Spring 2019
This course will provide an introduction to the discipline of conservation biology. The first two-thirds of the course will focus on the biological aspects of the discipline. Topics covered will include patterns of biodiversity and extinction, causes of extinction and population declines, techniques used to restore populations, landscape level conservation planning, and the role of conservation in protecting ecosystem services. The final third will cover the practical aspects of implementing conservation actions and will include lectures on conservation economics and conservation law.
Basic course information
Credits: 3
Instructor: Chris Elphick (office: TLS 372/4, down the hall from the EEB office; office hours – at lecture hall 15 mins before or after class, and/or by appointment) Email: chris.elphick [AT] uconn.edu Twitter: @ssts
Teaching assistant: Samantha Apgar (office hours: 2-3 pm on Thursdays in TLS 368, or by appointment) Email: samantha.apgar [AT] uconn.edu Twitter: @SamApgar
Your emails to us must contain the phrase “EEB 2208” in the subject line; emails received without that phrase, and especially those with a blank subject line, may get treated as SPAM and be deleted without being read.
Lecture: M, W 2-3:15 PM
Location: BPB 131
Pre-requisites: There are currently no prerequisites for the course, but it is aimed at students who are at least sophomores.
Text book: I lecture primarily from my own notes, and there is no required reading for the course. Reading beyond the lecture material, however, will be helpful as I will expect you to know a range of examples for each phenomenon I describe. The textbook Essentials of Conservation Biology (R.B. Primack, 6th Edition, Sinauer) is probably the best supplemental text, and I recommend you get a copy, especially if you are interested in conservation biology as a career. On my syllabus I indicate which chapters go with each topic. This New York Times article is a bit old now, but has suggestions for finding cheap text books that might be useful. Another book that might be helpful is available as a free download here. The free textbook covers many of the topics I’ll cover in class, but is not as comprehensive as Primack’s book, and not as similar in its organization to the way that I have set up my lectures. The 5th edition of Primack is also probably OK, but will not be as up-to-date (the author of this book treats revisions seriously) and chapter/page numbering will differ a little.
Web site: This site will serve as the primary web site for information about the class. We will, however, also have a huskyCT site where grades will be posted, where homework can be turned in, and where you can post questions for me, the TA, or your classmates. The huskyCT site will not be available until after the first class.
Research paper readings: In some lectures, I will provide supplemental readings from the primary research literature to augment the lectures. These readings will be the subject of class discussions and graded in-class questions; material from them may also appear on exams. See the syllabus below for more information on when these discussions will occur and what is expected of you.
Optional reading that might be helpful: If you are really interested in this topic, then you will be well served if you check out recent issues of the journal Conservation Biology (note that to read articles you will need to be connected to the UConn system).
Questions: Please ask lots of them! Class is much more interesting (for me and you) when people ask questions. If you send me questions over email, I will post them (anonymously) along with the answers on the discussion board on huskyCT, so that everyone can read the responses.
Office hours: I do not have fixed office hours because they inevitably do not work for many students. But, I will usually be present in the lecture hall for at least 15 minutes before and after each lecture to answer questions. Please come up and introduce yourself – the class is big and it is hard for me to get to know people unless they come and talk to me. I am also happy to meet at other times by appointment. If you would like to meet, then email me, telling me (a) what you want to discuss (so I can prepare) and (b) when would be good times to meet (Mon, Tues, or Wed will usually be best). The TA is also available to answer questions by email, during office hours, and/or by appointment (see above for details).
Course objectives and expectations: My goal is to provide you with a basic understanding of the scientific field of conservation biology and the application of science to solving conservation problems. My primary goal is for you to learn and understand basic concepts and general ideas, although to get an A or a high B, you will need to know plenty of details too. I will expect you to know examples relating to each major concept, so that you can relate theory to practical, real-world situations. I will not expect you to memorize all of the minutia in my notes; for example, I would not ask you exactly how many species have gone extinct in the last 500 years. But, I will expect you to have a solid understanding of the core information that would be required of you in a job in this field; for example, I would expect you to know whether the number of extinctions this decade is likely to be closer to 2 or 20,000. The readings are intended to complement the lectures. My lectures will not repeat verbatim what is in those readings, and I will often use different examples or cover somewhat different topics. Both the lecture material and the readings, however, are important and could appear on exams.
