431 Contemporary Topics: Ecology and Evolution of Plant-Human Interactions
Half-unit course for one semester. We will read from the current theoretical and empirical literature on the ecology and evolution of plant-human interactions. The emphasis will be on exploring how biological research contributes to our understanding of the many ways in which plants and humans are interdependent. The exact topics we cover will be determined by the participants, but potential topics include:

• Ecological perspectives on agricultural, forestry & silviculture, grazing, and other resource extraction activities targeted at plants
  
• The evolution of crop species and of their diseases and pests
  
• Plant breeding, bioengineering and the ecology of transgenic species
  
• The evolution and ecology of invasive plant species (including efforts at their control)
  

• Keith's Office: B104; ext. 7846
  
• Keith's Office Hours: Tu, Th 11:00 - noon (or by appointment)
  
• Send email (kkaroly at reed.edu)
  

Everyone taking part in the seminar is expected to:

• 1) read the assigned material each week. The reading will consist of several research articles or book chapters. The reading assignment for each meeting will be provided the preceding week. We will primarily make use of e-journals and e-reserves. Occasionally the material will be from journals that are also available in the library stacks. The articles or chapters will often provide opposing opinions or evidence on the subject, and should always be read critically.
  

• 2) participate in the seminar discussion. I expect everyone in this class to participate in all discussions. The topics we will address will hopefully lend themselves to lively discussion. It will be important for our discussions to have all participants contributing their views on the reading. Everyone should come to seminar prepared to briefly summarize the assigned reading for the group. Each week, one randomly chosen person may be asked to provide a brief (maximum of 5 minutes) description for each of the papers. I would also like our discussion to cover both positive and negative aspects of the papers.
  

• 3) assume the role of Discussion Leader in turn. Your primary responsibilities in this role will be to choose a topic for discussion, identify papers for the class to read, and facilitate discussion during the seminar meeting. This will require a thorough understanding of the reading you assign. You will also be expected to review additional literature on your subject so that you can help to place the assigned reading into a larger context. You are not expected to prepare (nor will you be allowed to present) a two-hour lecture on your topic.
  On the day we discuss your reading, please bring a brief bibliography of related papers, along with any additional information (diagrams, pictures, maps, etc) from other sources that may help to put the reading in context. If you can provide an electronic copy of this document to me prior to class, I will print enough copies for everyone (and print in color if warranted)
  

• 4) complete 2 reviews of recent papers investigating a question in the ecology and/or evolution of plant-human interactions. These are expected to be short reviews (a maximum of 3 pages, double-spaced). One of these papers can be on the topic for which you lead discussion (but not of one of the papers we all read for class discussion). The articles you review should be reporting new research (i.e. do not use review articles) and should be from the current periodicals reading room (i.e. unbound). If you use electronic journals, please focus on articles from the past 16 months. A sign-up sheet will be circulated during seminar meetings with the dates for turning in these assignments (this is for my benefit to regulate the influx of papers). Appropriate journals to search include: Economic Botany, American Journal of Botany, Ecology, Evolution, Molecular Ecology, Oecologia, Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Society, Phytologia, Journal of Ecology, Canadian Journal of Botany, and American Naturalist.
  

• 5) complete a brief research proposal for one of the topics covered in class (this may be completed in pairs depending on the number enrolled). You will revisit one of the papers we discussed for seminar this term, and identify a follow-up question for additional research. You will then write a 2 to 3 page description of a research project that will build upon the report we read. More details will be provided towards the end of the term.
  

The following is intended to clarify the literature review assignments. Please see me for any questions regarding choice of papers or further clarification about the writing.

1) Find an article from the current (unbound) literature that presents original research. If you are using on-line resources, limited your searching to the last 16 months. Do not use reviews unless an explicit hypothesis is being tested with the reviewed data. My hope is that you will go into the current periodicals room in the library and start thumbing through the most recent back issues of relevant journals (suggested journals include American Journal of Botany, Economic Botany, Evolution, Ecology, Oecologia, Molecular Ecology, Plant Physiology, Phytologia, American Naturalist, Journal of Ecology, Functional Ecology, Candian Journal of Botany, Heredity, Genetics, Conservation Biology). Pick an article that looks interesting to you and suitable for the writing assignment. There is no penalty for choosing a short article or one with a straightforward experimental design.



2) Read the article carefully and critically. Consider whether the authors adequately motivate their study in their introduction. Sketch out a schematic of their experimental design for yourself and be certain you understand what they did. Compare the fit of their interpretations with the details of their results.



3) Write a short review of the article. The review should be typed, double spaced, and no longer than three pages. Virtuous papers will be characterized by brevity and clarity. Devote equivalent attention to





i) a description of what was done and why they suggest that it's interesting
ii) a summary of their results and the conclusions they reached
iii) an analysis of strong and weak aspects of their report, with special attention to the adequacy of the experimental design and the support that their data provide for their conclusions.

Logging to Control Insects	The Xerces Society (based in Portland) released a report in Fall, 2005 that reviews research reports investigating the utility of logging as a means to control insect pest outbreaks.
Society for Economic Botany	The SEB publishes the journal Economic Botany.
WWW LIBRARY: Forestry	Metla in Finland maintains a WWW library of information on forestry topics .
Non-Timber Forest Products	Includes a bibliography and web links to resources about non-timber forest products.
Weeds on the Web	The Nature Conservancy's Wildland Invasive Species Program offers information on the impacts of non-native plants species.
Information Systems for Biotechnology	Documents and searchable databases pertaining to the development, testing and regulatory review of genetically modified plants, animals and microorganisms within the U.S. and abroad.
Transgenic Crops introduction and resource guide	A web site from Colorado State University that attempts to provide a "balanced view" of the transgenic crops controversy. Includes many links to primary sources of data and animations demonstrating the steps involved in constructing transgenic plants.
BioEthics of GMOs	Although we will not cover ethical topics per se, you may be interested in learning about this aspect of genetic engineering. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (an independent body) provides reports on their web site related to a number of biological issues with ethical dimensions, including genetic engineering of crops and genetic testing for humans.
Native American Ethnobotany	Searchable database of plants used by Native Americans.

Maintained by the Reed College Biology Department
Last Modified8/22/05
Questions/Comments to kkaroly@reed.edu