BSC 385-002 – General Ecology – Fall 2008

Professor: Dr. Jon Benstead

Office: A126 Bevill Building
Office hours: 10-11 a.m. Monday (or by appointment; jbenstead@bama.ua.edu)
Textbooks: Molles, M. C. 2008. Ecology: Concepts and Applications, 4th ed.
McGraw-Hill.
Lecture: 120 Farrah Hall, 11:00-12:15, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Course description: A comprehensive introductory ecology course covering the
relationships between organisms and their environment.
Prerequisites: BSC 114:115 or BSC 118, BSC 116:117 or BSC 120, and MATH 112
Course objective: BSC 385-002 General Ecology will introduce students to the study
of ecological relationships, from the level of individuals through
population, community and ecosystem ecology to the whole
biosphere.
Learning outcomes: At the completion of BSC 385-002 students will be able to 1)
describe the mechanisms by which individual organisms are
affected by their abiotic environment, 2) explain how the
distribution and dynamics of populations are regulated, 3) describe
how evolution influences species diversity and life history, 4)
explain how species interactions affect community structure, 5)
describe how energy and nutrients cycle through terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems, 6) explain the processes influencing species
distributions at large spatial scales, 7) characterize key processes
regulating the biosphere, and 8) understand how ecological
principles are applied to current environmental problems.

Class schedule Page numbers

August 21 1. Class organization and introduction to ecology 1-10
August 26 2. Global ecology: an introduction 531-539
August 28 3. Life on land 12-37

September 2 4. Life on land/Life in water 37-59

September 4 5. Life in water 59-80

September 9 6. Temperature relations 82-107

September 11 7. Water relations 108-132

September 16 8. Energy and nutrient relations 133-156

September 18 Exam 1 [Lectures 1-8 – Ecology of individuals]

September 23 9. Population genetics and natural selection 184-209

September 25 10. Population distribution and abundance 210-230
Class schedule cont. Page numbers

September 30 11. Population dynamics 231-253

October 2 12. Population growth 254-271

October 7 13. Life histories 272-296

October 9 MID-SEMESTER STUDY BREAK
October 14 Exam 2 [Lectures 9-13 – Population ecology]
October 16 14. Competition 298-319
October 21 15. Exploitative interactions 320-330
October 23 16. Exploitative interactions 330-346

October 28 17. Mutualism 347-368

October 30 18. Species abundance and diversity 369-390

November 4 19. Species interactions and community structure 391-410

November 6 Exam 3 [Lectures 14-19 – Community ecology]
November 11 21. Primary production and energy flow 411-418
November 13 22. Primary production and energy flow 418-431
November 18 23. Nutrient cycling and retention 432-453
November 20 24. Succession and stability 454-479
November 25 25. Geographic ecology 506-529
November 27 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
December 2 26. Global ecology revisited [Submit review topics] 539-553
December 4 Review of chosen topics and class evaluations

December 8 Final exam [8:00-10:30 am, 120 Farrah Hall]

Notes: Powerpoint presentations will be posted on the course eLearning site ~24 hours before
each lecture. It is your responsibility to print these out and bring them to class.

Exams: Three 1.25-hour exams covering text and lecture material will be given during the
regularly scheduled lecture periods and may include calculations and graphing exercises. The
final exam will be 2.5 hours in length, with ~50% of the questions from lectures 21-26 and the
remainder of the questions examining all topics covered during the course. Bring a calculator to
all exams.

Quizzes: Six unannounced quizzes will be given. These will always be based on material
presented in the previous lecture. Before each lecture you are strongly advised to spend 10
minutes reviewing your notes from the last lecture in preparation for a possible pop quiz. Your
lowest score among the six quizzes will be dropped in the calculation of your grade.
Grade structure: Final grades will be based on the following:
Exam 1 20% 11:00-12:15, 18 September
Exam 2 20% 11:00-12:15, 14 October
Exam 3 20% 11:00-12:15, 6 November
Quizzes 10% Unannounced
Final exam (comprehensive) 30% 8 December, 8:00-10:30 pm

Grading policy: The final letter grade for BSC 385-002 will be determined from the following
scale of total percentage points:

A+ 100-97 B+ 89-87 C+ 79-77 D+ 69-67 F<60

A 96-93 B 86-83 C 76-73 D 66-63
A- 92-90 B- 82-80 C- 72-70 D- 62-60

Attendance policy: Students are expected to attend every class.

Make-up of missed work: Make-up of missed work will only be given to those with a
documented legitimate excuse (e.g., doctor’s note). Make-up exams will consist of 5
essay questions and make-up quizzes will consist of 1 essay question. Unexcused
absences will result in a zero for that exam or quiz. You must contact me regarding your
absence and make up the exam within 14 days of the original exam. If I do not hear from
you within 14 days after the exam, you will receive a zero for that exam. All make-up
work not completed within 14 days of the original assignment will result in a zero.
Students missing class for a University-sponsored function can prearrange to complete
assignments.
Drop policy: The policy of assigning grades of ‘W’ and ‘WF’ will conform strictly to
that established by the Office of Academic Affairs. The last day to drop a course with a
grade of ‘W’ is 29 October 2008. After that date, only under extraordinary circumstances
will students be allowed to withdraw from the class with a grade of ‘W.’ Such
circumstances must be explained in writing to the office of the Dean of Arts & Sciences.
Compliance with dead week: All tests will be given prior to 25 November.
Disability: If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please make an
appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss any course accommodations that may
be necessary. If you have a disability but have not contacted the Office of Disability
Services, please call 348-4285 or visit 220 Research Drive to register for services.
Academic misconduct: All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic
misconduct. The University of Alabama expects all students to conduct their studies in an
honorable manner. Any form of academic misconduct will result in appropriate penalties,
which may include dismissal from the university. Misconduct includes, but is not limited
to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information, misrepresentation, and abetting of
any of the above. Any use of a cell phone or other electronic device (other than a
scientific calculator) will be considered evidence of cheating, as will the marking of
multiple choice answers in the margins of exams. The Academic Misconduct
Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event that misconduct occurs.