Ecology and Evolution
LSTD 3443 716
June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26, 2007
5:30-9:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City Community College
Room 2N3-Main Building

Instructor
Glenda J. Ochsner, Ph.D.
David Ross Boyd Professor
glendao@flash.net

Course Introduction and Overview
This course addresses the interaction of ecology and genetic alteration in bringing about biological diversity through evolution. This course assumes that students have a basic understanding of what constitutes an organism and how organisms perform the basic functions of living systems. If you find you need to review these topics, you may wish to look through Chapters Four through Seven of Biology: Concepts and Applications, C. Starr.

Your course grade will be determined, in large part, by your ability to express clearly your understanding of the material you have read and how well you understand the scientific principles described in your readings.

Course Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of topics in ecology, evolution, macroevolution, and population diversity,
• Define and discuss ecology, including the biosphere, nature of ecology, and community interaction and ecology,
• Define and discuss macroevolution, including: fossil records, molecular records, and human evolution,
• Successfully examine and critique opposing viewpoints/positions concerning addressed topics and how they pertain to current world
• Explain some of the current problems presented in the texts,
• Take a position on controversial topics and social issues,
• Look at the course content and issues from multiple, interdisciplinary perspectives,
• Make connections between course content and one’s experiences,
• Place the ideas, problem-solving skills, and analytical strategies within one’s life, academic, or professional objectives.

Required Textbook
Starr, C. (2002) Biology: Concepts and Application,
6th Edition, Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
ISBN: 0-534-38558-3

Supplemental Textbook
Weiner, Jonathon (1995) The Beak of the Finch
New York, New York: Vintage Books
ISBN-10: 0-679-73337-X; ISBN-13: 978-0-6797-3337-X

Description of Work Required
Exams
Students will be required to submit an at-home exam at the conclusion of each unit. These should reflect your understanding of the assigned reading as well as classroom activities and should follow the rules of academic writing (referencing ideas taken from other sources, accurate grammar and spelling, logical presentation of ideas, objectivity of view). These assignments will be sent to the instructor using D2L dropbox.

The dropbox will close at the deadline and late work cannot be sent.

• Unit One - exam due no later than 11:45 P.M., Friday, June 15
• Unit Two - exam due no later than 11:45 P.M., Friday, June 29
• Unit Three - exam due no later than 11:45 P. M., Friday, July 13
• Unit Four - exam due no later than 11:45 P.M., Friday, July 27

Course Spanning Assignment
This assignment is designed to help you complete your final project. Each Unit has one step in the process of writing your final project. Please think about these carefully. They are key to a good final paper.

• Unit One Course Spanning Assingment Part A — identify a topic and find five links that relate to the topic. Provide a one paragraph description of each link as it relates to your topic. Due no later than Thursday, June 14
• Unit Two Course Spanning Assingment Part B — turn in an outline of your paper with five additional relevant links. Due no later than Thursday, June 28
• Unit Three Course Spanning Assingment Part C — turn in a draft of your final paper and preliminary bibliography. Due no later than Friday, July 12

Final Project
Each student will be required to submit a six-page essay, with a minimum of ten cited references. The final project is a very important part of the course grade and is the culmination of the course spanning assignments. Projects will be graded on how well the selected topic is researched and referenced, how well material is brought from various sources into a coherently organized whole, how well the material is critically evaluated, understanding of the science of the course, and clarity in the presentation of ideas.

The final project must be submitted by 11:45 p.m. Wednesday July 25

Late work will not be accepted unless prior arrangemnts have been made with the instructor. This will involve a valid reason for the delay and an agreed upon date by which the late work will be submitted. Points will be deducted from ALL late work at the discretion of the instructor.

Grading Policies
Points will be assigned for course assignments and participation as follows:

• Exams( 100 each) - 400 points
• Class participation (25 points per class) - 200 points
• Course spanning(50 points for A and B; 100 for C) - 200 points
• Final Project - 200 points
• Total points - 1000 points

Grading Scale
This course will not be graded on a curve. Grades will be assigned as follows:

• 900-1000 points = A
• 800-899 points = B
• 700-799 points = C
• 600-699 points = D
• 599 and below = F

Procedures for Removing Incompletes
Students will make arrangements with the instructor to complete coursework. If all coursework is completed within 4 weeks, there will be no negative consequences to the grade with the exception of deductions for late work. Coursework completed after 4 weeks, will have consequences to be determined by the instructor.

Please note that I randomly apply software desinged to detect plagariam on all written work sumitted.

Topics to be Addressed
Unit One — June 7 and 14 - Ecology
This unit introduces the topic of Ecology which is the study of the interaction of an organism with its environment, including other organisms. It is the changing environment acting on genetically altered organisms that provides the basis for natural selection.

