ADVANCED TOPICS IN
BIOGEOGRAPHY: SUCCESSION AND DISTURBANCE
Geography 418/518
Instructor: Dr. Keith
Hadley
Office: CH 424M
Office Hours: MWF 11:30-12:30
or by appointment
Phone: 725-3078
E-mail: hadley@pdx.edu (Subject: Geog418/518)
Web Site:
COURSE OBJECTIVE: This
seminar course will focus on two fundamental aspects of vegetation dynamics, succession
and disturbance. The foundation
of the course is a survey of classic and contemporary articles that examine
succession and disturbance at different spatial and temporal scales. Although the focus of the course will be
succession theory and the disturbance concept, we will also examine
methodological problems inherent in the study of vegetation dynamics. We will also review examples of applied
research where succession and disturbance have been used within the context
of resource management. This is a writing intensive (WIC)
course.
COURSE STRUCTURE: The structure
of the course will include brief introductory lectures followed by class
discussion of assigned readings. Our
discussions will follow two formats: first, we will review articles read by all
of the students and second, we will review additional articles that have been
assigned to individual students.
Students given assigned readings will provide a summary and critique to
the class. Assigned readings will be
made for each class period. Over the
course of the term, each graduate student will also report the work of a
contemporary biogeographer and assess their contribution to the area of
vegetation dynamics. This will include
the development of a bibliography to be handed out to the rest of the class.
REQUIRED TEXT:
There is no commercial text available for this
course. A reader consisting of
published
journal articles is available through Clean Copies. Foundations
of Ecology edited by
Leslie A. Real and James H. Brown (1991) published by
University of Chicago Press is
a highly recommended supplemental text that includes many
of the course’s early readings.
GRADING:
Final grades will be based on the following:
1.
Class Participation and writing assignments: 40%
2.
Class Project: 35%
3.
Oral Presentation of Class Project: 10%
4.
Oral and Written Presentation on Biogeographers: 15%
- Note: Undergraduate
students will be evaluated on items 1-3 above -
- There are no exams for this class -
The following is a course
outline covering the major topics and reading assignments. This is schedule is likely to be adjusted as
the term progresses. Readings will be
assigned at the end of each class meeting.
TENTATIVE
CLASS SCHEDULE¹
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
=====================================================================
1 Vegetation Dynamics
and Biogeography
2 The Historical
Development of Succession Theory
3 Contemporary Views
of Succession and Succession
Theory
4 The Disturbance
Concept
5 Disturbance, Succession,
and Diversity
6 The Spatial and
Temporal Dimensions of Disturbance
- The Intermediate
Disturbance Hypothesis
- Geographical
Ecology, Succession, and Disturbance
7 Applied Theory:
Succession, Disturbance, and Resource
Management
8
Student Presentations