ESCI 407/507: FOREST ECOLOGY

SPRING QUARTER, 2009

Instructor: Dr. David Wallin; Office: AH310; Phone: 650-7526; e-mail: wallin@cc.wwu.edu
Text: Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology by FS Chapin III, PA Matson and HA Mooney.
Additional readings as assigned: on reserve in a folder in the Huxley College Library.
(Click here for list of readings on reserve)
(Click here to view the online bibliography)
Class Meeting: MWF 10:00, CF25; NOTE CHANGE IN ROOM

New Lab Meeting Rooms 1:00-5:00 T (CF26; NOTE CHANGE IN ROOM ) or W (CF165; NOTE CHANGE IN ROOM) 

NOTE: The lab will meet during the first week of the quarter (March 31 and April 1)
(Click here for information about the first lab)

Office Hours: MWF 11:00 - 12:00, M 2:00-3:00 (sign-up on office door) and by appointment.
Teaching Assistants:
Tuesday Lab: Melissa Pingree, Office: ES67, Telephone: x4198, Office Hours: TBA & by appointment, email: pingrem@cc.wwu.edu

Wednesday Lab: Andrew Shirk, Office ES430, Telephone: x7353, Office hours: TBA & by appointment; email:  shirka@cc.wwu.edu



Prerequisites: The course requires a background in ecology. All students must have completed BOTH ENVR 325 and 340 or Biol 325 and 340 or equivalent courses at another institution. If you have not had these prerequisites, you should NOT take this class.

 

Grading

Undergraduates

Graduate Students

Mid-term Exam

30%

25%

Final Exam

30%

25%

Lab Reports: Click here for information about the lab

30%

30%

Class Participation

10%

10%

Term Paper/Project Click here for information about this project

---

10%

 

Late Assignments: grades reduced by 5%/day if turned in late without a valid excuse (illness, family crisis, etc.)

Grading: A =93; A- 90-92; B+ 88-89; B 83-87; B- 80-82; C+ 78-79; C 73-77; C- 70-72; D+ 68-69; D 63-67 D- 60-62; F 0-59

The class will include three hours of lecture and four hours of lab per week. Some lecture and lab time may be used for discussion of assigned readings from the scientific literature.

 

Last Updated: 3/4/08 (Check for updates of this schedule as the quarter progresses.)      

Information about the Oregon State University salvage logging controversy from the spring of 2006:

The paper that started the controversy:

Donato, D.C., J.B. Fontaine, J.L. Campbell, W.D. Robinson, J.B. Kauffman and B.E. Law.  2006.  Post-wildfire logging hinders regeneration and increases fire risk.  Science 311:352  (20 January 2006)  donato_etal_2006.pdf   donato_etal_2006_sup.pdf (contains materials and methods and other supplemental material.)

                                                                       

Last updated: 4/28/2009

TENTATIVE Lecture Schedule

Topic

Readings

Week 1: 3/31-4/3

4/2: Organizational Meeting
Preface: Humans and the Forest

None

Week 2: 4/6-10

Preface: Humans and the Forest (continued)
Part I: Context
The Ecosystem Concept

Chapter 1, Vitousek et al. 1997, Noble et al. 1997

Optional Reading: New_Republic_ID.pdf

Week 3: 4/13-17

The Earth’s Climate System
Geology and Soils

Chapters 2, 3

Optional Reading: tubtoys_ocean_circ.pdf

Week 4: 4/20-24

Part II: Mechanisms
Terrestrial Water and Energy Balance

Chapters 4

Week 5: 4/27-5/1

Carbon Input to Terrestrial Ecosystems

 Chapter 5

Week 6: 5/4-8

MID-TERM EXAM; Monday, May 4 NOTE THAT, AS DISCUSSED IN CLASS EXAM DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM FRIDAY, MAY 1 TO MONDAY, MAY 4

Terrestrial Production Processes
Terrestrial Decomposition
Terrestrial Plant Nutrient Use

Chapters 6, 7, 8

Week 7: 5/11-15

Terrestrial Nutrient Cycling
Aquatic Carbon and Nutrient Cycling

Chapters 9, 10

Week 8: 5/18 – 22

Trophic Dynamics
Community Effects on Ecosystem Processes

 Chapters 11,12 

Week 9: 5/25 – 29

Part III: Patterns
Temporal Dynamics
Landscape Heterogeneity and Ecosystem Dynamics

Chapters 13, 14  

Week 10: 6/1-5

Part IV: Integration
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Managing and Sustaining Ecosystems

 Chapters 15, 16

 

Finals Week: 6/8-12

Final Exam: http://www.wwu.edu/depts/registrar/finals_index.shtml

 

 

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