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SyllabusConservationBiology(BISC352L)

Summer2017,CatalinaIsland
Instructors
Dr.SergeyNuzhdin,RRI304C,2137405773(USCcampus)
Email:snuzhdin@usc.edu
TA:LeviSimmons,RRI316
Email:levisimons@gmail.com
Coursedescription
ThiscoursewasdevelopedfortheEnvironmentalStudiesCatalinaSustainabilityBlockSemester.Thecourse
focusesonprinciplesofconservationscienceandthechallengesofbalancingtheneedsofpeopleandnature.
Conservationofbothmarineandterrestrialecosystemsisconsideredinlightofscientificprinciplesfromdiverse
fields,suchaspopulationgenetics,ecology,economics,andothernaturalandsocialsciences,whichareimportant
inprotectingbiologicaldiversity.
Recommendedpreparation
Thiscoursehasnoformalprerequisites,butstudentsshouldhavehadanintroductorycourseinbiology.
Courseoverview
Humansnowdominateourplanetprocessesbyimpactingvirtuallyallecosystems,changingclimate,andaltering
theglobalcyclingofelements,suchascarbonandnitrogen.Indeed,somescientistsarguethatEarthhasentereda
newgeologicalera,theAnthropocene,whichfuturegeologistswillbeabletorecognizebyabruptappearanceinthe
rockrecordofradioisotopesandotherchemicalandfossilsignaturesofhumanactivity.LifeonEarthmayalready
beexperiencingasixthmassextinction,causedbyhabitatdegradation,overexploitation,speciesinvasions,and
otherhumanimpacts.Thiscourseintroducesstudentstoconservationsciencepartinterdisciplinaryscientific
enterpriseandpartsocialmovementthatseekstoprotecttheexistingdiversityofEarthsanimals,plants,and
ecosystems,whilebalancingtheneedsofnaturewiththoseofhumans.Studentswilllearnabouttoolsfor
predictingthefutureofbiodiversityonahumandominatedplanetandforidentifyingandweighingoptionsfor
managingecosystemchange.Thefocusis,thus,onsolutionsandawayforwardratherthangloomanddoom
scenarios.Finally,studentswillexplore,throughoutthecourse,thelinebetweenobjectivescientificobservation
andreportingandadvocacy.
Requiredtextbookandadditionalbooks
Kareiva,P,andM.Marvier.2011.ConservationScience.RobertsandCompanyPublishers,GreenwoodVillage,
CO.ISBN:9781936221066
Laboratory&fieldexercises
Thetwoexperimentalexercises,onefocusingonlaboratorystudyandtheother,onfieldobservations,willbe
writtenupinstandardscientificformat(Abstract,Introduction,Methods,Discussion,LiteratureCited,Tableand
Figures).Reportsmustbetypedandshouldbeapproximately35pagesinlength(excludingtablesandfigures).
Groupprojects
Studentswillusecasestudiestosynthesizeinformationandapplyknowledge.Studentswillworkinsmallgroups
totackledifferentaspectsorexamplesofeachcase.Groupswillinvestigatetheirtopicsseparatelyandthen
reassembletoexchangeinformationinafinalsymposium.Inallgroupprojects,studentswillberesponsiblefor
individualoralreports,writtenreports,orshortessays.

Discussionsessions
Wewillhavereadinganddiscussingsectionsofclassicalbooks(RachelCarsonsSilentSpring),aswellastopical
papersfromtheprimaryliterature.Studentsareexpectedtoreadtheassignmentsandparticipateactivelyinthe
discussion.
Grading

Exams:

Points Percent
ExamI
100
25.0%
ExamII
100
25.0%
Labs:
DNABarcodinglab(Fulllabreport)
30
7.5%
InsectDiversityLab(Fulllabreport)
30
7.5%
PollutionLab(Fulllabreport)
30
7.5%
GroupProjects:
GroupProject1:ConflictsinSpeciesConservation 30
7.5%
GroupProject2:DiversityofMarineOrganisms
30
7.5%
GroupSciencePresentation:InsectDiversity
30
7.5%
Discussions:

SilentSpring
5
1.25%
Hybrids,Allendorfetal.2001
51.25%
ClivenBundyvs.BLM
5
1.25%
ClimateChange;HellerandZaveleta2009
5
1.25%
TOTALS

400100.0%
Policies
Missedexams:Missedexamswillreceiveagradeofzerounlessthestudenthasanexcusedabsenceduetoa
documentedmedicalorfamilyemergency.Atthediscretionoftheinstructor,amissedexama)mayberetakenasa
writtenexam,b)mayberetakenasanoralexamorc)maybegivenaproratedscorebasedonperformanceinthe
restofthecourse.
Regrades:Ifyouwouldliketocontestagradeonanexamorassignment,youmustsubmitawrittenexplanationof
whyyouthinkthegradewasincorrect.PleasenotethattheENTIREexamorassignmentwillbesubjectto
reevaluationandyourscoremaythereforegoup,godownorremainthesame.Regraderequestsmustbesubmitted
totheinstructorwithintwodaysofwhentheexam/assignmentisreturned.
Lateassignments:Duedatesarewrittenintheschedule.Lateassignmentswillbedowngradedby10%perday.
Schedule:Duetothevagariesofweather,boatschedulesandislandlife,itmaybenecessarytomakesome
adjustmentsinthecourseschedule.
Statementforstudentswithdisabilities:Anystudentrequestingacademicaccommodationsbasedonadisabilityis
requiredtoregisterwithDisabilityServicesandPrograms(DSP)eachsemester.Aletterofverificationfor
approvedaccommodationscanbeobtainedfromDSP.Pleasebesuretheletterisdeliveredtome(ortoTA)asearly
inthesemesteraspossible.DSPislocatedinSTU301andisopen8:30a.m.5:00p.m.,MondaythroughFriday.
ThephonenumberforDSPis(213)7400776.
Academichonesty:Academicintegritypoliciesoftheuniversitywillbestrictlyfollowed.Infractionscanresultin
severepenalties.SeeSCampusforthesepolicies.

