BIOLOGY 297/PSU 005

Textbooks:
(on reserve in the library)

Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry and Applications, Cunningham and Cunningham, (2nd ed)

Selected books are also on "reserve" in the library and can be utilized at any time

Computer Resources:

Exploring Life CD-ROM

Exploring Life Web-site

Biodiversity Online Web-site

Online Learning Center Textbook Web-site

Freshman Seminar Web-site for Study Skills

Objectives of Course:

The largest terrestrial ecosystems, called biomes, are characterized by similar climates, soil conditions, and biological communities. Among the major biomes are deserts, tundra, grasslands, temperate deciduous forests, temperate coniferous forests, temperate rainforests, tropical rain forests, and polar ice. Aquatic ecosystems include oceans and seas, rivers, lakes, estuaries, marshes, swamps, bogs, fens, and reefs. Humans have disturbed, or damaged much of all of the terrestrial biomes on Earth. According to the World Atlas of Biodiversity: Earth’s Living Resources for the 21st Century released by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in August 2002, during the past 150 years, humans have directly altered close to 47% of the global land area. Some of this disturbance and domination is permanent, but we have opportunities to apply ecological knowledge and practical experience to restoring and repairing ecosystems.

Biomes shelter the world’s biodiversity of species and the genes they harbor. It has become obvious that no species can compete with humanity. In the last 100 years, the human population has more than tripled and is now estimated at 6.3 billion (http://www.edu.ue-foundation.org/worldpop.html). This explosion continues, even as 34% of the world’s fish species (51% of freshwater species), 25% of amphibians, 24% of mammals, 20 % of reptiles, 14% of plants, and 12% of bird species are under threat of extinction, according to the 2000 joint study by the World Conservation Union and Conservation International and a 1999 study by the World Wildlife Fund. As many as a quarter of 1 percent of the species in the world’s tropical rainforests (roughly 9,000-26,000 species) are being extinguished or doomed to early extinction each year (25-71 species per day). The Endangered Species Act and CITES represent a new attitude toward wildlife in which we protect organisms just because they are rare and endangered. We humans are expanding our concern from individual species to protecting habitat, threatened landscapes, and entire biogeographical regions.

Social, cultural, and economic factors must be considered if we want to protect biomes and their wealth of species and other resources on a long-term, sustainable basis. The general purpose of this course is to introduce you to biodiversity at the biome, species, and genetic levels using a multidisciplinary approach. This course will also explore basic concepts of ecology and environmental science that relate to this biodiversity. By directly exposing you to the biodiversity in your surrounding Pennsylvania deciduous forest, and selected biomes in Ecuador, Galapagos, Alaska, Australia, Costa Rica explored by PSU students throughout the years, via a blended delivery of interactive Web sites, text assignments, classroom presentations and discussions, videos, and hands-on field experience, you will gain the knowledge to become informed citizens on environmental issues and possibly even implement positive change by contributing to society as an advocate of the environment in the future.

Assignments

This course will meet every week for two hours.  Your instructors will use the course Web-site or related Web-sites to teach the basic concepts of ecology and environmental biology as they relate to the biodiversity of our world's terrestrial biomes and aquatic ecosystems.  These Web-sites are interactive in that you the student will be "doing" science as you learn in the classroom. 

Your instructors will also showcase professionally edited videos that they produced of their previous field courses to Ecuador, Alaska, Australia, and Costa Rica.  Additionally, they will give Web-based group assignments that are posted on the course's Web-site or elsewhere. 

On several occasions, the instructors will reverse the roles of the class and have the selected groups utilize the two hour class time to present assignments to the class as a whole.  These assignments should take 20 - 30 minutes for each group and time will be left afterwards for the entire class to reflect and exchange ideas. 

Service Learning Experiences
and Field Explorations

The entire class will visit both Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton, Pennsylvania and the Wildlands Conservancy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. While at Hawk Mountain, you will be given presentations on the forest ecology and biodiversity of the Pennsylvania's predominant biome, the northeastern deciduous forest, the biogeography of this area, and the history of Hawk Mountain itself. You will also be taught the essentials of raptors during the peak of spring migration.

The current programs to protect raptors and other wildlife at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will also be reviewed. Dr. Keith Bildstein, Director of Research and Conservation Science, and his staff will assist Drs. McLaughlin and Zervanos in these events.

Concerning field experience at the Wildands Conservancy, you will learn about Pennsylvania's watersheds and directly assist Mr. Chris Kocher, Director of River Programs, and his staff, in stream restoration efforts. Mr. Kocher ahs agreed to visit the Lehigh Valley campus to educate you on our local watersheds and their history (Lehigh Canal and River, in discharge, development of the Lehigh Valley, rail roads, and coal, slate and iron ore mining), stream ecology, assessment strategies, causes of water pollution, and present river restoration techniques. We will then spend an entire day outdoors planting buffer zones and aiding staff with stream habitat improvements. Mr. Kocher has also agreed to lead us on a field trip down the Lehigh River, if possible. We will spend an entire day canoeing this waterway, then biking along its side for their return trip. It is advised that you record data and information in your journal that will be periodically reviewed by your instructors and possibly shared with your peers in the classroom.

Evaluation                  Methods

For the classroom material that is covered, your instructors will evaluate three semester group presentations on research effort, objectives met, content, and the delivery of the presentation itself. You also will be directly evaluated by your peers. For the latter, a "Group Presentation Scoring Guide" will be utilize to evaluate self and peers’ participation in presentation design and planning.

