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WI DNR Ecological Landscape Maps Wisconsin Botanical Information System
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ObjectivesBiogeography, as I see it, complements numerous related disciplines in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. Its distinction is that my emphasis is on describing, predicting, and explaining the SPATIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF LIFE, with particular emphasis on form, habitat, and population. I have structured this course into six roughly two-week components. Initially we shall review some basic concepts of biogeography, including ways of characterizing the variety, distribution, and timing of organisms' existence. You will find that I emphasize the function and form of creatures rather than species, genus, etc., and that in my examples I usually refer to organisms by popular (rather than scientific) name. If you are well-versed in classic taxonomy and find my labels unfamiliar, please ask for clarification right away. Part of our ultimate objective is to consider explanations (not just mere descriptions) for the distribution of organisms in both space and time. To that end, we shall consider habitat, population, and mobility issues in the second, third, and fourth segments of this course. In Part 5 we will reintegrate these compartmentalized controls over distribution in historical case examples of change to the biosphere. [BACK] Finally, we will wrap up the course by considering the significance, or "so what...?", of biogeography in human affairs. Many of our critical dependencies and environmental crises involve our own adaptation—or maladaptation—to normal ecological relationships. Accordingly, I intend to conclude the course on an applied note by considering the role of human perception and behavior in the transformation of the biosphere. I hope to frequently deviate from the conventional lecture format to allow you to participate actively. Occasionally there may be alternative activities to academic presentations (e.g., projects and methodology sessions, current events, or guest speakers). Comment freely in lectures, and if you have a topic that you'd like to bring up in class, please do so! ATTENDANCE: Except while learning faces and enrolling late registrations during the first week, I will not call roll at classes. In a class this small I quickly learn names, and will note excessive absences without comment. The continuity of your notes documents whether you have conscientiously attended. [BACK] EXAMS: There will be one field skills and two topical exams. These exams will be a conventional one-hour written test during a class session. GRADE COMPOSITION: Field Skills Test - (F) 30SEP ........................ 10% Field Notebook - (M) 31OCT ......................... 20% Exam I - (M) 31OCT ..........................…........... 20% Project Report (due F02DEC) ....................... 20% Exam II - (W) 14DEC ..........................…........... 20% Project Presentations (16-17DEC) ..........… 10% N. C. Heywood maintains this page, last updated 20AUG05. |