foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum) - [photo: Hugh Henry]
BIO4932G Course Outline 2010:
Topics in Conservation Biology
Professor: Dr. Hugh Henry, BGS 3021, <hhenry4@uwo.ca>
Lectures: Wednesdays, 2:30-5:30. Room: NS 7
Syllabus*:
Jan. 6 - a) Lesser snow geese in eastern North America - a case study
b) Journal paper lottery
Jan. 13 - a) Seminar topic lottery
b) Journal papers 1-5
Jan. 20 - Journal papers 6-11
Jan. 27 - Journal papers 12-17
Feb. 3 - Journal papers 18-23
Feb. 10 - Journal papers 24-28
Feb. 17 - Spring Break
Feb. 24 - Seminars 1-4
Mar. 3 - Seminars 5-8
Mar. 10 - Seminars 9-12
Mar. 17 - Seminars 13-16
Mar. 24 - Seminars 17-20
Mar. 31 - Seminars 21-24
Apr. 7 - Seminars 25-28
Textbook and Required Readings: none
Due dates:
Written proposal Wed., Jan. 27, 2:30
Essay Wed., Apr. 7, 2:30
- for late assignments, subtract 10% per day
Marks:
Journal paper presentation 10%
Written proposal 10%
Seminar 30%
Essay 40%
In-class participation 10%
Journal paper presentation*- 15-20 minutes + 5 minutes of discussion
Written proposal - 500 words and at least 6 references
Seminar*: - 25-30 minutes + 10 minutes of discussion
Essay: - 3000-4000 words, not including references, tables or figures.
Participation: - includes both attendance and meaningful contributions to class discussion
* details subject to change if large course enrolment increases occur in 1 st week of class.
Scholastic offenses are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf.
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).
Antirequisite(s): Biology 4931F/G, 4941E, 4943E, 4946E.
Prerequisite(s): Biology 3442F/G; and completion of at least 1.0 additional Biology course at the 3000 level or above; and registration in year 4 of an Honors Specialization module offered by the Department of Biology, or a Major in Conservation Biology.
Other information: 3 lecture hours per week, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Support Services - Registrarial Services ( http://www4.registrar.uwo.ca )
Possible areas of study for the development of seminar/essay topics:
1. The economic value of biodiversity
2. Impacts of modern molecular genetic techniques on conservation biology
3. The role of metapopulations in conservation
4. Biodiversity and climate change
5. Technology in conservation
6. Does modeling have a role in conservation?
7. Conservation in the Tropics: evolving roles for governments, international donors and non-government organizations
8. Infectious diseases and the conservation of host populations
9. Using biological processes in vertebrate pest management
10. Introduced species and the line between biodiversity conservation and naturalistic eugenics
11. Bushmeat: the challenge of balancing human and wildlife needs in African moist tropical forests
12. Does Sport Hunting Benefit Conservation?
13. Can Farming and Wildlife Coexist?
14. Environmental and demographic stochasticity and conservation
15. Viability of the cheetah: threatened by lack of genetic diversity?
16. White-tailed deer: overabundant and a serious conservation concern?
17. Habitat loss and fragmentation
18. Reversing declines; legislation, economics, and trade
19. Travel corridors: valuable in conserving species?
20. Megafaunal extinctions during the Pleistocene epoch: caused by human overkill?
21. The management of fisheries and marine ecosystems.
22. The Endangered Species Act
23. Assessment and management of species at risk
24. Human alterations of food webs
25. Reintroductions of rare species
26. The threat of genetically-modified organisms to conservation
27. Genetic considerations in restoration ecology
28. Forests as a sustainable resource
29. Fire and conservation
30. Conservation of biodiversity hotspots
31. Conservation of freshwater dolphins
32. Documenting and understanding the benefits of natural systems for human well-being
33. Mainstreaming conservation into the everyday decisions of the business and public sectors
34. Carnivore-livestock conflicts
35. The design of nature reserves
36. Conservation legislation in Canada
37. The implications of human population growth for conservation
38. Conservation of tigers