Specific things that I hope you will learn are:
- to understand the basic issues that define the field of conservation biology;
- specific factual information about major issues in conservation biology;
- specific examples of all important concepts, problems, and solutions;
- to use general principles to think about ways to solve specific conservation problems;
- to extrapolate from examples I provide in class to other cases with similar characteristics (e.g., that I may ask about in exams!);
- to acknowledge scientific uncertainty when it exists, and to recognize when it hampers understanding and when it does not;
- to read scientific papers and understand the main points that they make;
- to interpret graphs, tables, and simple statistics presented in the scientific literature;
- to present scientific information to your peers in a format commonly used by scientists;
- to think about the work of others and provide constructive feedback.
If you are just taking this course out of general interest, then hopefully it will provide you with a sense of how the biological sciences can be applied to protection of the natural world, and will give you a better understanding of the main issues in conservation biology. For those of you wishing to pursue a career in conservation biology, I hope that this course will give you a solid foundation on which to build with future courses (e.g., EEB 5310, EEB 5370). If this is your goal, I’d also encourage you to check out EEB’s joint BS/MS program in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology. There are also links to good sites for finding internships and jobs (short-term and permanent) in conservation biology below.
General student help
Counseling and Mental Health Services: (860) 486-4705 (24 hours).
Alcohol and Other Drug Education Office: (860) 486-9431.
Dean of Students Office: (860) 486-3425.
Academic rules and conduct
All students should be aware of the guidelines on academic integrity contained in the Student Code, which is available here.
Conservation biology in the news
Recent news articles that relate to the topics covered in this course will be posted on Twitter and can be viewed here. You do not need an account to view them, but if you use Twitter and want to contribute please do so using #eeb2208. If you want to get the class-related tweets that I post, follow me @ssts.
Important course documents
Link to some poster design tips
Citation guidelines (for poster project)
Schedule of lectures and examinations (subject to change)
The schedule below describes the order in which we will cover material. Not every topic fits nicely into the time set aside for a lecture, so be prepared for us to start some topics a lecture early, and for others to take longer than the syllabus suggests. Snow days may also disrupt things, so don’t be surprised if the topic listing changes slightly. (Note that assignments will not change unless something dramatic happens, in which case I will email everyone in the class using UConn addresses.)
Each lecture has an outline summarizing the material (linked to the topic titles in the syllabus below). Reading these notes before each lecture should help you to follow the material, and some people like to print them out so that they can spend more time listening and less time writing. These outlines, however, ARE NOT a substitute for coming to class, making your own notes, or doing the assigned readings, and you should not expect them to include everything covered in class (e.g., none of the graphics will be in the web notes). I will review and update each set of notes a day or two before each class, so minor changes may be introduced.
My advice is to look the notes over before class, make supplemental notes during the lecture, and then look over all the information again before the next class. Then, if there is anything that you do not understand, ask me about it at the start of the next lecture (I always try to be in class 10-15 mins early). In exams, you will be expected to know about all the things I talked about, not just the information in the web notes. If you choose to skip class and rely only on the web notes it will likely affect your grade.
The symbol ** in the “Reading” column means that there is important supplemental reading from the primary literature that we will discuss in class (if there is no ** then the reading is still important, but will not be the subject of graded in-class activities). Reading these papers is important as there will be graded writing assignments, conducted in class, for each one. I will also randomly pick people in class to answer questions about them. Links to the relevant papers can be accessed by clicking on the ** (note that links will not go live until a week or so into the semester). These links might not work if you are not using a computer that connects to the UConn network. It is possible to connect your home computers to the network by going to this site and signing in using your netID. We will also post the papers on the huskyCT site.
