Biology 301M. Ecology, Evolution, and Society Designed for non-science majors.

1. Biology 301M. Ecology, Evolution, and Society Designed for non-science majors. Introduction to environmental adaptations, diversity of organisms, species interactions, organization and processes of communities, population growth and limitations, evolution and population genetics, origin of life, and human impact on the environment. Three lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for one semester. May not be counted toward a degree in biology. Varanus eremius (Varanid)

2. Biology 301M – Ecology, Evolution, & SocietyProfessor: Eric R. PiankaOffice: Patterson 125, Mon., Fri. 1-2 PM (or by appointment)471-7472, email: erp@austin.utexas.eduLectures: Tuesday and Thursday, 1230-2 PM (WEL 1.316) Instructor and Course Websites:http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/http://www.zo.utexas.edu/courses/bio301/Download Syllabus from above site (Contract) (Agamid) Ctenophorus isolepis

3. Teaching Assistant: Todd OlsonOffice: Patterson 655, Friday 10-11 (or by appointment, use email) Email: ToddOlson@utexas.edu Discussion Sections (20% of letter grade) (24 readings and Problem Sets)Wed. 9-10 WEL 4.224 Wed. 11-12 SZB 240 Wed. 12-1 SZB 240 Wed. 1-2 SZB 240 Ctenophorus nuchalis (Agamid)

4. Notice the demanding course requirements placed on this class as part of UT's Core Curriculum, and accordingly, this coursemust meet standards and objectives of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for Natural Science and Technology:Communication Skills: effective development, interpretation and 
expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication. 
Critical Thinking Skills: creative thinking, innovation, 
inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information. 
Teamwork: ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal. 
Empirical and Quantitative Skills: manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions. Ctenotus (Skink)

5. Goals and Philosophy: This course assumes knowledge of High School algebra, geometry, and genetics. You will be expected to be able to understand 3-dimensional graphs and be able to manipulate simple equations. We will attempt to teach you the basic ecology and evolution that everyone should know -- we will also do our utmost to encourage you to think. We hope to make students into better informed citizens of this, our one and only spaceship, planet Earth. Sceloporus (Iguanid)

6. Please read each of the 24 links on the class website: ___________________________________________________ Scientific Methods Natural Selection Human Nature Hunter-Gatherers Uncaring Humanoids Solutions Population Growth Problem Gamblers ___________________________________________________ Agriculture Global Warming Vanishing Book of Life Plastics Intelligent Design? The Weakest Link Technology Economics ___________________________________________________ Energy Money Peak Oil Land Food Water Sewage Space Travel __________________________________________________ Eight will be covered on each of the 3 hour exams and ALL 24 will be included on the Final exam.

7. Pianka, Evolutionary Ecology, 6th ed.Read Chapters 1-7Watch Dance, Monkeys, Danceand Domino EffectsWe will follow this book, more or less in the order of its chapters [Powerpoint presentations can bedownloaded from the course website]Available as an eBook 7th ed. from GoogleAlso you can read it on line at course webpage or Canvas(Use Safari, other browsers may not show figures)UT provides students with 500 megs per week free, if you need more bandwidth, you can buy 10 gigabytes per week for only $3 per semester (Link).

8. For this generation, who must confront the shortsightedness of their ancestors . . . Moloch horridus (Agamid)

9. First Exam: 25 Sept. Second Exam: 30 Oct. Third Exam: 4 Dec. Best 2 of above 3 = 40% Discussion Sections 20%Final Exam 16 Dec, 9-12 AM: 40% ------------------------------------------------------- Anolis carolinensis (Iguanid)

10. First Exam: 25 Sept. Second Exam: 30 Oct. Third Exam: 4 Dec. Best 2 of above 3 = 40% Discussion Sections 20%Final Exam 16 Dec, 9-12 AM: 40% ------------------------------------------------------- Anolis carolinensis (Iguanid)

11. First Exam: 25 Sept. Second Exam: 30 Oct. Third Exam: 4 Dec. Best 2 of above 3 = 40% Discussion Sections 20%Final Exam 16 Dec, 9-12 AM: 40% -------------------------------------------------------No “Extra points, No “Make Up” Exams! Final Grades are FINAL, non negotiable Anolis carolinensis (Iguanid)

12. Politicians and other advertisers equate ecology with “beer cans and pollution” and environment with “clean air and clean water,” in short the human environment. Anthropocentric. All other organisms have environments, too. Environment is defined as all the physical and biotic factors impinging upon a particular organismic unit, as well as everything affected by that organismic unit. Ctenotus pantherinus (Skink)

13. An organismic unit could be an individual, a population, or even all of the organisms living together in a particular ecosystem, an entire community. These constitute different levels of organization in the biological hierarchy of life. Ecology is defined as the study of the interactions between organisms and their environments. Phelsuma (Gecko)

14. Ecology requires wild organisms in the natural environments within which they evolved and to which they have become adapted.

15. Ecology requires wild organisms in the natural environments within which they evolved and to which they have become adapted. Once, we were surrounded by wilderness and wild animals, now we surround them.

16. Ecology requires wild organisms in the natural environments within which they evolved and to which they have become adapted. What good are rattlesnakes?

17. Snakes in Cages

19. “Love” inVials

20. Captive organisms are out of context, they don’t have a natural environment (they might as well be dead as far as an ecologist is concerned) Henry David Thoreau (1854) Walden “Book of Life” metaphor Holmes Rolston (1985) “Vanishing Book of Life” Humans are just beginning to be able to read it, but its pages are tattered and torn, and entire chapters have been ripped out. Need to save as much as pos- sible (conservation biology), but also must READ it (ecology) before it is gone. Other Earthlings were here before us and have a right to exist, too.

21. Hierarchical Organization of the Biological Sciences

22. Hierarchical Organization of the Biological Sciences <—————— Integrative Biology——————————>

23. Time and Space Scaling in Ecology Daniel T. Haydon

24. Time and Space Scaling in EcologyDaily movements (home range, territory) Dispersal events (immigration, emigration) Colonization of new areas and habitats Geographic range expansion or contraction Geographical patterns of diversity Daniel R. Brooks

25. Models may be verbal, graphical, or mathematical Model: mere “caricatures of nature” (all models are imperfect) Trade offs in construction of models precision generality realism