Lecture will be Tuesday evenings, 6-8 PM.

Lab & Field time will consist of two weekend fieldtrips leaving Thursday late afternoon or Friday late morning, returning late Sunday afternoon, and one long fieldtrip consisting of Spring break and the adjoining weekends.  All fieldtrips involve camping, sometimes in remote areas with no facilities.  You do not need to be a tri-athlete, however you will be expected to be capable of walking several miles, sometimes over rough terrain.

Although scheduled as having lab and field time on Fridays, we will not meet on most Fridays, only on those Fridays associated with fieldtrips.

Books:

• Sowell, Desert Ecology (University of Utah Press, 2001) available at bookstore.
• MacMahon, Deserts (Audubon Society Nature Guides, Alfred A Knopf, 1985) out of print, purchase used copy from Amazon.com or similar vendor.
• other readings will be provided.

Policies:

The Biology Department withdrawal policy states: "Unrestricted withdrawals are permitted only until the end of the third week. Thereafter, requests to drop a class will be honored only when a verifiable serious and compelling reason exists and when there is no viable alternative to withdrawal.  Poor performance is NOT an acceptable reason for withdrawal. During the last three weeks of the semester withdrawals will not be approved except when a student is withdrawing from ALL classes for verifiable medical reasons."

Lecture will be graded based on a Midterm exam (30%), a Final exam (40%), and two in-class presentations w/ annotated bibliography (15% each).

Lab and Field will receive one grade for both.  Grade will be based on a Field Notebook (40%), field quizzes (40%),  and helpful engaged participation (no whining) during fieldtrips (20%).  Behavior consistent with respect for others and for the natural environment is required.

All fieldtrips are required.  Missing one of the weekend trips reduces your maximum possible field/lab grade to 75%; missing two weekend fieldtrips or the weeklong fieldtrip reduces your maximum possible field/lab grade to 50%.

Possible grades are: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, or F.
 
 

Lecture Date and Topic	Readings	Lab/Fieldwork
Jan 31 Course overview. Intro. to Deserts: What Where Why: Climate and Earth Science basics	Sowell Ch. 1, MacMahon pp 22-32
Feb. 7 Desert Ecosystems (World): Soils, Nutrient Cycles, Pulse-Reserve Model	Sowell Ch. 1, Ch. 7, MacMahon pp 22-32
Feb. 14 N. American Deserts Overview	MacMahon pp 33 - 101
Feb. 21 N. American Desert Paleo-Biogeography	Van Devender pp 61-69 Baja Phylogeography
Feb. 28 Landforms and Modern Biogeography	Sowell Ch. 8, Mammals on Mountaintops
Mar. 7 Plant Adaptations: physiology	Sowell Ch. 2, MacMahon pp110-119
Mar. 14 Plant Adaptations: life-history	Sowell Ch. 3, MacMahon pp110-119
Mar. 21 Midterm Exam	Lazaroff pp 51-60	March 24 (late AM) -> March 26 (late PM) Mojave
Mar. 28 Animal Adaptations: Thermoregulation	Sowell Ch. 4, plus portions of Ch. 9, MacMahon pp119-136
Apr. 4 Animal Adaptations: Osmoregulation	Sowell Ch. 5, plus portions of Ch. 9, MacMahon pp119-136	April 7 (late AM) -> April 16 (late PM) Arizona: Sonoran (Upland, Grassland); Chihuahuan (edge); Riparian, Sky Islands
Apr. 11 SPRING BREAK (FIELDWORK)		April 7 (late AM) -> April 16 (late PM) Arizona: Sonoran (Upland, Grassland); Chihuahuan (edge); Riparian, Sky Islands
Apr. 18 Animal Adaptations: Life-history	Sowell Ch. 6, MacMahon pp119-136
Apr. 25 Human ecology, water and land use issues	Sowell Ch. 9, other readings to be assigned.	April 27 (Thursday PM) -> April 30 (late PM) Great Basin/Colorado Plateau
May 2 Desert conservation, endemism & biodiversity hotspots,  Field Notebooks Due	other readings to be assigned.
May 9 Autecology presentations
May 16 Synecology presentations
May 22-26 FINALS WEEK, FINAL AS SCHEDULED