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introduction

Environment General Courses (ENVIRON)

graduate level, taught in Durham

298.77 TOPICS IN TROPICAL FOREST ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, Spring 2007

Instructor: Varun Swamy (NS PhD student). Faculty Sponsor: Nora Bynum

Course description: Ecosystem, population and community ecology of tropical forest plants and animals with application to conservation and sustainable development. Discussion of current issues and ideas at the interface between basic and applied science. Short lectures and presentations by instructor; seminar-style discussion and group exercises. Additional guest lecturers for selected topics. 2 credits.

Suggested time slot & venue: Wednesdays 5-7:30pm, A109 LSRC (or any of the small conference rooms)

Format
Weekly 2.5-hour meetings, as follows:                                                                              
Lecture/presentation by instructor – 30-40 minutes         
Guest lecture/presentation or group exercise – 20-30 minutes  
Discussion of readings – 1.5 hours

Maximum enrollment: 15 students         

Requirements & Expectations
One course in basic ecology or permission of the instructor; active interest in tropical ecology & conservation issues.

Enrollment restrictions: Open to MEM students. Upper-level undergraduates with appropriate preparation may enroll only with permission of instructor.

Emphases/Goals
- Provide an introduction to key concepts and areas of research in tropical forest ecology & conservation.           
- Provide an exposure to primary literature, with an emphasis on critical reading and analysis.       
- Provide a sampling of current research through guest lectures, mostly by doctoral students.         
- Allow students to explore a topic of their interest in depth, utilizing the approach and skills emphasized.
- Provide the experience of a scientific debate in a professional/academic setting    .

List of potential guest lecturers/participants
Faculty: Gary Hartshorn, Nora Bynum, Miles Silman, John Terborgh.
PhD students: Marion Adenay, Kyle Dexter, Jessica Hardesty, Mark Higgins, Ken Feeley, Catherine Workman, Wayne Mayer.

Evaluation   
ACTIVE participation                                                                                   30%
(i.e. insightful contribution to the discussion of assigned readings)
Leading of discussion & group activities                                                   30%
Short Essays (two 1-page responses)                                                      20%
Focused group research project & presentation                                       20%               

COURSE SCHEDULE (tentative)

Date

Topics

Readings (these are only examples, not the final list)

PART 1: “Nuts and bolts” of tropical forest ecology

17-Jan

Intro to tropical forest ecology: course overview, "big picture" lecture, discussion leader assignments

 

24-Jan

Tropical soils & nutrient cycling; Plant ecophysiology

Vitousek and Sanford: Ann. Rev. Syst. Ecol. 17. Wardle et al.: Science 304. Pearcy et al.: Bioscience 37.

31-Jan

Tropical tree diversity: large-scale patterns, small-scale patterns, role of treefall gaps

Pitman et al: Ecology 82. Wang and Smith: TREE 17. Hubbell et al.: Science 283.

7-Feb

Tropical tree recruitment, forest succession

Harms et al.: Nature: 404. Howe: TREE 15.
Uhl: Journal of Ecology 75.

14-Feb

Tropical phenology & plant-animal interactions: frugivory & herbivory

Terborgh: Keystone species. Wheelwright: TREE 3. Gentry: Biotropica 6. Coley et al.: Science 230.

21-Feb

Top-down and bottom-up mechanisms of ecosystem regulation

Hairson et al,: American Naturalist 94. Terborgh et al. in Continental Conservation, Chapter 3.

28-Feb

Ecology of distributions: Interspecific competition, ecotones, physical factors

Terborgh: Ecology 52. Terborgh: Ecology 66. Robinson and Terborgh: J Animal Ecol 64.

7-Mar

Evolutionary perspective: Historical biogeography, Refugia hypothesis, Paleoecology

Haffer: Science 165. Klicka and Zink: Science 277. Losos and Schluter: Nature 408.

14-Mar

SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS

PART 2: Tropical forest ecology and conservation: Issues and solutions

21-Mar

Tropical conservation 1: Habitat fragmentation, Global anthropogenic change

Crooks and Soulé: Nature 400. Terborgh et al.: Science 294. Laurance et al.: Nature 428.

28-Mar

Tropical conservation 2: Logging, hunting, slash-and-burn agriculture

Rice et al.: Scientific American. Putz et al.: Conservation Biology 15.  Wright: TREE 20

4-Apr

Tropical conservation 3: Balancing conservation and resource use: making it work

Wright and Muller-Landau: The Future of Tropical Forest Species. Laurance: TREE 16. Terborgh: BioScience 12. 

11-Apr

DEBATE: Does tropical nature have a future?

 

18-Apr

Student presentations of chosen research topics

 

 
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