2008 Course Schedule Page

version 2.18.08
Class meeting times:  Tuesday & Thursday, 8-9:20AM, Room 1581, Agronomy Hall

Class
Week
Number		 Date
[Week: M-Sun]

Weekly Activity

 
1 January 14-20 Introduction and Exam 1: The Nature of Weeds & Weed Evolution, part 1

1.  Familiarize yourself with the 517 web site:  
     •Getting Started
     •Course Information
     •Schedule
     •Syllabus 
     •Resources

2.  Register yourself on the MOODLE courseware site and familiarize yourself with it:
     •Take the ENTRY SURVEY 

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants;  Introduction: The Course Approach; pp.8-9

Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 1.1 through 2.3.3, pp. 10-15 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 1, Introduction, pp. 1-18

Class:
Tue:  Organizational meeting; introductions; course approach

2 January 21-27 Exam 2:  Weed Evolution, part 2

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 2.3.4 through 2.3.4.5.4, pp.15-22 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 3, Evolutionary genetics, pp.53-92

Dawkins, R. 2004. The ancestor's tale. A pilgrimage to the dawn of evolution. The Beaver's Tale, pp. 186-190. Mariner/Houghton Mifflin Co., NY. (.pdf in Resources)

Dawkins, R. 1999. The extended phenotype, Ch. 9, Selfish DNA, Jumping Genes, and a Lamarckian Scare, pp.157-164.  (.pdf in Resources)

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 1
THURS: Discussion

3 January 28-February 3 Exam 3:  Phenotypic Variation

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 2.3.4.6 through 2.3.4.6.3, pp. 22-31 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 2, Variation and inheritance, pp.19-37

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 2
THURS: Discussion

4 February 4-10 Exam 4:  Weed Mating System Variation

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 2.3.4.7 through 2.3.4.7.4, pp. 31-33 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 2, Mating systems, pp.37-52                           

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 9, Life History: Breeding systems, pp.242-271

Class:
NO CLASS:  Weed Science Society of America Meetings, Chicago, IL

5 February 11-17 Exam 5:  Micro- & Macro-evolution, Speciation & Evolutionary Strategies for Weed Colonization

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 3.1 through 4.4, pp. 34-44  

DeWet,  J.M.J. 1966. The origin of weediness in plants. Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. for 1966. (.pdf in Resources)

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 3
THURS: Discuss Exam 4
6 February 18-24 Exam 6:  Opportunity Space & Disturbance

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 5.1 through 6.5, pp. 45-57  

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 5
THURS: Discussion

7 February 25-March 2 Exam 7:  Plant Invasions

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 7.1 through 7.4.2.2, pp. 58-66 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 7, Metapopulations, pp. 177-197

Burdick, A. 2005. The truth about invasive species. Discover (May):34-41. (.pdf in Resources)

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 6
THURS: Discussion

8 March 3-9 Exam 8:  Plant Community Structure

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 8.1 through 8.6, pp. 67-81 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 6, Age- and stage structure, pp. 153-176

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 7
THURS: NO CLASS

9 March 10-16 Exam 9:  Seed Life History 1:  Seed dormancy and germinability

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 9.1 through 9.1.9, pp. 82-93 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 5, Population dynamics, pp.122-152

Class:
NO CLASS

10 March 17-23 Spring Break
No assignments or class
11 March 24-30 Exam 10:  Seed Life History 2:  Seed Dispersal & Soil Seed/Bud Pool Formation

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 9.2 through 9.3.4.4, pp. 94-106 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 6, section on annual seed banks, pp.163-165

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 8
THURS: Discuss Exam 9

12 March 31-April 6 Exam 11:  Seed Life History 3:  Seedling Recruitment & Vegetative Plant Life History:  Plant Density, Form & Intra-specific Interactions

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 9.4 through 10.1.3.2, pp. 106-112 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 4, Intra-specific interactions, pp. 93-121

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 10
THURS: Discussion

13 April 7-13 Exam 12:  Vegetative Plant Life History 4:  Competition & Neighbors

Read:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 10.2 through 10.3.4, pp. 112-119 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 8, Competition, pp.198-241

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 11
THURS: Discussion

14 April 14-20 Exam 13:  Reproductive Plant Life History 5:  Mortality & Seed Trade-Offs; Conclusion:  John HarpeRead:
Dekker (2008) The evolutionary ecology of weeds and invasive plants; 11.1 through Conclusion: John Harper, pp. 120-134 

Silvertown & Charlesworth, Ch. 10, Life history: Reproduction & mortality, pp.271-302

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 12
THURS: Discussion

15 April 21-27

Class:
TUE: Discuss Exam 13
THURS: Discussion

16 April 28-May 4

Exit Survey:  Student evaluation & critique of Agronomy 517

Class:
TUE: Discussion
THURS: Discussion
 and course summary
17 May 5-10 Finals Week:  No 517 final exam
   
©jdekker-2008