Week 10: Biodiversity Challenge: Malaysia vs Texas

Even though Texas is larger and contains more habitat diversity (measured by a greater number of ecosystems), Malsysia contains many more species than Texas. In fact, Malaysia is considered to be a "biodiveristy hotspot".

Why are there so many more species in Malaysia than in Texas? The answer probably has to do with a general phenomenon that scientists have been trying to understand for over two hundred years- the tropical temperate gradient in species richness. There have been over thirty hypotheses developed to explain this pattern and research and debate on the topic is continuing today.

Readings

More General
Latitudinal gradients in diversity- http://www.ecology.info/article.aspx?cid=10&id=69

Latitudinal gradients in species diversity- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latitudinal_gradients_in_species_diversity

Thorough techical review
Latitudinal gradients of biodiversity: patterns, process, scale, and synthesis. Annula Review of Ecology and Systematics by Mike Willig, Dawn Kaufman, and Richard Stevens
http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/people/willig/Willig_pdf/120.%20Willig_etal_2003.pdf

Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/9hVZHFohOJijx5

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson a fully engaged student should be able to

1) discuss alternative approaches to understanding the causes of the tropical-temperate gradient in species richness including null models, biogeographical approaches, evolutionary approaches, and ecological approaches

Week 9: Biodiversity continued

Because biodiversity includes components of richness and evenness, any attempts that we make to quantify biodiversity will need to incorporate both of these components of biodiversity.

Mathematicians and ecologists have developed a number of mathematical indices to measure biodiversity and evenness. Two of the common indices are the Shannon Index and the Simpson Index. Because these two indices respond differently to changes in richess and evenness, it is possible to get different answers when using the two indices (as we observed in the example of data from Malaysian bats).

Second Writing Assignment

Due Wednesday October 6th.

1 page, double spaced.

Topic: Why should Malaysians be concerned about biodiversity?

Week 8- Introduction to Biodiversity

Readings

Biodiversity- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biodiversity

Species Diversity- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Species_diversity

Species Richness- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Species_richness


Slideshows

Introduction to Biodiversity- http://www.slideshare.net/secret/gWqnjocUOVwqfg

Species Diversity in Malaysian Bats- Exercise
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/iQrgbLVr19ozgo

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define biodiversity

- discuss components of biodiversity including species richness, species evenness, genetic diversity, etc.

- develop your own "metric" to measure biodiveristy

- use diversity indices such as Shannon Index and Simpson Index

Weeks 6 & 7: Disturbance Ecology

The approach that community ecologists use to understand patterns of biodiversity depends on whether they think that communities are full (i.e., member of communities is limited by biotic interactions such as competition and predation) or whether communities are not full. The "equilibrial approach" to understanding community structure assumes that community membership is limited by competition. Thus, to understand the number of species in a community it will be necessary to understand the number of potential distinct niches. The "non-equilibrial approach" assumes that some procese or processes (such as predation or disturbance) have limited competitive exclusion.

Disturbance Ecology

Ecological disturbances are one example of a process that can limit competitive exclusion. If a disturbance disrupts population growth of a superior competitor, then the population size of the superior competitor may not get large enough to competitively exclude other species.

Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/GH30nvAxRaF4P


Further Reading

1) Here is a link to a chapter entitled - The response of animals to disturbance and their roles in patch generation. that Mike Willig and I wrote for a book Ecosystems of Disturbed Ground. The first portion of this chapter talks about our view of disturbance the second discusses some of my research in Texas.

http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/people/willig/Willig_pdf/094.Willig&McGinley.1999.pdf

2) The Fire Ecology Factsheet- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Fire_ecology_fact_sheet


Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define disturbance
- list examples of disturbances
- distinguish between a disturbance and a disaster
- discuss the characteristics of a disturbance regime
- discuss some adaptations of organisms to disturbances
- discuss why disturbances are natural parts of many ecosystems
- discuss the intermediate disturbance hypothesis
- discuss disturbances applicable to Malaysia

Week 5- Studying Tropical Rainforests in Malaysia

From our investigations of the role of competition in determining population and community structure in temperate deserts and prairies we learned a lot about how to more effectively study ecological systems. Many of the difficulties encountered when studying temperate systems are magnified greatly when attempting to study interactions in the tropical rainforest.

Today we will examine (1) changes in how we have conducted research in natural history and ecology over time, (2) long term ecological research, and (3)opportunities for long term ecological research in Malaysian tropical rainforests.

Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/tEQNn6QW5qqDsF



Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson a fully engaged student should be able to

1) discuss how and why we ecologists have changed how the investigate ecological questions

2) discuss the benefits and possible problems associated with long term ecological research

3) discuss potential long term ecological research sites in Malaysia

Writing Assignment

Due next week. One page, double spaced.

Topic: discus the possible role of competition in determining patterns of population and community structure.

If you can get a copy of it to me before Saturday then I can look it over, meet with you, and help you to revise your paper.

Weeks 3 and 4- Plant Competition in Terrestrial Ecosystems

Today we move from talking about abiotic factors to examining how biotic interactions affect community structure. We will start by examining how competition for resources has influenced population and community structure in temperate deserts and grasslands.

Powerpoint Presentation

Plant Competition in Temperate Regions
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/oDCwnUzckOmSna


Readings

Community Ecology from the Ecology Reader (EoE)
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecology_Reader-_Ecology_for_Teachers#Competition

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson a fully engaged student should be able to

1) discuss, in general, the possible influences of competition on population and community structure

2) discuss the role of competition among desert shrubs in determing patterns of spatial dispersion

3) describe Tilman's R* model of competition

4) discuss the experiments in which Tilman and Wedin tested the R* model

Week 2: Ecology- The Importance of Abiotic Factors

Lecture Date: Wednesday July 21, 2010

***REMEMBER- your first assignment is due!!

Slideshare:

Deserts, prairies, and forests- http://www.slideshare.net/secret/aVrFdv9S7038HJ

To learn more about the organisms that live in deserts, the ecosystem that is most different from those you have in Malaysia, look at- Intro to Desert Flora and Fauna
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/pw2UrKumkR7KRT

Readings

From the Ecology Reader on the EoE

Adaptations to Desert Environments

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecology_Reader-_Ecology_for_Teachers#Adaptations_to_desert_environments

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson a fully engaged student should be able to

1) define "primary production" ("primary productivity")

2) discuss the factors that can limit productivity in different parts of the world

3) discuss how temperature and precipitation interact to influence biome type

4) discuss strategies for plants to grow in desert ecosystems (xerophytes, phreatophytes, and ephemerals)

5) discuss the adaptation of temperate plants being "cold decidious"

6) differentiate between apical and intercalary meristems

7) discuss why intercalary meristems located at, or below, ground level are good adaptations for prairie plants

8) discuss why plants have to grow taller in order to compete for light.