Lecture will be Fridays 10 - 11:40 AM. Lab and field will meet only on those Fridays associated with fieldtrips (except May 3).

Lab & Field time will consist of two weekend fieldtrips leaving Thursday about noon 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.

Books:

• Sowell 2001, Desert Ecology, ISBN 087480678X, about $14 new on Amazon
• MacMahon 1985, Deserts ( Audubon Society Nature Guides), ISBN 0394731395, about $0.01 used on Amazon
• Optional Fieldguides (sets of students should share):
  • birds: Sibley 2003, Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ISBN 0713666587, about $20 used on Amazon
  • plants: Epple et al. 2012, Plants of Arizona, 2nd Edition, ISBN 076277035X, about $20 new on Amazon
  • herptiles: Stebbins 2003, Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, ISBN 0395982723, about $15 new on Amazon
• other readings as 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 25 Course overview. Intro. to Deserts: What Where Why: Climate and Earth Science basics	Sowell Ch. 1
Feb. 1 Desert Ecosystems (World): Soils, Nutrient Cycles, Pulse-Reserve Model	Sowell Ch. 1, Ch. 7
Feb. 8 N. American Deserts Overview	MacMahon pp 33 - 101
Feb. 15 N. American Desert Paleo-Biogeography	Van Devender pp 61-69; Desert Phylogeography
Feb. 22 Landforms and Modern Biogeography	Sowell Ch. 8
Mar. 1 Plant Adaptations: physiology	Sowell Ch. 2
Mar. 8 FIELDWORK
		March 8 (10AM) -> March 10 (late PM) Mojave
Mar. 15 Plant Adaptations: life-history	Sowell Ch. 3
Mar. 22 Midterm Exam
Mar. 29 No Class
Apr. 5 SPRING BREAK (FIELDWORK)		April 5 (9 AM) -> April 14 (late PM) Arizona: Sonoran (Upland, Grassland); Chihuahuan (edge); Riparian, Sky Islands
Apr. 12 SPRING BREAK (FIELDWORK)		April 5 (9 AM) -> April 14 (late PM) Arizona: Sonoran (Upland, Grassland); Chihuahuan (edge); Riparian, Sky Islands
Apr. 19 Animal Adaptations: Thermoregulation & Osmoregulation	Sowell Chs. 4, 5
Apr. 26 FIELDWORK		April 25 (Thursday 10 AM) -> April 28 (late PM) Great Basin & Colorado Plateau
May 3 Animal Adaptations: Life-history Presentations: autecology, synecology	Sowell Ch. 6
May 10 Human ecology, conservation, water and land use issues,  Field Notebooks Due May 17 Final Exam	Sowell Ch. 9