Weekly homework will be assigned on Wednesdays, with each assignment posted on huskyCT. Your responses should be submitted via huskyct and are due by 8 pm on the Sunday after the homework was assigned (see homework column in the table below). Answers will be posted on huskyCT.
In the syllabus I have also noted special lectures or other events (in green) that will take place on campus this semester and that are at least loosely connected to this course. Attendance at these lectures is not required, but the presentations should be of interest to anyone interested in conservation biology.
Because conservation biology is a fast-moving field, with the latest research constantly changing, all of my course notes are updated annually. Links to the documents in the syllabus below will work as soon as each set of notes is updated – usually this will be a day or so before the relevant lecture.
| Lecture | Date | Topic | Background reading | Homework (due 8 pm, Sundays) | Supplemental information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 Jan | What is conservation biology? | Primack Ch 1 & 6 | A summary of what the course is about: Part 1 and Part 2 | |
| 2 | 28 Jan | Interpreting statistics (when there’s an agenda) | Sutherland et al. 2013 | Theory of the Stork | |
| 3 | 30 Jan | Forms of biological diversity | Primack Ch 2 | Hwk #1 (due 3 Feb) |
International Year of Biodiversity Ecosystem services |
| 31 Jan | TEALE LECTURE: Litigating in the Supreme Court of the United States: Property Rights vs. Environmental Protection (Richard Lazarus) |
4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center | |||
| 4 | 4 Feb | Patterns of biodiversity | Primack Ch 3 | New species discoveries | |
| 5 | 6 Feb | Extinction rates | Primack Ch 7 | Hwk #2 (due 10 Feb) |
Thylacine video – all that’s left |
| 7 Feb | EEB SEMINAR: Walden warming: the effects of climate change on the plants and animals of Thoreau’s Concord (Richard Primack) | 3:30 PM, BPB 131 | |||
| 6 | 11 Feb | Patterns of extinction | Primack Ch 8 | A short extinction overview | |
| 7 | 13 Feb | Causes of population decline | Primack Ch 8 | Hwk #3 (due 17 Feb) |
1ST DISCUSSION TODAY!!! The fate of passenger pigeons IUCN Red List |
| 14 Feb | EEB SEMINAR: Canaries in the salt marsh: coastal marsh conservation as sea levels rise (Chris Elphick) | 3:30 PM, BPB 131 | |||
| 8 | 18 Feb | Habitat loss & degradation | Primack Ch 9: 175-196 | Another victim of habitat loss | |
| 9 | 20 Feb | Over-exploitation | Primack Ch 10: 215-227 | Hwk #4 (due 24 Feb) |
Bushmeat |
| 21 Feb | TEALE LECTURE: Beasts at Bedtime: Revealing the Environmental Wisdom in Children’s Literature (Liam Heneghan) | 4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center | |||
| 10 | 25 Feb | Invasive species | Primack Ch 10: 227-238
Watch Cane Toads |
IPANE | |
| 11 | 27 Feb | Disease | Primack Ch 10: 238-245
** |
Hwk #5 (due 3 Mar) |
Salamander disease |
| 1 Mar | Poster info due via email before 4 pm today | ||||
| 12 | 4 Mar | Global change | Primack Ch 9: 197-216 | National Academies video, part 1 USFS climate change atlases for trees and birds Climate Change Time Machine |
|
| 13 | 6 Mar | Ecosystem services | pp. 1-24 MEA Summary for decision makers
** |
Hwk #6 (due 10 Mar) |
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) |
| 11 Mar | Mid-term Exam | Study lectures 1-13 | Key (to come) | ||
| 14 | 13 Mar | Small population conservation | Primack Ch 11
** |
Hwk #7 (due 17 Mar) |
|
| 14 Mar | EEB SEMINAR:The FRAME: a dispersed network for urban forest ecology (Vincet D’Amico) | 3:30 PM, BPB 131 | |||
| 18 Mar | No Class: SPRING BREAK | Reading for … | |||
| 20 Mar | No Class: SPRING BREAK | … poster projects | |||
| 15 | 25 Mar | Population viability analysis | Primack Ch 12 | Demos of PVA simulations in class today and/or Wednesday | |
| 16 | 27 Mar | Conservation genetics | Primack Ch 13
