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ECOL 505 Foundations of Ecology (Fall 2010) Alan Knapp, A/Z 210, 491-7010 aknapp@colostate

ECOL 505 Foundations of Ecology (Fall 2010) Alan Knapp, A/Z 210, 491-7010 aknapp@colostate.edu Tuesday – Thursday, 1100-1150 AM, E203 Engineering Bldg. Web Site: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~aknapp/ey505/ Text: None…but

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ECOL 505 Foundations of Ecology (Fall 2010) Alan Knapp, A/Z 210, 491-7010 aknapp@colostate

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  1. ECOL 505 Foundations of Ecology (Fall 2010) Alan Knapp, A/Z 210, 491-7010 aknapp@colostate.edu Tuesday – Thursday, 1100-1150 AM, E203 Engineering Bldg. Web Site: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~aknapp/ey505/ Text: None…but Philosophy of Ecology: From Science to Synthesis (Keller and Golley, eds.) 2000, Univ. Georgia Press. The Princeton Guide to Ecology. S. Levin, ed., 2009, Princeton University Press

  2. Goals of the Course: Understand & appreciate the context and diversity of Ecology Understand where, how and why Ecology came to be Appreciate how and why ecologists ask questions – past and present Appreciate what is unique about Ecology Develop abilities to both critique and value ecological ideas past and present Consider where Ecology might be headed in the future

  3. Course Format: • Lecture (Me, guests…) • Readings (on web site) • Weekly feedback (email) • Discussion

  4. Syllabus – on line version will be updated frequently Tentative schedule Week Topic Readings Aug 24, 26 Expectations, overview, class assignments Aug 31, S. 2 Science & context - Biology and Ecology Mayr 1996 Elliott & Brook 2007 Sept. 07, 9 The why and how of ecology Graham & Dayton 2002 (past and present) Kingsland 2004

  5. Expectations: • Come to class prepared • (read the readings!) • Participate in discussions • If your background is deficient, (re)read an Intro. Ecology Text… • This is a graduate level course…

  6. Evaluation: • Participation is key (you must be here…) • Discussion questions/points from readings (email) • Brief overviews of papers/clarification of comments • Discussion • A (hopefully) fun and insightful group project • Final exam – a short paper - TBD • See syllabus for exact details

  7. Two other goals: As an entering cohort of graduate students into GDPE and CSU… Learn about each other… 1st assignment

  8. Class Introductions: Name Educational background Background in ecology Advisor at CSU? Taxonomy, habitat, and/or field of interest (i.e., Avian ecology in the tropics, remote sensing of marine systems, ecology of infectious disease)

  9. What can we learn from the biographies of successful Ecologists? Group projects…4 students per group – 1 presenter Goal – From the Web or other sources (Web of Science, Home pages, Google Scholar), trace the career paths of our most successful current ecologists Each report should include: An academic biography (degrees from where and when) Positions held (when and where and what) Graphs of: Publications/year By journal + Changes through time By authorship (order) + Changes through time Most cited papers (3-5) and citations/year Major topics of research + Changes through time Successful students? Did they have a “famous” advisor? Any other interesting facts or graphs you can provide. Prepare a short (10 min max!) powerpoint presentation to be presented to the class and turned in to me.

  10. Select from: ISI most highly cited scientists in Ecology and Environmental Sciences http://hcr3.isiknowledge.com/home.cgi Or – if you want to choose someone not on this list, please check with me first. Do NOT select CSU ecologists (even though many are worthy). For class periods on Oct 7, 14, 21 and 28, we will need a biography ready for class presentation in the Organismal, Population, Community and Ecosystems weeks. Remainder will present week of Nov. 9.

  11. Notes posted on-line • Email comments start on Week 2 • Please don’t send as attachments

  12. Learn a bit about your instructor… Background, biases, perspective, strengths & weaknesses

  13. Ecophysiology, Succession, STOMATES!, Fire ecology, Ecosystem ecology, Herbivory, Communities, Global and Climate Change, Comparative global grassland ecology…

  14. My bias, perspective & weakness? Plants… Grasslands… ANPP… Global change… Experiments…

  15. Class Demography: MSc – 8 PhD – 25 WCNR 2:1 over all other colleges combined… Most of you have “real world” experience – rather than on the rapid BS, MSc, PhD track.

  16. Class Poll: What ecological issue should a “Czar of Global Ecological Crises” first deal with? Climate change - 6 Reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gasses- 3 Pollution, aquatic systems, air quality - 2 Ecosystem services valuation - 2 Invasive species - 2 Human population control - 2 C sequestration, soil ecology and Carbon cycling - 2 Salvaging the waste and by-products of Industry Management of natural resources Crisis facing the world's oceans, including overfishing, marine debris, acidification, Global wetland and grassland restoration  BP oil spill  Biodiversity loss

  17. Introductory Material: a very quick review • Ecology • The past – • What are its roots? • Why was it done? • How was it done?

  18. Today – • Why is it done? • How is it done? • Is Ecology like other sciences? • How does Ecology fit in with other sciences? • What is unique about Ecology?

