Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Ecology (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 3030-01

Course: BIOL 3030-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 30841

Course Description

Ecology is the study of interrelationships of organisms with each other and with their abiotic environment – it is the biological science of connections and context. The scope of ecology is broad and fundamental to understanding our place in nature. The course is geared toward covering the basic principles you need for a working knowledge of ecology and covers the following topics: evolutionary ecology, conservation biology, the role of the abiotic environment, organismal traits and life histories, behavioral ecology, population biology, species interactions, community ecology, biogeography, landscape ecology, and ecosystem ecology.
Corequisite: BIOL 3035 (the lab grade will be separate from the lecture grade)

Required Texts

Ecology
By Bowman and Hacker (6th edition)
ISBN: 9780197614044

Learning Outcomes

•         Learning the theories related to the distribution, abundance, and interactions of organisms.
•         Learning to apply these theories to new information through analysis of scientific literature and problem-solving.
•         Developing skills necessary for a professional biologist, including scientific communication, experimental design, and data analysis/modeling.

Course Requirements

For consistency, your grade in this course is based on your knowledge of the material and your ability to apply that knowledge on exams, quizzes, and assignments. Grades are not based on the amount of effort put into the class.
EXAMS
·       2 exams will be given over the semester on Canvas and in the testing center. They will cover the material after the previous exam (not comprehensive). However, ecology is very integrated, so there will inevitably be some overlap.
·       Exams cannot be made up except in the case of an excused absence (e.g., sanctioned university activities such as sports or academic field trips). Absences require a letter from a coach/instructor before the absence. Emergency/last-minute medical issues require documentation from a physician stating that you are physically or mentally incapable of attending. Make-ups must be done within 3 days of returning to school.
FINAL EXAM
·       The final examination will be about 1/3 comprehensive and 2/3 new material.
·       The exam will not be in the testing center, but it will be on Canvas.
QUIZZES
·       There will be weekly Canvas quizzes that cover the material from the lecture.
·       They are open-book and timed. The time limit will be generous, but please review the material first to minimize search time before starting the quiz. Not all answers will be found in the book; some questions will ask you to apply knowledge to new scenarios.
ASSIGNMENTS (in-class activities)
·       In-class activities (ICA) are designed to help you study, learn the material, and collaborate with classmates, so you must be present to get the points. However, any resulting material will still be available to you if you miss class.
ADDITIONAL READING AND REFLECTION
·       Ecology is a multidisciplinary subject. It is the scientific study of all living and non-living things and their connections. How does ecology relate to your life? A Commonplace Book is a collection of quotes and personal commentary used by some important thinkers of the past (e.g., Thomas Jefferson, Francis Bacon, and John Locke), and currently used by anyone who wants to clarify and organize their thoughts. Like a journal for thoughts.
·       You will make and keep a Commonplace Book about personal connections between what we are working on in class and the wider world. Each week, you will upload an entry that applies to the concepts covered in lecture. Your entry will be due on Canvas at midnight on Fridays. Please note that you can submit your entry at any time during the week; there is no need to wait until Friday.
·       Periodically, I will assign additional readings that I will ask you to reflect on in some way. Reflections will be turned in on Canvas

The grading scale is as follows:
| Percent (%) | Grade |    Work   | % of total grade
| ≥92.0           | A        | 2 exams | 30
| 91.9-89.0     | A-      | Final       | 15
| 88.9-86.0     | B+     | Quizzes  | 15
| 85.9-82.0     | B       | ICA         | 30
| 81.9-79.0     | B-      | R & R     | 10
| 78.9-75.0     | C+     | Total      | 100
| 74.9-71.0     | C   
| 70.9-68.0     | C-   
| 67.9-65.0     | D+   
| 64.9-62.0     | D   
| 61.9-59.0     | D-   
| <59.0           | F   


Course Outline

CLASS SCHEDULE:
| Week |    Date   |      Monday                  |      Wednesday          |      Friday
|     1    | 8/27-29 |                                     | Intro & Syllabus         |   Physical Environment
|     2    |   9/1-5   |    Labor Day                | Physical Environment | Physical Environment
|     3    |   8-12   |            Water                 |            Biomes          |   Environmental Variation
|     4    |  15-19  | Environmental Variation |         Evolution         |    Life History
|     5    |  22-26  |             Behavior           |           Behavior         |    EXAM 1
|     6    | 29-10/3|   Population Ecology     |  Population Ecology  |  Population Ecology
|     7    |   6-10   |   Population Ecology     |        Predation          |    Parasitism
|     8    |  13-17  |          Fall Break           |        Competition       |   Mutualism
|     9    |  20-24  |    Community Ecology   | Community Ecology |   Community Ecology
|    10   |  27-31  |    Community Ecology   | Community Ecology |   Biogeography
|    11   |  11/3-7  |             EXAM 2           |        Ecosystems       |   Nutrient Cycling
|    12   |  10-14  |          Conservation       |       Conservation      |   Landscape Ecology
|    13   |  17-21  |        Climate Change     |      Special Topics     |   Special Topics
|    14   |  24-28  |         Thanksgiving      |      Thanksgiving      |    Thanksgiving
|    15   |  12/1-5 |         Presentations       |      Presentations      |    Presentations
|    16   |  8-12    |           FINALS WEEK

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

I want you to succeed in this class, so with advanced notice, I will accept late work. There are no make-ups for the daily assignments, but your three lowest scores will be dropped (including missed assignments). I am here to help you. Talk to me if you have questions.

Attendance Policy

This is an in-person class, and I expect you to attend during regularly scheduled class hours. That said, I understand life happens. If you cannot attend class, please reach out as soon as possible, and we can work on getting you caught up.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.