Spring 2002

Spring 2009

(Syllabus Revised: 19 January 2009)

Biol 4331: Global change ecology

Instructor: Dr. Peter H. Wyckoff Office: Science 1375

Phone: x6347 E-Mail: wyckoffp@morris.umn.edu

Web Page: http://cda.mrs.umn.edu/~wyckoffp/

Class: MWF 11:45-12:50

Office hours: M 2:05-3:00, W 8:30-10:00, 2:05-3:00, F 10:30-11:30

The themes of the course are global change and the human impact on the biosphere. As with any ecology course, the interrelatedness of the topics covered makes it hard to design a syllabus with a satisfying linear progression. We will start the semester working through portions of an ecosystem-oriented global change text: Biogeochemistry by Schlesinger. After spring break, we will focus on two big, newsworthy issues: climate change and agriculture.

Texts

Schlesinger, W. H. 1997. Biogeochemistry: an analysis of global change (2^nd edition). Academic Press, San Diego.

Pimm, S. L. 2001. The world according to Pimm: a scientist audits the earth. McGraw-Hill, New York.

Reserved readings

Beckage, B., B. Osborne, et al. (2008). "A rapid upward shift of a forest ecotone during 40 years of warming in the Green Mountains of Vermont." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(11): 4197-4202.

Broecker, W. (2004). "Future global warming scenarios." Science 304: 388.

Brener, R., J. VandenBrooks, et al. (2007). "Oxygen and evolution." Science 316: 557-558.

Canadell, J., Le Quéré, C.L., Raupach, M., Field, C., Buitenhuis, E., Ciais, P., Conway, T., Gillett, N.P., Houghton, R.A., & Marland, G. (2007) Contribution to accelerating atmospheric CO₂ growth from economic activity, carbon intensity, and efficiency of natural sinks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104, 18866-18870

Chivian, D., E. Brodie, et al. (2008). "Environmental genomics reveals a single-species ecosystem deep within earth." Science 322: 275-278.

De'ath, G., J. Lough, et al. (2009). "Declining coral calcification on the Great Barrier reef." Science 323: 116-119.

Dukes, J. (2003). “Burning buried sunshine: human consumption of ancient solar energy.” Climatic Change 61: 31-44.

Eickhout, B., A. F. Bouwman and H. v. Zeijts (2006). "The role of nitrogen in world food production and environmental sustainability." Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 116: 4-14.

FAO (2006). Livestock's long shadow: environmental issues and options, United Nations: 414.

Falkowski, P. G. and Y. Isozaki (2008). "The story of O₂." Science 322: 540-541.

Fargione, J., J. Hill, et al. (2008). "Land clearing and the biofuel carbon debt." Science 319: 1235-1238

Finzi, A. et al. (2006). "Progressive nitrogen limitation of ecosystem processes under elevated CO₂ in a warm-temperate forest." Ecology 87: 15-25.

Fischer, J., B. Brosi, et al. (2008). "Should agricultural policies encourage land sparing or wildlife-friendly farming." Frontiers in Ecology 6: 380-385.

Gibbs, S., P. Bown, J. A. Sessa, T. Bralower and P. Wilson (2006). "Nannoplankton extinction and origination across the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum." Science 314: 1770-1773.

Gedney, N. et al. (2006). "Detection of direct carbon dioxide effect in continental river runoff records." Nature 439: 835-838.

Hansen, J. et al. (2005). "Earth's energy imbalance: confirmation and implications." Science 308: 1431-1435.

Heckenberger, M., J. Russell, et al. (2008). "Pre-Columbian urbanism, antropogenic landscapes, and the future of the Amazon." Science 321: 1214-1217.

Keppler, F., J. Hamilton, M. Brab and T. Rockmann (2006). "Methane emissions from terrestrial plants under aerobic conditions." Nature 439: 187-191.

Kolbert, E. (2006). “The darkening sea.” The New Yorker: 66-75.