Statementonacademicintegrity:USCseekstomaintainanoptimallearningenvironment.Generalprinciplesof
academichonestyincludetheconceptofrespectfortheintellectualpropertyofothers,theexpectationthat
individualworkwillbesubmittedunlessotherwiseallowedbyaninstructor,andtheobligationsbothtoprotect
onesownacademicworkfrommisusebyothersaswellastoavoidusinganothersworkasonesown.All
studentsareexpectedtounderstandandabidebytheseprinciples.Scampus,theStudentGuidebook,containsthe
StudentConductCodeinSection11.00,whiletherecommendedsanctionsarelocatedinAppendixA:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/.StudentswillbereferredtotheOfficeofStudentJudicial
AffairsandCommunityStandardsforfurtherreview,shouldtherebeanysuspicionofacademicdishonesty.The
Reviewprocesscanbefoundat:http://www.usc.edu/studentaffairs/SJACS/
TentativeSchedule(colorcodes:lectures;discussions;labs;groupprojects;fieldtrips)
Day,
Date

Morning

Afternoon

M
7/10
T
7/11
W
7/12
Th
7/13
F
7/14

M
7/17
T
7/18
W
7/19
T
7/20
F
7/21

Lecture:Biodiversityandextinction
Lab:DNAbarcodingI,PCR
Lecture:Ecosystemservices
Lecture:Policiestoprotectbiodiversity
FieldTrip:MiddleRanch,NativePlant
Nursery(departWMSC8amandbring
sacklunches)
Lecture:ProtectedAreas

Lab:DNAbarcodingIII,analysis

Lecture:SmallPopulations
Lecture:Populationviabilityanalysis
(PVA)

Discussion:Allendorfetal.2001
Groupproject:DiversityofMarine
Organisms.

Lecture:SettingPriorities
WorkonGroupProjects
Lecture:Assessingthreats

DNAbarcodingreportdue
WorkonGroupProjects
GroupProjectSymposium:Diversityof
MarineOrganisms
ReviewforMidtermI
Lecture:Habitatfragmentation

Lecture:Islands,theory&practice

Ch.1,K&M
Ch.2,K&M;Silent
Spring,Intro,Chs.1,
3,15,Afterward
Ch.34,K&M

Ch.5,K&M

Ch78,K&M
Allendorfetal.2001
TREE16:613632.
Ch.6,K&M
Ch.9,K&M
Ch.10,K&M

9:30am:MidtermExaminationI

M
7/24
T
7/25

Lecture:Introductiontoconservationscience
Lecture:Seafoodlabeling:Introductionto
DNAbarcodinglab
Lab:Introtomolecularmethods
Groupproject:Conflictsinspecies
conservation
Discussion:SilentSpring
Lab:DNAbarcodingII,load,run,stainand
scoregels
WorkonGroupProjects
GroupProjectSymposium:Conflictsin
speciesconservation

Readings

Lecture:Adaptivemanagement

Lecture:Restoration,reintroductionand
translocation
Discussion:ClivenBundyandBureauof
LandRightsManagementConservation
debate
Lecture:Naturallandsconservation

Ch.11,K&M
Ch.12,K&M;
Bundy/BLM
Discussionreading
TBA

W
7/26
Th
7/27
F
7/28

Lecture:Balancingagriculture&
conservation
Fieldtrip,SantaMonicaMountains

Lab:InsectbiodiversityI,fieldcollections

Lecture:Conservationagriculture

Insectbiodiversitydatagrouppresentation

M
7/31

MPAs
Lab:howpollutionaffectsactivity,setup.
Lecture:Introduced&invasivespecies,1

Activity:Shellfishintro,andlonglines
grouptrip.
Discussion:Heller&Zavaleta2009

W
8/2
Th
8/3
Fr
8/4

Lecture:Introduced&invasivespecies,2

Lab:Howpollutionaffectsactivity,data
gathering.
Lab:Howpollutionaffectsactivity,data
analysis.

M
8/7
T
8/8

InsectBiodiversityreportdue
Pollutionanalysisreportdue

T
8/1

Lecture:Howtosucceedatconservation

Ch.13,K&M

Lab:InsectbiodiversityII,dataanalysis

Lecture:Climateandoceanchange

Ch.14,K&M

Ch.15,K&M
Ch.16,K&M;Heller
&Zavaleta2009Biol
Cons142:1432.
Ch.17,K&M;
Ch.18,K&M
Ch.19,K&M;

ReviewforMidtermII
9:30MidtermExaminationII

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