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Week Dates Topic Readings Due X
Week 1 1/22/2024 LECTURE: Course overview; Intro to Systems Thinking
1/24/2024 LECTURE: Intro to Population Ecology; Exponential growth Gotelli Chapter 1
1/26/2024 LAB 1: Introduction to population modeling in Excel, InsightMaker, and R
Week 2 1/29/2024 LECTURE: Intro to Population Ecology; Exponential growth
1/31/2024 LECTURE: Malthus and exponential growth Gotelli Chapter 2
2/2/2024 LAB 1 (cont’d)
Week 3 2/5/2024 LECTURE: Density-dependent population growth Gotelli Chapter 2 Instructor away
2/7/2024 LECTURE: Density-dependent population growth Instructor away
2/9/2024 LAB 2: Density-dependent populations in InsightMaker; MSY Lab 1
Week 4 2/12/2024 LECTURE: Passenger pigeon/Allee Effect Gotelli Chapter 3
2/14/2024 LECTURE: Age-structured populations Gotelli Chapter 3
2/16/2024 LAB 3: Age-structured populations in Excel and InsightMaker Lab 2
Week 5 2/19/2024 President’s Day (no class)
2/21/2024 LECTURE: Age-structured populations Gotelli Chapter 3
2/23/2024 LAB 4: Matrix population models in R and InsightMaker Lab 3
Week 6 2/26/2024 LECTURE: Matrix population models Heppell 1998 (Optional)
2/28/2024 LECTURE: Matrix population models Get in project groups
3/1/2024 Work in final project groups: PVA proposals
Week 7 3/4/2024 LECTURE: Matrix population models
3/6/2024 LECTURE: Stochasticity and uncertainty Regan 2002 (Optional)
3/8/2024 LAB 5: Stochasticity and uncertainty PVA proposals, Lab 4
Week 8 3/11/2024 Review for Midterm #1
3/13/2024 MIDTERM #1
3/15/2024 PVA projects: group meetings (or make alternate arrangements for a group meeting time)
Week 9 3/18/2024 LECTURE: Stochasticity and uncertainty
3/20/2024 LECTURE: Small population paradigm Caughley 1994
3/22/2024 Work on PVA projects (PVA models due Apr 10) Lab 5
Week 10 3/25/2024 Spring Break (no class)
3/27/2024 Spring Break (no class)
3/29/2024 Spring Break (no class)
Week 11 4/1/2024 LECTURE: Declining population paradigm Caughley 1994
4/3/2024 LECTURE: Metapopulations Gotelli Chapter 4
4/5/2024 LAB 6: Metapopulation modeling in InsightMaker
Week 12 4/8/2024 LECTURE: Metapopulations Gotelli Chapter 4
4/10/2024 LECTURE: Source-sink dynamics Griffin et al PVA models due
4/12/2024 PVA projects: group meetings (working model and description)
Week 13 4/15/2024 Review for Midterm #2
4/17/2024 MIDTERM #2
4/19/2024 LAB 7 (optional-no assignment): Parameter estimation: mark-recapture data
Week 14 4/22/2024 LECTURE: Species interactions: competition Gotelli Chapter 5 Complete PVA drafts
4/24/2024 LECTURE: Species interactions: competition Gotelli Chapter 5
4/26/2024 LAB: Final Project Peer Review (submit peer review) Lab 6
Week 15 4/29/2024 LECTURE: Species interactions: predator-prey Gotelli Chapter 6
5/1/2024 LECTURE: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
5/3/2024 LAB: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Week 16 5/6/2024 LECTURE: Parameter estimation
5/8/2024 NO CLASS: Prep Day
Week 17 5/13/2024 FINAL EXAM (10:15am to 12:15pm), and extra credit assignments due
5/15/2024 FINAL PAPERS DUE