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DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY<br />
TRENT UNIVERSITY<br />
BIOL4140 : ORNITHOLOGY<br />
2012-13 FALL<br />
Peterborough<br />
Instructor: Erica Nol Email: enol@trentu.ca Telephone: 705-748-1011 x 7640<br />
Campus: Peterborough Office Location: LHS D235 Office Hours: THURS 11:00-<br />
12:00 or by appointment<br />
Secretary: Sandra Sisson<br />
Office Location: LHS D102<br />
Email: ssisson@trentu.ca<br />
Telephone: 705-748-1011 x7424<br />
Teaching Assistant: Devin Turner<br />
Teaching Assistant: Greg Rand<br />
Email:devinturner@trentu.ca<br />
Email:gregrand@trentu.ca<br />
Course Description:<br />
This course is an introduction to the study of birds, including their evolutionary history, diversity,<br />
physiology, anatomy, ecology, behaviour and conservation. The laboratory sessions are field-oriented,<br />
with the primary goal of providing students with the skills necessary to identify birds in the field, a<br />
pre-requisite for most studies in ornithology. The workshops include discussions of molecular<br />
evolution and systematics, parental care and conservation. The course also includes two mandatory<br />
field trips: Presqu'ile Provincial Park, where the diversity of Ontario birds and their habitats will be the<br />
focus, and a day-long trip to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, a world-class research<br />
facility for the study of birds.<br />
Course Fees: $50 for field trips and access to ROM.<br />
Course Format:<br />
Lecture: Friday 09:00-10:50, SC 103<br />
Laboratory: Wednesday 08:00-10:00, DNA D108. Except for quiz days, meet at the entrance to the<br />
L&HS Building (DNA-D).<br />
Workshops: Wednesday 10:00-11:50, DNA D108 (See outline for schedule for Sections A and B).
Course Evaluation (see details below for due dates):<br />
Examinations: Final exam during December examination period will be based on lecture, textbook<br />
and workshop material: will also include a 20% component (of exam) on the taxonomy of birds-see<br />
American Ornithologists Union website (www.aou.org) for current taxonomy of North American<br />
birds). My<strong>Trent</strong> also has a list of the Orders and Families required for the final exam.<br />
Book review: 6%<br />
Field quizzes: (3 @ 6% each): 18%<br />
ROM laboratory write-up with peer-review: 20%<br />
Participation in field trip to<br />
Presqu'ile Provincial Park: 2%<br />
Participation in weekly labs: 6%<br />
Library workshop 1%<br />
Course project: 19%<br />
New media participation 3%<br />
Final exam 25%<br />
TOTAL: 100%<br />
FIELD TRIPS: Our first field trip (Sunday, 23 September 2012 leave BATA LIBRARY at 6:30<br />
am, return by 4:30 pm) will be to Presqu’ile Provincial Park, a park with many varied habitats but<br />
notable for landbird, waterfowl and shorebird migration. Students need to pack a lunch. The second<br />
field trip will be to the Royal Ontario Museum, scheduled for Wednesday, 17 October 2012, leaving<br />
at 8:00 a.m. from campus (BATA LIBRARY) (8:15 from corner of George and Parkhill), leaving<br />
Toronto at 2:30 p.m. Lunch can be purchased or packed. There will be a $50.00 total cost for<br />
transportation to both Presqu’ile Park and the Royal Ontario Museum. This cost also includes<br />
admission to the exhibits of the museum. This must be paid in cash or money order to the instructor<br />
on or before Friday, 21 September 2012.<br />
DETAILS AND DUE DATES OF EACH COMPONENT:<br />
BOOK REVIEW: A book review on one of the natural history books suggested during the first<br />
lecture (or see list on My<strong>Trent</strong>) is due on Friday, 5 October 2012. Please place assignment in course<br />
drop box (outside Biology Office (ESB Suite A211). See current issues of THE AUK, or THE<br />
CONDOR (both in the library and on BIOONE on the internet), for examples of book reviews. Book<br />
reviews should be 3-5 pages in length. Students can choose to have a 15-minute interview with the<br />
instructor discussing the book, in lieu of a written report. These must be scheduled during the week of<br />
24-28 September (email Professor for appointment). There are a limited number of times so these will<br />
be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.<br />
COURSE PROJECT: This project is due on Thursday, 19 October 2012 (no extensions; please put<br />
assignment in course drop box). The project can consist of (1) a traditional essay on any ornithological<br />