  19. The Historical Development of Ecology as a Science • Modern ecological thinking has its roots in the 18th and early 19th century: • Natural history (back to the time of the Greek philosophers) • Classification schemes (Greeks, Linnaeus) • Laboratory biology (physiology (function) and structure) • Evolution (natural selection) concepts

  20.   These gave rise to three somewhat distinct pathways of development in the mid-19th century: 1. A physiological perspective – the need to get out of the lab and study organisms in their natural environment - Ernst Haeckel, animal physiologist (coined the term ecology in 1866) • A community perspective began with plant geography as developed by Germans (e.g. von Humboldt) - focus on mapping associations and vegetation formations (Classification/taxonomy) 3. An underlying evolutionary theme thanks to Darwin… (the organism and its environment)

  21. Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) – 85 years! Best known for the famous statement "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny", he also coined many words commonly used by biologists today, such as phylum, phylogeny, and ecology. Also trained as a physician, Haeckel abandoned his practice in 1859 after reading Darwin's Origin of Species. Always suspicious of teleological and mystical explanation, Haeckel used the Origin as ammunition both to attack entrenched religious dogma and to build his own unique world view.

  22. Why did Haeckel feel the need to “invent” Ecology? Needed to distinguish the study of complex interrelations that organisms face in nature (Darwin’s “struggle for existence”) from the standard type of Biology of the day – describing the structure of organisms and classifying them… (comparative anatomy).

  23. “Ecology” as a concept or discipline did not exactly catch on quickly… 1866 – term coined 1885 – Ecology used in a book title (19 yrs later) 1913 – British Ecological Society founded (47 yrs later!) 1915 – Ecological Society of America 1938 – An eminent philosopher of science claims that there is no name in common use for the field of science in which the behaviors of organisms and groups of organisms are studied within their natural environment (72 yrs later!)

  24. What were ecological studies like in the first half of the 20th century? Ecology was originally a “descriptive and qualitative discipline” Pattern was observed and a linkage to process was postulated… (Pines in the Prairie, Gates 1926 Ecology) “The ecologist, more than any other worker in biology, continues the tradition of the naturalist as exemplified by Charles Darwin” – Paul Sears (1944)

  25. This “naturalist” tradition may be one reason why Ecology was slow to be offered to students as a formal part of their curriculum. Paul Sears (1960) “A quick examination of catalogs shows that 5 out of 12 leading colleges offer no ecology whatsoever, while the same thing is true of 3 of 11 universities.”

  26. Post 1960’s – Environmental Movement or “Romantic (nature as awe inspiring) and Political Ecology (environmental ethics)” become widespread and popular views… This was good with respect to increasing public awareness of the importance of ecological interactions But….led to well-documented confusion between Environmental Philosophy and Ecological Science (at least for the public) Ecologist = tree hugger, save the whales, recycle, live off the land, reject the establishment, be “organic”… At CSU and elsewhere = BE GREEN

  27. Misuse (misappropriation) of the term still exists today: “Ecology in the Twentieth Century: A History” by A. Bramwell (1989) about a political movement in Europe… EcoQuest convention prior to Ecological Society of America meetings in Memphis…Selling home air and water purifiers… EcoPest – pest eradication – environmentally friendly use of pesticides…

  28. Public and media’s confusion over name Does any other science have this problem of misuse of its name or such close association with a philosophy!?!? Ecology = Environmentalism

  29. Czar of Global Ecological Crises Nominees: The scientists Locals: Dr. Thomas Stohlgren, USGS/CSU Dr. Joyce Berry, Dean WCNR Dr. Sam Foster, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station Other Ecologists: Dr. E.O. Wilson, Harvard - 3 Dr. Paul Ehrlich, Stanford - 3 Dr. Jane Lubchenco, (Oregon, now NOAA) Dr. Gretchen Daily, Stanford Dr. Jeff Lockwood, U. Wyoming Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, EPA Dr. Bill Gaines, wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service Dr. Reinhold A. Rasmussen of Oregon Health and Science University 

  30. Other Scientists: Dr. James Lovelock (PhD medicine, scientist, futurologist!) Dr. James Hansen, NASA (PhD Atmospheric Physics) Politicians, Celebrities and the very rich: Al Gore Bill Clinton Sir David Attenborough Bill Gates Hard to categorize: Alternately, I'd choose Lady GaGa (with strong/constant coaching from the Leopold Foundation) because the masses of unconcerned citizens would flock to support her cause. Even harder to categorize: Ghandi/E.O.Wilson hybrid- “Who's gonna talk crap about this guy?...no one”

  31. Disagree with President – should appoint a panel instead Can think of no one… - 2 Several described desired qualities, but named no actual person… Unique class – 15 PhD ecologists + 2 other Scientists vs. 6 “others”…(including a half dead guy) So 50% of you named a “real ecologist”…

  32. Past classes: 43% Ecologists, defined as likely ESA members 30% Other Scientists (Climatologists, Economists, etc…) 17% Politicians 10% Environmentalists If you were asked to nominate a Surgeon General, what do you think would be the % of non-M.D.’s suggested? What does this tell us about Ecology as a discipline? And the nature of Ecological Crises?

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