Long, S., E. Ainsworth, A. Rogers and D. Ort (2004). "Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide: plants FACE the future." Annual Review of Plant Biology 55: 591-628.

Mann, C. C. (2008). "Ancient earthmovers of the Amazon." Science 321: 1148-1152.

Meehl, G. A. and C. Tebaldi (2004). "More intense, more frequent, and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st century." Science 305: 994-996.

Mohan, J., L. H. Ziska, W. H. Schlesinger, R. Thomas, R. Sicher, K. George and J. S. Clark (2006). "Biomass and toxicity responses of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) to elevated atmospheric CO₂." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 9086-9089.

Pacala, S. and R. Socolow (2004). "Stabilization wedges: solving the climate problem for the next 50 years with current technologies." Science 305: 968-972.

Parmesan, C. (2006). "Ecological and evoutionary responses to recent climate change." Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 37: 637-659.

Ragauskas, A. (2006). "The path forward for biofuels and biomaterials." Science 311: 484-489.

Reich, P. et al. (2001). “Plant diversity enhances ecosystem responses to elevated CO₂ and nitrogen deposition.” Nature 410: 809-810.

Reich, P., S. Hobbie and et al. (2006). "Nitrogen limitation constrains sustainability of ecosystem response to CO₂." Nature 440: 922-925.

Russell, M. (2006). "First Life." American Scientist 94: 32-39.

Schmitz, O. (2008). "Effects of predator hunting mode on grassland ecosystem function." Science 319: 952-954.

Searchringer, T., R. Heimlich, et al. (2008). "Use of croplands for biofuels increases greenhouse gases through emissions from land-use change." Science 319: 1238-1240.

Steiner, C., W. Teixeira, et al. (2007). "Long term effects of manure, charcoal, and mineral fertilization on crop production and fertility on a highly weathered Central Amazonian soil." Plant and Soil 291: 275-290.

Tilman, D et al. (2001). “Diversity and productivity in a long-term grassland experiment.” Science 294: 843-845.

Wigley, T. M. (2006). "A combined mitigation/geoengineering approach to climate stabilization." Science 314: 452-454.

Wilts, A. R., D. C. Reicosky, R. R. Allmaras and C. E. Clapp (2004). "Long-term corn residue effects: harvest alternatives, soil carbon turnover, and root-derived carbon." Soil Science Society of America Journal 68: 1342-1351.

Willis, C., B. Ruhfel, et al. (2008). "Phylogenetic patterns of species loss in Thoreau's woods are driven by climate change." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105: 17029-17033.

Wyckoff, P. H. and R. Bowers, In review. Response of the prairie/forest border to climate change: impacts of increasing drought may be mitigated by increasing CO₂. Submitted to the J. of Ecol January 2009.

