Introduction to Conservation Biology

EEB 208 (2208): Spring 2008

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: 300A BioPharm, behind the elevator at the north end of the building) Email: chris.elphick [ AT ] uconn.edu

Teaching assistant: Vanessa Boukili (office: 219 BioPharm) Email: vanessa.boukili [ AT ] uconn.edu

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, will probably get treated as SPAM and be deleted without being read.

Lecture: M, W 2:00-3:15 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: Essentials of Conservation Biology (R.B. Primack, 4th Edition, Sinauer) is strongly recommended reading. On exams I will assume that you have read this material and may ask questions (though not many) about topics that are not covered in lectures.

Research paper readings: In some lectures, I will provide supplemental readings from the primary research literature to augment the text book readings. These readings will be the subject of class discussions and graded in-class questions; they 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: Other introductory textbooks that might be worth looking at for supplemental information are Fundamentals of Conservation Biology by Malcolm Hunter and Conservation Biology by Andrew Pullin. If you are interested in more advanced information, then look at Principles of Conservation Biology by Groom, Meffe and Carroll. Finally, 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 this web site (see below), so that everyone can benefit from the answers.

Office hours: I do not have fixed office hours because they inevitably do not work for someone. But, I will try to always be present for at least 15 minutes before and after each lecture to answer simple questions. I’m also happy to meet at other times by appointment. The best option is to email me, telling me (a) what you want to discuss and (b) when would be good times to meet (Mon, Tues, or Wed are best). The TA is also available to answer questions by email and by appointment.

My course objectives: In general, 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. 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 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). 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.

Overall teaching philosophy: My primary goal is for you to learn and understand basic concepts and general ideas, rather than for you to learn lots of very specific facts (though 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 the theory to practical, real-world situations. I won’t expect you to know, for example, exactly how many species have gone extinct in the last 500 years. But, I will expect you know approximately how many (i.e., whether it is closer to 6 or 20,000). The text book 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.

Schedule of lectures and examinations (subject to change)

For a printable version of the syllabus click here (print double-sided to save paper!)

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.

For each lecture I will aim to post an outline ahead of time (linked to the topic titles in the syllabus below). Reading these notes before each lecture should help you 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 or doing the text book 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). In exams, you will be expected to know about all the things I talked about, not just the information in the web notes. Based on past experience, you can expect to drop a grade if you choose to rely only on the web notes.

** Means that there is important supplemental reading from the primary literature that we will discuss in class (yes, you really do need to read it as I will be picking people in class to talk about the paper). Links to the relevant papers can be accessed by clicking on the ** below on the syllabus. 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.

In the syllabus I have also noted special lectures (in green) that will take place on campus this semester and that will help you to do well in this course.

Lecture	Date	Topic	Reading	Announcements
1	21 Jan	What is conservation biology?	Chapter 1	Grading policies
2	26 Jan	Interpreting statistics (when there’s an agenda)	Chapter 6	Discussion papers
3	28 Jan	Global change	pp. 205-212 **	USFS climate change atlases for trees and birds
4	2 Feb	Forms of biological diversity	Chapter 2
5	4 Feb	Patterns of biodiversity	Chapter 3 **	Writing assignment
	DATE	TEALE LECTURE:		4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center
6	9 Feb	Extinction rates	Chapter 7
7	11 Feb	Patterns of extinction	Chapter 8 **	Sample questions and answers
8	16 Feb	Causes of population decline	Study lectures 1-8	Discussion postponed from 13th will be today.
	18 Feb	Exam 1	Sample questions
9	23 Feb	Habitat loss & degradation	Chapter 9	Exam 1 Key
10	25 Feb	Over-exploitation	Chapter 10 **	Letter Sample
11	2 Mar	Invasive species	Chapter 10
12	4 Mar	Disease	Chapter 10 **
	9 Mar	No Class: SPRING BREAK	Next discussion paper	.. which is long!
	11 Mar	No Class: SPRING BREAK
13	16 Mar	Small population conservation	Chapter 11 **
14	18 Mar	Conservation genetics	Chapter 12
	DATE	TEALE LECTURE:		4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center
15	23 Mar	Population viability analysis	Chapter 13
16	25 Mar	Ex situ conservation, release programs	Chapter 14 **	Note that schedule has changed slightly
17	30 Mar	Conservation reserves	Study lectures 9-17	Sample questions and answers
	1 Apr	Exam 2	Sample questions
18	6 Apr	Reserve networks	Chapter 15, 16	Exam 2 Key
19	8 Apr	Conservation in the matrix; Papers due	Chapter 18
	DATE	TEALE LECTURE:		4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center
20	13 Apr	Management	Chapter 17 **
21	15 Apr	Habitat restoration	Chapter 19	Student evaluations (of me) will take place today
22	20 Apr	Economics of conservation	Chapter 4,5 **	This discussion will take the form of a debate
23	22 Apr	Conservation law	Chapters 20
24	27 Apr	Review session (unless I fall behind on the material)
25	29 Apr	International legislation	Chapter 21, 22 **	Note, I have changed the paper and date for the last discussion
	May	Final exam: confirm time and date here	Cumulative	03:30-05:30 PM; BPB 131*

* Questions about exam rescheduling MUST be directed to the Dean of Students Office: 486-3426.

Please note that these lecture notes are intended for students in EEB 208 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.

Academic rules and conduct

All students should be aware of the guidelines on academic integrity contained in the Student Conduct Code. The Conduct Code is available here.

Conservation biology in the news

Recent news articles that relate to the topics covered in this course are posted on a separate page, here.

FAQs

If people send me questions about things that affect everyone I will post the questions (anonymously) and my answers here. Please check here before emailing me to make sure I haven't already posted an answer.

General student help

Counseling and mental health services: 486-4705 (24 hours).

Alcohol and other drugs services: 486-9431.

Dean of Students Office: 486-3425.

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