** |
Hwk #8 (due 31 Mar) |
Frozen Ark Project POSTER PROSPECTUS DUE TODAY |
| 17 | 1 Apr | Ex situ conservation, release programs | Primack Ch 14 | Info on UConn’s endangered and extinct in the wild plants | |
| 18 | 3 Apr | Conservation reserves | Primack Ch 15
** |
Hwk #9 (due 7 Apr) |
US Protected Areas |
| 19 | 8 Apr | Reserve networks | Primack Ch 16 | Poster design tips | |
| 20 | 10 Apr | Conservation in the matrix | Primack Ch 18
** |
Hwk #10 (due 14 Apr) |
Flooding rice |
| 21 | 15 Apr | Management | Primack Ch 17 | Read about re-wilding | |
| 22 | 17 Apr | Habitat restoration | Primack: Ch 19
** |
Hwk #11 (due 21 Apr) |
|
| 18 Apr | TEALE LECTURE: Improving Water Quality: Are Economics and the Environment Always at Odds? (Catherine King) |
4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center | |||
| 22 Apr | Poster presentations: session A | Start studying | Grading forms: Yours // mine | ||
| 24 Apr | Poster presentations: session B | Primack: Ch 20 | Hwk #12 (due 28 Apr) | ||
| 23 | 29 Apr | Economics of conservation | Primack: Ch 4, 5
|
Instructor evaluations today | |
| 24 | 1 May | Conservation law and International legislation | Primack: Ch 21, 22
S & E Ch 12 |
Hwk #13 (due 5 May) |
Short video on wildlife trade |
| Study Guide | |||||
| TBD | Final exam: confirm time and date here | Cumulative | Exam will cover material from entire course |
* Questions about final exam rescheduling MUST be directed to the Office of Student Services and Advocacy: (860) 486-3426. I am not allowed to consider rescheduling requests unless you already have approval from that office. Except in emergencies, rescheduling of other graded activities will be considered only if a written request is made at least one week in advance. Rescheduling is not guaranteed.
Please note that these lecture notes are intended for students in EEB 2208 at The University of Connecticut, and may not make sense in other contexts. If, however, you are not a UConn student and they are useful to you, please use them – but kindly let me know first if you intend to use them for anything more than your own on-line reading. If you find errors, please let me know that too.
Poster topics
The following topics have been taken: If your poster number starts with an A then you will present on Monday. If it starts with a B then you will present on Wednesday. Please make note of your poster number. All posters must be turned in on Monday.
- A1 Conservation effects of border walls (John, Ashwin, Jordan)
- B1 Wild bee habitat losses (Desiree, Olivia, Zoe)
- A2 African wild dogs (Kristen, Fiona, Sara)
- B2 Flagship species (Cassidy, Keerigan, Yansong)
- A3 Pangolins (Daniel, Daneil, Joshua)
- B3 Dam effects on anadromous fish (Amy, Shantae, Chloe)
- A4 Climate change and arctic ecosystems (Michaela, Shannon, Prashant)
- B4 Artificial reefs (Cole, Mark Brian)
- A5 Noise pollution in marine systems (William, Adler, Sherifa)
- B5 Northern right whales (Gabe, Elizabeth, Charles)
- A6 Sturgeon conservation (Sarah, Shannon, Daria)
- B6 Bramble Cay Melomy (Tyrone, Angela, Abigail)
- A7 Coral bleaching (Justine, Fernando, Michelle)
Honors conversion projects
Occasionally honors students conduct additional projects to get honors credit for this class. Recently, those projects have involved developing web sites that provide information about conservation biology that relates to UConn or the state of Connecticut. I will post examples of those projects here as the information may be of interest to other students:
Other information
For information about EEB’s Joint B.S./M.S. degree program in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology click here
For information about the Society for Conservation Biology click here
For information on jobs in conservation biology click here
For information on jobs in wildlife biology click here