ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(ENSC 340, Fall 2012)
Instructor: Dr. Zhi-Qing
Lin
Office: 0328 SL
Email: zhlin@siue.edu
Phone: 650-2650
Credit Hours: 3 Lec.
Class Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 PM; 1010
Engineering Building
Office Hours: by appointment
Course Description:
This course will introduce undergraduate students to the basic concepts and
principles of natural resource management with an emphasis on sustainable
ecosystems. Students will learn selected important ecosystem management issues,
including genetic diversity in ecosystem management, landscape-level
conservation, single-species land management, and the skill and art of keeping
fragile ecosystems in balance. Different case studies will
be presented to demonstrate how ecological concepts and principles can be
applied to the sustainable management of ecosystems.
This
course is required for the Minor in Environmental Science
Course Objectives:
1) To understand the science of ecosystem management, including basic ecological principles, concepts, and practices;
2) To be familiar with general guidelines for the management of natural resources;
3) To increase the awareness of the importance of sustainability in natural and agricultural ecosystem management.
Text Book: Ecosystem Management: Adaptive, Community-Based Conservation, by G.K. Meffe, L.A. Nielsen, R.L. Knight, and D.A. Schenborn. Island Press, 2002. This textbook has been used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service through their National Conservation Training Center since 1994.
Although lectures will follow the book closely, additional handouts will be given during the lecture time. Testing will cover materials from both the textbook and handouts.
Grading Policy:
Class exams: There will be two midterm examinations and one final examination. Material presented in class lectures, handouts and/or required readings will form the basis for examination questions. Class examinations will require an understanding of lecture and reading materials, and result in applications of the knowledge to practical situations.
Grading: Midterm I: 20%; Midterm II: 35%; Assignments: 10%; Research Presentation: 10%; Final exam: 25%. Total Points: 100. A: >90, B: 80-89, C: 70-79, D: 60-69, and F:<60
Late assignments will be marked down 10% a day, unless arrangements are made with Instructor prior to the due date.
Course Prerequisites: Undergraduate level BIOL 111 with a minimum grade of D, or consent of Instructor
Attendance Policy:
Regular prompt attendance is required for success in this course. Only University approved absences will be accepted. Because classroom or group discussion will form an important part of class lectures, excessive absences may result in a 10% reduction of your overall grade or your being dropped from the course.
Academic Misconduct:
"Acts of academic misconduct for which students are subject to sanctions include, without limitation, plagiarism, cheating, failure or refusal to follow clinical practice standards, falsifying or manufacturing scientific or educational data and/or representing manufactured data to be the result of scientific or scholarly experiment or research, and soliciting, aiding, abetting, concealing, or attempting such act. Plagiarism is defined as including, without limitation, the act of representing the work of another as one's own. Plagiarism may consist of copying, paraphrasing, or otherwise using the written, electronic, or oral work of another without proper acknowledgement or consent of the source or presenting oral, electronic, or written material prepared by another as one's own. Plagiarism also includes using information from electronic resources, including the Internet, without the use of proper citations." (SIUE Student Academic Code, Spring 2003)
In the event of academic misconduct, the student is subject to a number of penalties, including a failing grade for a plagiarized assignment or for a course.
Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities should visit the Disability Support Services (DDS) located in the Student Success Center, Room 1270, at their earliest convenience to meet the director and discuss available services. The student with a documented disability and a disability ID card from DSS should also notify the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements, including assistance in emergency evacuation.
Lecture Schedule:
Week 1, Aug. 21, 23:
Course introduction;
Ecosystems: General concepts and principles (Handouts from Instructor)
Week 2, Aug. 28, 30:
The Conceptual Toolbox: The landscape scenarios (Chapter 1)
Student presentations: (1) the Round Lake ecosystem; (2)
the Snow River ecosystem; (3) the Paumaussee, Dee,
and Queen (PDQ) Rivers ecosystem
Week 3, Sep. 4, 6:
Case study: Characterization of the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon ecosystem
Getting a grip on ecosystem management (Chapter 2)
Week 4, Sep. 11, 13:
Incorporating uncertainty and complexity into management (Chapter 3)
Week 5, Sep. 18, 20:
Special topic: Is there a biodiversity crisis on the planet?
Midterm Exam I: The examination coves materials presented in Weeks 1-4.
Week 6, Sep. 25, 27:
Adaptive management (Chapter 4)
Week 7, Oct. 2, 4:
The Biological and Ecological Background: Genetic diversity in ecosystems (Chapter 5)
Week 8, Oct. 9, 11:
Issues regarding populations and species (Chapter 6)
Week 9, Oct. 16, 18:
Populations and communities at the landscape level (Chapter 7)
Week 10, Oct. 23, 25:
Landscape-level conservation (Chapter 8)
Week 11, October 30, Nov. 1:
Managing biodiversity across landscapes: A manager’s dilemma (Chapter 9)
The Human Dimensions: Working in human communities (Chapter 10)
Week 12, Nov. 6, 8:
Special topic: Bear management in Yellowstone National Park
Midterm Exam II: The examination covers materials presented in Weeks 6-10.
Week 13, Nov. 13, 15:
Strategic approaches to ecosystem management (Chapter 11)
Evaluation (Chapter 12)
Week 14, Nov. 20-22:
No Class (Thanksgiving break)
Week 15, Nov. 27, 29:
Special Topics: Sustainable Agriculture: Concepts and principles of sustainability. (Handouts from Instructor)
Special Topic: Achieving sustainable agriculture systems in US Midwest. (Handouts from Instructor)
Week 16, Dec. 4, 6:
Case Studies: Student Research
Presentations
Week 17, Dec. 11-14:
Final Exam: The examination covers materials presented in Weeks 11-16.