Reading Assignments

• Starr, Chapters One, Thirty-nine, Forty, Forty-one, Forty-two, and Forty-three
• Weiner, Chapters Four, Five, and Nineteen

Objectives for Unit One

• Demonstrate how unity underlies the world of life
• Demonstrate an understanding of how ecological principles govern the growth and sustainability of all populations
  
  Demonstrate an understanding of how various population growth models impact society
• Demonstrate an understanding of how and why every species in the community has its own niche
• Demonstrate an understanding of how interactions among species influence the structure of the community
• Demonstrate an understanding of how an ecosystem is an association of organisms and their physical environment
• Demonstrate an understanding of why energy from the sun is the initial energy source for nearly all ecosystems of Earth

Guiding Questions for Unit One
Ecology means the science of how all living creatures interact within our environment. Why is it important to study Ecology?

What are biomes and how are they influenced by latitude and elevation?

Describe the ecosystem in your backyard. What imbalance(s) do you see and what is (are) their cause(s)?

Think about the global issues affecting the environment of today. What threats are there to the ecosystem? Select one area of concern and elaborate on the concerns that many people have.

Describe co-evolution. How is it involved in predator-prey relations?

Topics and Themes to be Explored in Unit One

• Exponential growth
• Behavior’s Heritable Basis
• Communication Signals
• Mutualism
• Predation
• Parasitism
• Ecosystems
• Biome
• Human Population Growth

Unit Two — June 21 and 28 - The Genetic Basis for Evolution
This unit provides a basis for understanding the relationship of genetics to evolution. It describes the processes through which speciation could occur and how populations can change.

Reading Assignments

• Starr, Chapters Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, and Fifteen
• Weiner, Chapters Eight, Twelve, and Thirteen

Reading Review
Starr, Chapters Eight and Nine.
These chapters are not required, but should be reviewed if the material is not familiar.

Objectives for Unit Two

• Demonstrate an understanding of how and why the continuity of life depends on reproduction
• Demonstrate an understanding of patterns of inheritance
• Demonstrate an understanding of why each kind of gene has its own specific location in a particular type of chromosome
• Demonstrate an understanding of the structure of DNA
• Demonstrate an understanding of transcription and translation
• Demonstrate an understanding of why genetic engineering raises social, legal, ecological, and ethical questions
• Demonstrate an understanding of how mutation can result in two or more slightly different molecular forms of a gene
• Demonstrate an understanding of speciation as the process by which daughter species evolve from a parent species

Guiding Questions for Unit Two
Outline the process by which the nucleotide sequence of the DNA in a gene is translated into the amino acid sequence in a protein.

Describe the various mechanisms by which new genes can b acquired by organisms.

What are retroviruses? What is the impact of retroviruses on diseases such as HIV?

Is evolution dependent on gene duplication? If so why? If not, why not?

The Human Genome Project has significantly changed many aspects of our life? How has The HGP altered our food supply? Medical treatment? Reproductive outcomes?

Topics and Themes to be Explored in Unit Two

• Genetics
• Chromosomes
• DNA
• RNA
• Genetic Engineering
• Microevolution
• Speciation

Unit Three - July 5 and 12 - Macroevolution
This unit looks at the history of evolution and basic principles underlying an understanding of evolution. It explores the evidence for evolution and speciation.

Reading Assignments

• Starr, Chapters Sixteen and Seventeen
• Weiners, Chapters Six and Twenty

Objectives for Unit Three

• Demonstrate an understanding the theories of evolution
• Demonstrate an understanding of the causes of evolution
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of Darwin’s studies on evolution
• Demonstrate an understanding of the process of speciation
• Demonstrate the role of extinction in speciation and evolution

Guiding Questions for Unit Three
What is Macroevolution and how does it differ from microevolution?

What is meant by people don’t evolve, populations do?

What evidence do we find in the fossil record that indicates that macroevolution has occurred?

How do evolutionary scientists explain the incompleteness of the fossil record (the gaps in the record)?

Under what circumstances would a crossbeak finch have an advantage over finches without a crossbeak in natural selection and sex selection?

Topics and Themes to be Explored in Unit Three

• Theories of Evolution
• Selection in favor of and against extreme phenotypes
• Speciation
• Genetic Drift
• Extinction
• Allopatric speciation
• Sympatric speciation

Unit Four - July 20 and 27 - The Case for Evolution and the Diversity of Life
This unit looks at the topic of diversity of life.

Reading Assignments

• Starr, Chapter Eighteen and Review Chapter One

Reading Review
This is not required reading, but should be reviewed if the material is not familiar.

• Starr, Chapters Twenty-one, Twenty-two, Twenty-three, Twenty-four, Twenty-eight, Twenty-nine, Thirty-two, and Thirty-four

Objectives for Unit Four

• Demonstrate an understanding of the proposed origin of life.
• Demonstrate and understanding of immunity
• Demonstrate an understanding of human life cycles
• Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of life
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of extinction on the diversity of life.

Guiding Questions for Unit Four
In 1859, European rabbits were introduced into Australia for hunting purposes. Since there were no natural predators for rabbits in Australia, the rabbits soon
multiplied in an uncontrolled fashion and became a major problem. The rabbits attacked and ate crops intended for human consumption.

