DATE

TOPICS

READINGS

PODCASTS

1/14 M

Course overview. Conservation, preservation, environmentalism, and ecology.

(Q) Section 1, “Thirty-six Persian throw rugs” p. 11-13.

1/16 W

What is biodiversity? What is conservation biology? Life, scientific nomenclature, and classification.

1/18 F

Species diversity. What is a species? How many species are there? Why do we care about species diversity?

1/21 M

Top predators in ecosystems

NPR Science Friday, Sept 2002, “Biodiversity” (~48 min)

1/23 W

Measuring species diversity

1/25 F

Ecosystem and community diversity. Distribution of biomes.

1/28 M

Discussion #1: The origins of conservation biology. Darwin, Wallace, and the science of biogeography.

(Q) Section II, “The man who knew islands” p. 17-114

1/30 W

Ecosystems: energy, stability, and services

2/01 F

Natural selection

2/04 M

Sex and genetics

2/06 W

Genetic diversity and the genetics of populations.

(Q) First half of Section III, “So huge a bignes” p. 117-194

“A Noah's Ark for earth's seeds”, Health and Science, NPR. 24 June 2006.

2/08 F

Global patterns of biodiversity and island biogeography

2/11 M

History and biodiversity

“Great Dying Crater”, MPR Science Friday, 14 May 2004.

“Dinosaur extinctions and the rise of mammals”, NPR Science Friday, 30 March 2007.

2/13 W

Pleistocene-Holocene extinctions and the sixth mass extinction

2/15 F

EXAM 1

2/18 M

Discussion #2: Evolution on islands

Q) Second half of Section III, “So huge a bignes” p. 194-258

2/20 W

Overexploitation

NPR Science Friday, Nov 2006, “Future of Fish” (~34 min)

2/22 F

Pollution

NPR, “Pacific Trash” (~6 min)

2/25 M

Pollution (cont.)

(Q) First half of Section IV, “Rarity unto death” p. 261-324

2/27 W

Global climate change

2/29 F

Potential impacts of climate change

“Climate change and climate zones” NPR Science Friday, 30 March 2007. (~12 min)

“Climate change and frogs” NPR Science Friday (~12 min)

“Climate change and parks” NPR Science Friday (~21 min)

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SPRING BREAK

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3/10 M

Climate change and population growth.

3/12 W

Habitat destruction and fragmentation

3/14 F

Guest lecture: Dr. Emily Mooney, Muhlenburg College. Conservation genetics

3/17 M

Discussion #3: Rarity and extinction

(Q) Second half of section IV, “Rarity unto death” p. 324-380

“Update on the Ivory Bill Woodpecker” Science Magazine Podcast 17 Aug 2007.

3/19 W

**EXAM 2**

3/21 F

No class – Attend Lecture from 12:00-1:00. “The sea is rising – so what?” Dr. James Titus, US EPA. LL 270, Physics Building .

3/24 M

Invasive species, cumulative impacts, and vulnerability to extinction

(Q) Section V, “Preston's Bell ” p. 385-405

“Map reveals extensive damage to world's oceans” NPR Science Friday (~48 min)

3/26 W

Legal protection: environmental laws, history, and the Endangered Species Act.

“Endangered Species Act Discussion,” NPR Science Friday, 17 March 2006. (~47 min)

“Bald Eagle Leaves Endangered Species List,” NPR All Things Considered, 28 June 2007 (~5 min)

“Rewrite would weaken endangered species act,” NPR All Things Considered, 28 March 2007 (~4 min)

3/28 F

Legal protection: The Clean Water Act and wetland protection. Conservation banking and wetland mitigation.

“Wetlands show effect of court's last decision,” NPR All Things Considered, 21 Feb 2006. (~5 min)

“Divided Supreme Court Rules on Wetlands Law,” NPR All things considered, 19 June 2006. (~6 min)

3/31 M

Applied population ecology: monitoring populations and assessing extinction risk

NPR Science Friday, Aug 2005, “Pleistocene re-wilding” (~20 min)

4/02 W

Applied population ecology: management and establishment of populations

Ex situ conservation

4/04 F

Protecting ecosystems

4/07 M

Discussion #4: A dynamic equilibrium and the species-area relationship.

(Q) Section VI, “The coming thing” p. 409-447

4/09 W

Managing ecosystems

Receive Management/Restoration case studies

4/11 F

No class – work on case studies

4/14 M

Discussion/Activity #5: Reserve design and minimum population size.

(Q) Section VII, “The hedgehog of the amazon” p. 451-498.

(Q) Section VIII, “Song of the indri” p. 501-545

4/16 W

Restoring ecosystems

4/18 F

Conservation insights from paleoecology

4/21 M

Discussion/Activity #6: Management/Restoration case study reports

4/23 W

Conservation and sustainable development

NPR Science Friday, Apr 2005, “Millennium ecosystem assessment report” (~29 min)

4/25 F

Discussion #7: A world in pieces.

Course review. Course evaluations.

((Q) Section IX, “World in pieces” p. 549-602

Q) Section X, “Message from Aru” p. 605-625 and “Author's note” p. 634-636

5/03 Sat

**Final Exam**