Announcements:

Course Info

Biogeography
Spring 2009
Wilson Hall 1-126
Mon., Wed., Fri. 10:00-10:50 am

Website:
www.montana.edu/
phiguera/GEOG302

Links

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Climate - Vegetation Relationships:

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Climate

MSU Weather and Climate, GEOG 303

Montana Climate

• obs. vs. climate
• NOWData

National Water and Climate Center

• temperature
• precipitation
• snow

U.S. Climatology
(NOAA Earth System Research Lab)

Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Montana Snotel Sites
• Snow Course Data

Western Regional Climate Center

Global Climate Animations
(University of Oregon Dep. of Geography)

RealClimate.org
(commentary on climate science by working climate scientists)

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Research Resources:

MSU Libraries

Web of Science

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Course Overview

Instructor Information

Philip Higuera, Ph.D.

Office: Traphagen Hall 221

Office Hours:  Mon. 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Wed. 1:00 - 2:30 pm, or by appointment

E-mail:  philip.higuera[at]montana.edu
Phone Number:  994-6912

Course Description

Biogeographers study patterns of life across space and through time. How are organisms distributed across the planet, and why? How and why have these patterns changed in the past, and how will they change in the future? To answer these questions the field calls upon many other disciplines including biology, ecology, climatology, paleontology, and geology. Throughout the term we will study (1) the spatial and temporal patterns of life on Earth, and (2) the biological and physical processes responsible for creating these patterns. We will also study how scientists investigate biogeographic questions, and we will emphasize biogeography's role in addressing questions and concerns of future climate change and human impacts.

Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Evaluate the factors affecting the distribution of species and communities across space and through time
2. Interpret and critique biogeographic data presented in the media or scientific literature
3. Develop testable hypotheses and evaluate data to address biogeographic questions
4. Evaluate the impacts of climate change and human activities on the distribution of species in future ecosystems

Structure

The course consists of weekly lectures and class activities focused on the reading for that day. You need to be comfortable with  basic math (i.e. algebra) and statistics (distributions and probabilities) for the homework assignments and in-class exercises.

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Course Requirements

Prerequisites

BIOL 100 or ESCI 112 or GEOG 303.

Required Materials

Text book (available at the MSU bookstore)

Lomolino, Mark V., Brett R. Riddle, and James H. Brown. 2006. Biogeography, third edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA. 845 pp.  
         USED at MSU Bookstore- $66.15

iClickers
We will be using iClickers for in-class exercises and recording attendance. iClickers are available at the MSU Bookstore for approx. $30 and can be resold for 55% of their original price. Register your iClicker here.

Computer Access
You will need a reliable Internet connection to keep up to date with course materials though the class web site (www.montana.edu/phiguera/GEOG302). To successfully complete class assignments you will need access to Microsoft Word and Excel, or the equivalent Open Office program.

Attendance and Participation

Attendance is required and will be noted, but merely showing up will not suffice for success in the course. You are expected to take class notes and contribute to in-class discussions. 

Assignments

All assignments should be handed in via e-mail to the instructor, unless otherwise noted. Text documents should be saved as a MS Word 2000 file (.doc) and spreadsheets should be saved as a MS Excel 2000 file (.xls). If you are using MS Office 2007 products, please be sure to save your files in the above formats.

Weekly Readings
The textbook and supplemental readings (linked to from the web site) are a key source of information for this course. Class periods will be spent reviewing, discussing, and supplementing concepts presented in the text. Thus, you will gain substantially more from your time in class if you do the week's ready prior to the week's lectures.  

Group Presentations: Biogeography of a given organism

Groups of 3-4 students each will be responsible for a 4 page writeup and 8-10 minute class presentation focusing on the biogeography of a selected organism. Class presentations and papers will be due throughout the semester, and sign up will take place during the second week of classes. 

Climate Change Exercise: 

This assignment, done individually, focuses on future climate change, snowfall, and forest response in Washington State and Montana. It uses climate predictions from the IPCC's 4th assessment and involves data manipulation and short-answer questions.

Island Biogeography Lab:

In April we will go outside for 1.5 days to conduct a lab simulating the processes underlying the theory of island biogeography. You will analyze the data you generated and present your results in a short write up and in an in-class presentation. 

Quizzes and Exams 

Quizzes

You should be prepared for a short quiz during all weeks that do not have  exams, on any day class meets. Quizzes will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions and may be part of an in-class exercise.  

Exams 

There will be two in-class exams covering course materials, readings, and lectures. The final exam is cumulative. Each exam will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, true/false, and/or short answer questions. To do well on the exams: (1) do the assigned readings, (2) come to class, (3) pay attention and take notes, (4) ask questions, (5) review your notes and the text. 

Dates & Locations

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Course Policies & Grading

Course Policies

(1) In-class expectations: Please respect your fellow student's learning experience. Do not talk amongst yourselves during class (but feel free to raise you hand to ask a question), arrive on time and do not leave class early, and please turn off all electronic devices unless they are being used for note taking.

(2) Absences will not be excused unless you have contacted me 48 hours or more in advance of the class. This includes missing an exam: there are no make up exams.

(3) Assignment due dates are firm. Late assignments will be penalized by 5% per 24-hour period. For example, a perfect assignment handed in 3 days late would receive 85% of full credit. As with attendance, late assignments will be penalized unless you have made arrangements with me, at least 48-hours prior to the due date.

(4) Out-of-class inquiries: Coming to office hours is the best way to get questions answered, but I will make ever effort to answer questions posed over e-mail within two weekdays of receipt. In order to do this, you must:
   (a)  include GEOG 302 in the subject line
   (b)  sign your message with your full name  

(5) Academic Dishonesty of any form is unacceptable and will be taken serious by the instructor and Montana State University. This includes plagiarism, when you copy materials for other sources without citing the source or copy someone else's work, and cheating, copying material from other students during tests or quizzes. In both cases, you will fail the assignment/exam and the information will be passed on to the Dean of Students. For more information see: http://www2.montana.edu/policy/.

(6) Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instruction and Disabled Student Services (http://www.montana.edu/wwwres/disability) to work out any accommodations necessary to make this course a success.  

Grading

Your final grade will be based on the following weights for each category:

• Attendance and Participation - 10%
• Quizzes (lowest quiz dropped) - 10%
• Assignments - 15%
• Exam 1 - 20% 
• Exam 2 - 20%
• Final Exam - 25%

Break points between number grades and percentages will be based on the following:

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Calendar, 2009 - continually updated