In 1950, two virologists introduced a virus into the rabbit population in Australia. This virus, myxoma virus, had been shown effective in killing rabbits found in
America. Though the actual viral effects on the European rabbit were not known at the time, it was hoped that it could be used to control the Australian rabbits.
Mosquitoes were used as a means to spread the disease throughout the rabbit population. Some of the results were:

• After Year One - 90% of the rabbits were killed
• After Year Two - 90% of the rabbits were killed
• After Year Three - 50% of the rabbits were killed

Why do you think that only 50% of the rabbits were killed after the third year? By the 7th year after the introduction of the virus, 99% of the original number of
rabbits were present. In 1957, the original viruses were injected into new rabbit hosts; only 25% of rabbits died (as opposed to 90% initially).

Why do you think the viruses originally inoculated in 1950 killed only 25% of the rabbit hosts in 1957?

Rabbits continue to e a problem in Australia. Can you think of other ways of attempting to control the rabbit population?

What negative consequences might your suggested solution have?

Topics and Themes to be considered in Unit Four

• Evolution of Life
• Biodiversity
• Immunit

Completion Policy

The College of Liberal Studies expects students to complete all assignments to earn a grade in a given course.

Incomplete (“I”) Policy

For sufficiently extenuating circumstances a student may receive a grade of “I” and receive an extension to complete. To receive a grade of “I” the student must satisfactorily complete a minimum of one-half of the course work, have a legitimate reason for not being able to complete the work during the normal time frame, request from the instructor a desire to receive an Incomplete grade via submitting a request for an “I” and a plan to the instructor about how and when the work will be completed. If the student receives a grade of “I” the instructor will indicate to the student, and to the Office of Academic Records via the official OU grade sheet, what must be done to complete the course and set a time limit appropriate to the circumstances, however, the time allowed may not exceed one calendar year. If the course has an associated Web site and the Web site has changed before the student starts work on the Incomplete, the student will contact the faculty member and the faculty member will develop comparable assignments based on the current Web site. If books have changed in the course, the faculty member should be willing to develop assignments based on the books that the student has so the student will not have to buy new books. If by the end of the year, no change in grade has been submitted, the grade of “I” will become permanent on the student’s record. If the student wants to re-enroll in the course they may, and they will need to pay full tuition and fees for the enrollment. History tells us that the longer an Incomplete goes unfinished the less likely it will ever be completed at all. The College recommends that the student remedy their incomplete grade before the start of the next semester.

If you have submitted no work, or less than half of the course assignments, you should not expect to receive a grade of “I” You will receive either an “AW” or a failing grade. Students will make arrangements with the instructor to complete coursework. Work submitted within four weeks of the final course date will be accepted without negative consequences to the grade; work submitted to remove the “I” after four weeks will have consequences to be determined by the professor. Grades of “I” must be completed within one academic year.

The University of Oklahoma Student Academic Integrity
http://www.ou.edu/provost/pronew/content/integritymenu.html

1.1 BASIC PRINCIPLE OF HONESTY

Honesty is a fundamental precept in all academic activities, and those privileged to be members of a university community have a special obligation to observe the highest standards of honesty and a right to expect the same standards of all others. Academic misconduct in any form is inimical to the purposes and functions of the university and therefore is unacceptable and rigorously proscribed.

1.2 DEFINITIONS

1.2.1 Academic Misconduct. Any act that improperly affects the evaluation of a student's academic performance or achievement. The following terms illustrate but do not delimit or define academic misconduct.

1. Cheating: the use of unauthorized materials, methods, or information in any academic exercise, including improper collaboration;
2. Plagiarism: the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own, including:
   1. direct quotation without both attribution and indication that material is being directly quoted, e.g. quotation marks;
   2. paraphrase without attribution;
   3. paraphrase with or without attribution where the wording of the original remains substantially intact and is represented as the author's own;
   4. expression in one's own words, but without attribution, of ideas, arguments, lines of reasoning, facts, processes, or other products of the intellect where such material is learned from the work of another and is not part of the general fund of common academic knowledge;
3. Fabrication: the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise;
4. Fraud: the falsification, forgery, or misrepresentation of academic work, including the resubmission of work performed for one class for credit in another class without the informed permission of the second instructor; or the falsification, forgery or misrepresentations of other academic records or documents, including admissions materials and transcripts; or the communication of false or misleading statements to obtain academic advantage or to avoid academic penalty;
5. Destruction, misappropriation or unauthorized possession of university property or property of another;
6. Bribery or intimidation;
7. Assisting others in any act proscribed by this code; or
8. Attempting to engage in such acts.

Accommodation for Special Needs

The College of Liberal Studies is committed to making its activities as accessible as possible. The college and the university provide a range of special services for those with disabilities. Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent her or him from fully demonstrating her or his abilities should contact Frank Rodriquez , Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs, as soon as possible to discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and to facilitate this educational opportunity.

Liberal Studies General Policy

Liberal Studies’ policy is to order books in paperback, if available. Courses, dates and instructors are subject to change. Please check with the office. Students should retain a copy of any assignments that are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to the instructor or the office for the course. The Disability Resource Center can also be found online at http://drc.ou.edu/.

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