Tentative Class Schedule

#	Date	Topic	Readings
		Unit 1: Setting the stage
1	Jan. 21	A brief history of the Universe	Schelsinger 2
2	Jan. 23	Earth forms and life begins -Photosynthesis and the rise of oxygen -Oxygen and biology -Life alters the geological carbon cycle	Schlesinger 1 Russell (2006) Brener et al. (2008) Falkowski et al. (2008)
3	Jan. 26	Earth forms and life begins II	Chivian et al. (2008)
		Unit 2: Air, land and water
4	Jan. 28	The atmosphere -Structure and circulation -Reactions in the troposphere	Schlesinger 3
5	Jan. 30	NO CLASS- PETE OFF CAMPUS
6	Feb. 2	The atmosphere (part II) -Reactions in the stratosphere -Focus on ozone HOMEWORK DUE- Problem set 1
7	Feb. 4	The land -What do plants and animals need from the soil? -Origin and fate of soil nutrients -Soil chemistry and development	Schlesinger 4
8	Feb. 6	Energy flux, productivity and carbon -The ecosystem concept -Energy and carbon fluxes	Schlesinger 5
9	Feb. 9	Energy flux, productivity and carbon (part II) -Quantifying global productivity
10	Feb. 11	EXAM 1
11	Feb. 13	Energy flux, productivity and carbon III
12	Feb. 16	Human impact on productivity -Pimm discussion Homework DUE—Pimm assignment	Pimm 1-6
13	Feb. 18	Productivity and rising CO₂ -Natural experiments -FACE studies	Long et al. (2004) Mohan et al. (2006)
14	Feb. 20	Productivity and rising CO₂	Gedney et al. (2006) Wyckoff and Bowers (in review)
15	Feb. 23	Nutrient Cycling on Land REVIEW PAPER- Topic &Sources Due	Schlesinger 6
16	Feb. 25	Nutrient Cycling on Land (part II) -Nitrogen continued	Finzi et al. (2006) Reich et al. (2006)
17	Feb. 27	Nutrient Cycling on Land III
18	Mar. 2	The Oceans -Circulation,Productivity and nutrient cycling -Acidification	Schlesinger 9 Kolbert (2006) De’ath et al. (2009)
19	Mar. 4	The Oceans (part II) -Role in the global hydrological system -Fisheries	Schlesinger 10 Pimm 8-10
20	Mar. 6	Exam II
		Unit 3: Modern Climate Change
21	Mar. 9	The global carbon cycle -The modern carbon cycle -The fossil fuel pool -Atmospheric methane	Schelsinger 11
22	Mar. 11	The global carbon cycle II	Dukes (2003)
23	Mar. 13	The global carbon cycle III -Human impacts on the methane cycle Homework DUE—Problem set #2	FAO (2006) Keppler et al. (2006)
		Spring Break
24	Mar. 23	The global carbon cycle IV
25	Mar. 25	Climate forcings and global warming -N₂O sources and sinks -The role of clouds and aerosols	Hansen et al. (2005) Canadell et al. (2007)
26	Mar. 27	Climate forcings II Review paper due
27	Mar. 30	Positive feedback and warming -Boreal decomposition -Ice melting and sea levels	Broecker (2004) Meehl and Tibaldi (2004) Murray (2006)
28	Apr. 1	Impacts of warming on biology -Genetic adaptation -Potential for Dispersal -Case study: Eocene warming Oral Presentation Topic DUE	Parmesan (2006) Gibbs et al. (2006)
29	Apr. 3	Impacts of warming II	Beckage et al. (2008) Willis et al. (2008)
		Unit 4: Agriculture, etc.
30	Apr. 6	Ancient Impacts of Agriculture	Mann (2008) Heckenberger et al. (2008)
31	Apr. 8	EXAM III
32	Apr. 10	Soil carbon + Erosion	Wilts et al. (2004) Steiner et al. (2007)
33	Apr. 13	Oral Presentations I
34	Apr. 15	Guest Speaker: Don Reicosky, USDA Soils Lab
35	Apr. 17	Fuels from biomass -Alcohol from sugars and cellulose -Gasification	Ragauskas (2006)
36	Apr. 20	Oral Presentations II
37	Apr. 22	Calculating the costs and benefits of biofuels	Fargione et al. (2008) Searchringer et al. (2008)

38	Apr. 24	Other impacts of agriculture Review Paper Revisions DUE (optional)	Eickhout et al. (2006) Fischer et al. (2008)
39	Apr. 27	Oral Presentations III
40	Apr. 29	Diversity and ecosystem function I -The Minnesota prairie experiments -Other natural and lab systems	Tilman et al. (2001) Reich et al. (2001)
41	May 1	Diversity and ecosystem function II Homework due—Problem set 3	Scmmitz (2008)
42	May 4	Oral Presentations IV
43	May 6	Mitigation of human impacts	Pacala and Socolow (2004) Wigley (2006)
44	May 8	Wrap-up and review