topic that you wish, written at the fourth-year level, or (2) an annotated bibliography of a particular<br />
species of bird, including a minimum of 25 references, but ideally including a comprehensive search of<br />
the literature. Guidelines for the annotated bibliography are also provided on BLACKBOARD<br />
LEARNING 9. All assignments must be submitted in hard (paper) and electronic versions (by email to<br />
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enol@trentu.ca). Please note that a cover page is not required, references can be single-spaced and<br />
margins should be 0.75" (conforming with Sustainable <strong>Trent</strong> guidelines for conserving paper).<br />
ROM LABORATORY WRITE-UP:<br />
This assignment will be written in the style of a short scientific paper. It should be about 5-8 pages in<br />
length. The first draft is due on Friday, 9 November 2012 during lecture! It is critical that<br />
students provide the first draft on this date. Please remove names from papers. These papers<br />
will be peer-reviewed so on this date you will be handed another students' paper. This peer review is<br />
due in lecture on Friday, 16 November 2012. As with the course project, extensions are not<br />
allowed, except with a medical excuse. The mark will be based on the final product after one round of<br />
peer-review. Revisions are due the following Friday, 23 November 2012. Use Sustainable <strong>Trent</strong><br />
guidelines as above.<br />
QUIZZES:<br />
Quizzes will be held Wednesdays, 3 October, 7 November and 5 December. Quizzes will include<br />
slide shows, some study specimens and wild birds. Bird walks will follow quizzes. Quizzes will be on<br />
all species of birds seen to date and included on master list posted on BLACKBOARD LEARNING 9.<br />
NEW MEDIA PARTICIPATION:<br />
Students should sign-up for an eBird account and record all birds seen throughout the term. This<br />
valuable resource records locations and dates of all sightings and will soon become an important<br />
biogeographic tool.<br />
<strong>University</strong> Policies<br />
Academic Integrity:<br />
Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic<br />
offence and carries penalties varying from a 0 grade on an assignment to expulsion from the<br />
<strong>University</strong>. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out<br />
in <strong>Trent</strong> <strong>University</strong>’s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself –<br />
unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit <strong>Trent</strong>’s Academic<br />
Integrity website to learn more: www.trentu.ca/academicintegrity.<br />
Access to Instruction:<br />
It is <strong>Trent</strong> <strong>University</strong>'s intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability<br />
and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations to succeed in this course,<br />
the student should contact the Disability Services Office (BH 132, 748-1281,<br />
disabilityservices@trentu.ca) as soon as possible. Complete text can be found under Access to<br />
Instruction in the Academic Calendar.<br />
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Monday’s Date Wednesday workshop topics/ quiz Friday lecture topics<br />
schedule<br />
3 September No workshop Why birds?<br />
10 September Internet resources for ornithology, A: Origin of birds<br />
10 am, B-11 am. Bata Library TBA<br />
17 September Molecular systematics – A Diversity of birds and flight<br />
mechanics<br />
24 September Molecular systematics – B Reproduction<br />
1 October Quiz # 1. Morphometric preparation – Migration and navigation<br />
A:10 am.<br />
8 October Morphometric preparation –B:10 am Energetics and physiology<br />
Thanksgiving<br />
15 October ROM trip Brains and senses<br />
22 October UNIVERSITY READING WEEK<br />
29 October Group A: 10 am, Group B: 11 am.<br />
Bring data for ROM analyses.<br />
Vocal communication and<br />
evolution of song, visual<br />
communication (film)<br />
5 November Quiz # 2. Developmental modes – A Population biology<br />
12 November Developmental modes – B Communities of birds<br />
19 November Population viability analyses. A Parental care systems<br />
(film)<br />
26 November Population viability analyses. B Exam review +<br />
Conservation of birds<br />
(film)<br />
3 December Quiz # 3. Grad student<br />
No lecture.<br />
presentations.<br />
Note: A and B refer to repeat workshops by two groups of students.<br />
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