Introduction
Syllabus
Course
Information
Links & Readings
Bulletin
Board
Post
to Bulletin Board
Lecture Notes
(Will
open in new window - only use Internet Explorer)
1 - Intro Eco (html, PPT)
2 - Pop Eco (html, PPT)
3 - Comm Eco (html, PPT)
4 - Ecosys Eco (html, PPT)
5 - Cons Eco (html, PPT)
PPT
files are zipped using WinZip
Assignments
1 - Ecol
Footprint
2 - Population
Growth
3 - Forensic
Entomology
4 - Invasion
Biology |
- Assignment:
Research a specific
exotic species of interest to you, using the materials that are
available
online, and summarize what you learn about them with reference to what
it is that we have learned in the class. We will each create a webpage
in the process!
- The branch
of
ecology studying
introduced species is a new one that has achieved enhanced recognition
of late. Much of the increase in prominence is due to several recent
high
profile species introductions (zebra mussel, green crab, Asian
longhorned
beetle, the West Nile Virus, and purple loosestrife in the continental
United States) and the enhanced theoretical rigor of the field.
- These
introduced species are
leading to a dramatic restructuring of ecosystems around the world and
to the extinction of thousands of species. Partly as a recognition of
the
importance and rapid development of this field, Science magazine
recently
had a special issue reviewing the problem (Vol. 285, No. 5435).
- Most of
these
species were introduced
into novel areas due to human activity. Because human mobility and
shipping
have increased, the number of accidentally introduced species around
the
world has reached a fever pitch and still escalates. Introduced species
are also intentionally introduced as biological control agents and for
erosion control, farming, and sport fishing.
- Irrespective
of the mode of
introduction, these species can and have become serious pest species,
leading
to millions of dollars of economic impact and untold damage to the
local
ecological balance. Governmental and private funding for basic and
applied
research on exotic species and permanent research positions focusing
exclusively
on exotics have each proliferated worldwide. The field of invasion
biology
will only continue to become more prominent as additional human
facilitated
species introductions continue.
- Invasion
biologists explore
the impact of introduced species on the local ecology, the mechanisms
behind
their introduction, the theoretical bases behind these activities, and
the political consequences of exotics. In this lecture and discussion
based
course for upper level undergraduates and beginning graduate students,
we will explore each of these components of invasion biology.
- The
following
are websites available
for background reading for this assignment:
- Alien
Species in Hawai'i from Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) Project
of the University of Hawai'i Department of Botany is a page that is
focused on the impact of these exotics on
these islands. Hawai'ian biota has the unfortunate distinction of being
most
heavily hit by introduced species, worldwide. You could also read
further on background to the problem in Hawai'i at The Silent Invasion
from HEAR and at The
Alien Species Problem in Hawai'i also from HEAR.
- Impacts
of Introduced Species in the United States by Dr. Daniel
Simberloff,
in Consequences:
the Nature and Implications of Environmental Change online journal. I
would
put this is in the required readings list, but it is very long.
It
is one of the better summaries of the impacts of exotic organisms that
is available online.
- InvasiveSpecies.gov
is the central clearinghouse of information from the USDA and has many
relevant links to information but they are currently renovating that
site. Use http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/
instead for the time being.
- Chapter
14: EXOTIC INTRODUCTIONS from Biodiversity and Conservation: A
Hypertext
Book by Peter J. Bryant. This is mostly a rogue's gallery of important
exotic species in North America.
- Your
Assignment:
- Read, or
at
least look through,
the above webpages.
- Do the
following:
- Download
the template
file here. Save it to your computer, as you will be editing it and
then sending it to me. The above file is zipped and you'll need WinZip
to open it. Alternatively, you could download
the Word file directly here.
- Choose
an
introduced species
that is of interest to you. The species should not be one that has
already
been profiled at the Introduced
Species Summary website. It can be a species that is a pest in NYC
or anywhere else in the world. Use the above websites for possible
ideas.
- As you
are
researching about
your species of choice, fill in the fields that are on the template
file.
To better explain what each field on the template is, consult the Introduced
Species Summary Guidelines page.
- You
should
use the free Netscape
Composer web editing software to edit the template file for your
species
of interest. You probably have this on your computer already. To
check this, do the following: Start up Netscape on your computer, if
you
have Netscape 6 (the most common, but not most current, version -
Netscape 7 is the most current version) go to the Tasks menu option and
click on Composer (if you have an older version of Netscape, Composer
will be in the Communicator menu option), you will thereby start up the
Composer program. At this point, you can click on the Open toolbar,
navigate
to where you have saved the template file, and open it. From this
point,
you can then edit the file using Composer as you would a normal text
file
in Word. If you do not have Netscape, you can download
version 7 here. Choose the 7.0 English version that is appropriate
for your computer and install it.
- Save the
file using the Genus
and species names as follows (following this manner of capitalization:
Genus_species. "Genus" is the scientific genus name of the species you
are working on and "species" is the scientific species name.
- Use the
pages that have already
been created on the Introduced
Species Summary website as examples to follow. DO NOT worry about
making
your webpage as extensive as theirs, as they worked on it for a much
longer
time than will you. However, do try to fill in all of the areas
of
the template as best you can. If you wish to include an image and know
how to do that, then feel free to do so. Otherwise, don't worry
about
it.
- If your
project is up to snuff, we'll put
it online at the Introduced
Species Summary website!
- Do
not
simply cut and paste text from another webpage, as that is at a minimum
inappropriate, and at worst, plagiarism. Read the source text, become
familiar with the content, and then put it into your own words.
- DUE: Online at
Courseworks.columbia.edu before the start of the FIFTH and Final Class
Session - post the html file, and all of your photos individually into
your folder online
Written 2002 by
James Danoff-Burg. |