Major Due Dates

Feb 2- Problem Set 1

Feb 11- Exam 1

Feb 16- Paper 1

Feb 23- Paper 2: topics and sources

Mar 6- Exam 2

Mar 13- Problem Set 2

Mar 27- Paper 2: draft

Apr 1- Oral presentation topics

Apr 8- Exam 3

Apr 13, 20. 27 or May 4- Oral presentations

Apr 24- Paper 2: revisions

May 1- Problem Set 3

Final Exam

Wednesday, May 13, 4:00-6:00 PM

Grades

Participation 50

Assignments

1. Problem sets (3 x 50 pts) 150

2. Pimm Paper (5 pages) 75

3. Literature summaries/ quizzes 50

3. Literature review paper (10 pages) 150

5. Oral presentation of ecological literature (10 minutes) 75

Assignment Total 500

Exam 1 100

Exam 2 100

Exam 3 100

Final exam 150

Exam Total 450

---------------------------

Overall Total 1000

At worst: A = 90-100%; B = 80-90%; C = 70-80%; D = 60-70%; F < 60%.

I may curve up, but I will not curve down.

Grade expectations

Satisfactory work demonstrating a simple, but largely complete, grasp of the course material will receive a “C.” An “A” or a “B” requires you to demonstrate more thought and sensitivity to nuance.

Partial credit on problems and calculations will only be given if you show your work. If I explicitly ask you to show your work on a homework or exam problem, then a mere answer is not enough (even a correct answer)—you must show me how you reached your answer.

On average, this course should require 12 hours a week of work (4 credits* 3 hours a week per credit). That means that you should expect to work an average of 8 hours a week outside of class. If the work associated with this class appears to be either too light or excessive, please let me know.

Policy on incomplete grades

In accordance with University policy, incomplete grades will only be awarded under extraordinary circumstances. Normally, I will only consider awarding an incomplete in cases where illness or family emergency prevent a student from completing the last assignments in a course (end of the semester projects, final exams, etc.). You can only be eligible for an incomplete if your average on all graded, completed work is greater than an F.

Attendance policy

Lecture attendance is not mandatory, but I will take attendance and deduct 5 participation points for each unexcused absence. Tests will be based primarily on material covered in class.

Excused absences will be granted for family emergencies, illness, varsity athletic events, and other official university functions. Written documentation for excused absences must be submitted and can be obtained from health services or chancellor’s office.

Late work policy

Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due (though they will not be counted as late if in by 5:00). Late assignments lose 20% of their value for each day or portion of a day they are late (not counting weekends). For example, if an assignment is due on a Friday, and you turn it in Tuesday, the assignment is 2 days late and thus only worth 60% of its original value.

Policy on Academic Honesty

I have no tolerance for cheating or plagiarism. Any paper, assignment or examination showing signs of academic dishonesty will be investigated. If I suspect dishonesty, I will notify the student that we must meet to discuss the matter. Failure to respond to a request for such a meeting will be taken as an admission of guilt. The standard penalty for dishonesty will be a grade of “0” on the assignment in question. In egregious cases, I will give an “F” for the course grade. In accordance with University policy, I will report any penalties levied to the vice chancellor for student affairs. Penalized students then have the right to appeal.

Any work submitted by a student must be written in his or her own words (i.e. you cannot simply copy or paraphrase textbooks, other written sources, or work submitted by other students). In the case of group work submitted with multiple names, I will assume that all have contributed equally. For homework and problem sets, I encourage students to work together, but that cannot mean that one student simply copies from another.

Extra credit policy

I may periodically offer extra credit as an incentive to participate in activities that are related to class, but not otherwise required—public lectures, service projects, etc. Extra credit cannot be used to raise your final course grade more than one step—i.e. a C- to a C or a B+ to an A-. Thus, any extra credit earned beyond 40-50 points will enrich your soul, but cannot enrich your grade.

Disability Accommodations

I will make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities or special needs upon request.