scheduled practical class. Students will be tested on
ALL material covered prior to that date.
Practical Work
In this course, the practical component will comprise four
evaluations. These are listed below:
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT FACULTY RULES REGARDING
PLAGIARISM AND THE SUBMISSION OF LATE
ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE UPHELD
You will be expected to use Turnitin
Poster 1: Changes in Communities – 25% to Prac Mark
Final Deadline – Monday 16 February 2015
Poster 2: Literature – 25% to Prac MarkFinal Deadline – Monday 16 March 2015
Searsia Practical Report – 10% to Prac Mark
Final Deadline – Monday 9 March 2015
CFNR Community Report - 40% towards Practical Mark
Final Deadline – Friday 27 March 2015
Create a poster (size A0) in MS PowerPoint to illustrate
changes in the biological communities, and the factors that
contribute to these changes, associated with the following
environmental gradients
POSTER 1IN THREES
1. From sea-level to 8 000 m altitude
2. From canopy to forest floor in a tropical rainforest
3. From epipelagic to deep-sea bathypelagic
4. From kelp beds to the hadal - benthos
5. From the land to the sea – rocky intertidal
6. From freshwater to seawater – estuaries
7. From leaf-litter to bedrock – a soil profile
8. From freshly dead to remineralisation
9. From rocky to muddy shores – sediment size
The audience is
undergraduate
students –
Teaching Tool
The poster MUST be professional in appearance
The poster will be assessed using a rubric and ALL TEXT must be submitted to Turnitin and the
report attached
Create a poster (size A0) in MS PowerPoint to illustrate one
of the following topics:
POSTER 2
1. Mutualism2. Commensalism3. Defensive responses of plants to grazing4. Optimal foraging and diet width5. Type I, II and III functional responses6. Primary succession on sand dunes7. Secondary succession in forest gaps8. Concept of successional climax9. Competition-colonisation tradeoffs in succession10.Resource-ratio hypothesis in succession11.Vital attributes in succession12.The role of animals in succession13.The effect of fire on plant communities14.The effect of keystone predators in marine
ecosystems15.The effect of keystone predators in terrestrial
ecosystems16.Community changes linked to seasonality
IN [different] THREES
The audience is undergraduate students – Teaching Tool
The poster should be based on a published, peer-reviewed
scientific paper that CLEARLY illustrates the concept
behind the topic OR that CLEARLY shows how the
concept can influence biological community structure.
NB in some cases, more than one source will be needed.
1 000 word maximum
The poster MUST be professional in appearance
The poster will be assessed using a rubric and ALL TEXT must be submitted to Turnitin and the
report attached
POSTER 2
TITLE
CONCEPT NOTE & DEFINITION
Article Details
METHODS
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Legend
*Legend
Legend
LegendAcknowledgements
Resource partitioning amongst Searsia species
Collect data from the CFNR: enter and consolidate data;
analyse data; prepare figures and/or tables that illustrate
findings; write text that summarises results.
250 words maximum, including legends to figures and/or
tables.
CFNR REPORT
To undertake a vegetation survey along a line transect across the CFNR using appropriate field techniques, and to prepare a fully referenced report entitled “ Preliminary descriptions of the plant communities of the CFNR” for consideration of publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal of your choice.
Your report mustbe no more than 1500 words max: 2 line spacing, Times Roman, pages numbered etc etc Keep figures to a minimum - only essential ones: NO raw data. NO use of personal. Be efficient with words in the methods but be clear how you have cleaned up the data and if you have transformed data. Your reports MUST include:
•A dendrogram from which communities are identified.
•A concise description of each of the identified communities
•An estimate of each community’s diversity (with 95% CI)
Pass or Fail?
A student is deemed to have passed the course if her/his Final mark (i.e. Coursework + Exam) is ≥50% AND the Exam mark is ≥40% AND the Practical mark is ≥50%
Should a student obtain a Final mark of ≥50% AND have a Practical mark of ≥50% BUT have an Exam mark <40%, then that student will get an opportunity to write a Supplementary Exam*
Should a student obtain a Final mark of 45-49%, AND the Practical mark is ≥50%, then that student will have an opportunity to write a Supplementary Exam*
Should a student obtain a Coursework mark (i.e. Class tests + Practical) of ≥50% AND have a Practical mark of ≥50% AND have an Exam mark of ≥30% then that student will get an opportunity to write a Supplementary Exam*
A student who does not meet the above grades fails and is not eligible to sit the Supplementary Exam.
A student who fails to get a mark of 50% in the Practical work automatically fails, regardless of the Coursework or Exam mark – such a student not being eligible to sit the final exam.
Similarly, a student that fails to obtain a course-work mark of less than 40% is not eligible to sit the final exam.
* - Supplementary exams will be held at the end of the examination period. This exam will test the student on ALL the work undertaken in the module.
Readings
Although there are no prescribed books for this course, the following texts are recommended (especially those in bold-typeface).
•Begon, M., Harper, J.L. and Townsend, C.R. (1990). Ecology: Individuals, Populations and Communities. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 945pp.
•Begon, M. and Mortimer, M. (1986). Population Ecology: A Unified Study of Animals and Plants. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 220pp.
•Krebs, C.J. (1999). Ecological Methodology. Benjamin Cummings, 620pp.
•Morin. P.J. (1999). Community Ecology. Blackwell Science, 424pp
•Zar, J.H. (1984) Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice-Hall