For the service-learning experiences and field explorations, your individual effort and participation will be evaluated on each trip, as well as your journal (notebook) entries. These entires should include field notes and a reflective summation of the actual experience.

Your journal will be handed in periodically for grading and assessment of your field entries and the required assignments outlined in the course syllabus.

Attendance and
Make-up Presentations

You will be responsible for all material.  All group presentations will be scheduled and used to assess your performance in this course.  None will be dropped. 

Only those individuals with legitimate and verifiable excuses will be allowed to re-schedule a group presentation.  If you cannot give a presentation at a scheduled time, you need to contact your instructors as soon as possible.  Documentation of reason for missing a scheduled presentation is required. 

Legitimate excuses are the following:

1. illness, with a doctor's excuse and receipt
2. a University-sponsored event (including religious holidays recognized by the University)
3. a death in the family with documentation

Family reunions, anniversaries and weddings are not legitimate excuses and make-up presentations will not be given for those reasons.  Check the presentation schedule to see if there are any conflicts between your academic and social calendar, and make adjustments or arrangements in your social calendar right away. 

Not handing in your journal assignments in on their due dates will result in your notebook being docked 100 points.

It is stressed that if you are late for class or miss class because of dangerous weather conditions, your safety is more important.  Always drive safely!

Classroom Courtesy

No cell phones, pagers, or alarm watches, please!  While we all love these conveniences, they have no place in the classroom or field, where they break others' concentration and hold others "hostage".  Also, please keep all beverages, food, or chewing gum out of the classroom.

Class Grades

Class grades will be determined by a percentage scale based upon the total number of points available (1,400 points). Penn State University letter grade
equivalents:

DATE

TOPIC

READING ASSIGNMENTS

1/15

Introduction to the Course; So What Activity

Biodiversity of World Biomes Presentation

1/22

The Three Bs: Biomes, Biodiversity, and the Biosphere; Introduce "Peer Teaching" Assignments

Read Chapter 5 in Principles of Environmental Science and answer questions 1-12, Questions for Review, page 121; Review indicated Biodiversity on Line Web-site material; Complete Chapters 34 and 35 in Exploring Life CD-ROM (use your journal to show all work, i.e., notes and assignments).

1/29

The Three Bs Continued; Review Exploring Life Exercises and Mapping Biodiversity Assignment

Complete Web-Exercise, Mapping Biodiversity, page 122, in Principles of Environmental Science; Work on "Peer Teaching" assignments; Hand in journals for assessment.

2/5

Teaching Presentations; Go Over “Environment Close-Up” Assignments

Read chapter 9 in Principles of Environmental Science and answer questions 1-8, Questions for Review, page 223; Students teach their peers the major air pollutants, climate and air pollution, and the negative consequences for human health and the environment.

2/12

Peer Teaching Presentations

Read chapter 10 in Principles of Environmental Science and answer questions 1-11, Questions for Review, page 252; Students teach their peers the major water pollutants, water compartments, availability, quality, testing, treatment and legislation.

2/19

Special guest lecturer from Northampton Generating Company, Mr. Edward Fuguli.

Hand-in notebooks for assessment

2/26

Alaska: Temperate Rainforest, Tundra, and Tiaga (Video of PSU Students Explorations); Review Managing Columbia River Salmon assignment

Read Chapter 6 in Principles of Environmental Science and answer questions 1-10, Questions for Review , page 146; Complete Web-Exercise Managing Columbia River Salmon, page 147, in Principles of Environmental Science.

3/4

Pennsylvania: Northeastern Deciduous Forest; Review Exploring Life Exercises

Read Chapter 7 in Principles of Environmental Science and answer questions 1-10, Questions for Review, page 171; Complete Chapter 36 in Exploring Life.

3/11

SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS

3/18

Costa Rica: Tropical Rainforests (Video of PSU student explorations); Plight of the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle; Review Ecological Footprint Exercise.

Read Chapter 14 in Principles of Environmental Science and answer questions 1-10,Thinking Scientifically, page 342-343; Complete Web Exercise, Calculating Your Ecological Footprint, page 343, in Principles of Environmental Science; Hand-in journals for assessment.

3/25

Special Lecture: Watersheds in the Lehigh Valley and their History (Mr. Chris Kocher, Director of River Programs, Wildland's Conservancy; go over Taking a Stand Exercise Assignments

4/1

Presentation and Field Trip to Northampton Generating Company. The facility itself burns waste coal (anthracite culm), coal silt, petroleum coke, paper pulp, and pulverized coal ash from our unit at Salem Harbor in Massachusetts. Its produces 110MW for First Energy and puts that power onto PP&L's grid.

Record data and information in your journal on field information.

4/8

Presentation and Field Trip to Hawk Mountain to Study Forest Ecology and Raptors.

Record all data and information in your journal.

4/15

Galapagos and Australia: Islands of Biodiversity (Videos of PSU student explorations); Taking a Stand Class Activity

Read Introductio , pages xii – xxiii, and assigned readings in Part 1, 1- 115 in Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Environmental Issues. Further information may be found at the following Web sites:

Leadership for Environment and Development International www.lead.org/leadnet/footprint

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
www.cites.org

Environmental Justice
www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice

National Wildlife Federation
www.nwf.org

Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org

4/22

Field Trip to Wildland's Conservancy to work on local watersheds

Record data and information in your journal on field information.

Back to Penn State Lehigh Valley

This page was last modified March 1, 2004.
Send questions or comments to jshea@psu.edu