climate change biology

Advanced Ecology – Biology 45500
Climate Change Biology

Fall 2013 with RF Rockwell

This course meets in a secure area of the American Museum of Natural History. Until I can arrange access for each student, please go to the Security Desk at the Central Park West entrance (1st floor beneath the steps) no later than 12:15. We will meet you there and go to the classroom. Thanks!

This advanced ecology course will center on Climate Change Biology. We will examine the underlying principles of climate dynamics. We will consider the physical evidence for climate change and assess how human activities may be related to such change.

We will then explore the potential impact such change is having on biological systems. This will include effects on the ranges and phenologies of species as well as general ecosystem functioning. As a backdrop for current change, we will explore historic climate impacts including the major earth extinction events. Armed with past and current evidence, we will examine what the future may hold and how we might alter that future.

The latter will include an objective assessment of the potential impacts of new solutions to old problems (e.g. Is producing and burning ethanol better for the global ecosystem than burning oil? Are wind farms really green?). Finally we will examine the social implications of such change both locally and globally.

The primary text for the course is Lee J. Hannah. 2011. Climate Change Biology. Academic Press, Burlington, MA. This will be supplemented with reading from the technical and popular literature. Lectures will also draw on Dr. Rockwell’s research on climate change effects on polar bears, their prey and arctic ecosystems in general.

The prerequisites for the course are: Bio 22800 and Math 20900.

The course will meet Wednesday 12:30 to 3:15 PM at the American Museum of Natural History.

Lecture Schedule and Readings

week	date	topic	reading
1	08/28/13	The early bear gets the goose	rockwell & company 2009,2011
2	09/04/13	no class
3	09/11/13	Climate systems and climate change	Hannah 1-2
4	09/18/13	Species and range shifts; phenology shifts and mismatches	Hannah 3-4
5	09/25/13	Ecosystem changes	Hannah 5
6	10/02/13	Past changes in terrestrial and marine ecosystems	Hannah 6-7
7	10/09/13	Past changes in fresh water ecosystems; Extinctions	Hannah 8-9
8	10/16/13	Insights from experiments	Hannah 10
9	10/23/13	Modeling responses and estimating extinction risk	Hannah 11-12
10	10/30/13	Implications for conservation	Hannah 13-15
11	11/06/13	Finding solutions	Hannah 16-18
12	11/13/13	Written Exam
13	11/20/13	The Great Debates
14	11/27/13	Turkey Day - no class
15	12/04/13	The Great Debates
16	12/11/13	The Great Debates

Readings for the course

Rockwell, RF and LJ Gormezano. 2009. The early bear gets the goose: climate change, polar bears and lesser snow geese in western Hudson Bay. Polar Biology 32:539-547.

Rockwell, RF, LJ Gormezano and DN Koons. 2011. Trophic matches and mismatches: Can polar bears reduce the abundance of nesting snow geese in western Hudson Bay? Oikos 120:696-709.

Lee J. Hannah. 2011. Climate Change Biology. Academic Press, Burlington, MA.

Your grade in the course is based on the written exam (40%) and your participation in the Great Debates (60% total).

In the Great Debates you and a partner will debate a topic against another 2-person team. You and your partner will be graded based on your preparation and presentation (see below) and that will count for 40% of your course grade.

The remaining 20% of your grade will come from your participation in the other debates (see below).

The Great Debates will be based on topics listed below. For a given topic one team will prepare to defend the position given in the topic while the other will prepare to refute it. The defending team gets 15 minutes to make its case and the opposing team will get 15 minutes to refute it. Starting wit the defending team, each team is given 5 minutes to challenge the opposition. The debate is then opened to the class and everyone can both ask questions and challenge views presented. You will be graded on your informed participation.

The debate propositions (topics) are:

1. Global temperature is increasing.
2. Carbon emissions are causing climate change.
3. Ethanol production will reduce our carbon footrint.
4. Increased use of electric cars is a safe way to reduce our carbon footprint.
5. Wind power is an ecologically safe way to reduce our carbon footprint.
6. The increase in extreme weather events is the result of global climate change.

last revised 05/18/13