BIOL / RNR 4015 & 4017
Conservation Biology & Lab
Spring 2025

Instructor: Dr. Kyle E. Harms

For students who wish to enroll in Conservation Biology, please note that cross-listed BIOL / RNR 4015 is a 4-credit lecture-plus-recitation course, i.e., the lecture meets for 3 hours each week and the recitation meets separately for an additional hour each week (both are required to complete the course). Cross-listed BIOL / RNR 4017 is a 2-credit laboratory, which meets for 4 hours each week and in which students enroll separately from BIOL / RNR 4015.

Syllabi (for the course and lab), PowerPoint files (for the lectures), assigned readings (for the recitation sections), etc. – LSU students who are enrolled in the course will have access to these items via the course's LSU Moodle page; others may contact Kyle to receive them electronically.

Additional Resources

Biodiversity & Biodiversity Loss (including the 6^th Mass Extinction)

"A Land-Bridge Island Perspective on Mammalian Extinctions in Western N. American Parks" – W. D. Newmark (1987) Nature

ARKive – images of life on Earth

Encyclopedia of Life – species-accounts database of life on Earth

"Fragments of Extinction: The Sound of Ecosystems" – David Monacchi's acoustic archive project

"Life Within One Cubic Foot" – E. O. Wilson (February 2010) National Geographic Magazine

Natural History Museum – Wildlife Photographer of the Year – fabulous natural history photos

"The Tree of Life" – a poem by David R. Maddison

Tree of Life – web project of phylogenetic-relationships database of life on Earth

Understanding Evolution – University of California at Berkeley website concerning evolution

Climate Change

Conservation Biology

Conservation Biology for All – N. S. Sodhi & P. R. Ehrlich (2010); free on-line Conservation Biology textbook

Conservation Conversations with Sean O'Brien - monthly NatureServe podcast interviews with conservation professionals

Environmental Justice Atlas

Network of Conservation Educators & Practitioners

Conservation Genetics

"Genetic Restoration of the Florida Panther" – W. E. Johnson et al. (2010) Science

"Genomic Sweep & Potential Genetic Rescue… in an Isolated Wolf Population" – J. R. Adams et al. (2011) Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B

"Rescue of a Severely Bottlenecked Wolf… Population by a Single Immigrant" – C. Vilà et al. (2003) Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B

Earth Hour

Earth Hour – check the link for the upcoming Earth Hour event

Ecological / Environmental Footprint (and how to reduce it)

Ecological Footprint – calculate your ecological / environmental footprint

Global Footprint Network – calculate your ecological / environmental footprint

Home Energy Saver – an energy-audit tool for homes

"How much is left?" – Scientific American (September 2010)

"The Story of Stuff" – 20-minute video on the fates of material goods

"What's Your Consumption Factor?" – J. Diamond (January 2, 2008) The New York Times

Ecosystem Approaches to Conservation

"Restoration of the Mississippi Delta: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita" – J. Day et al. (2007) Science

Evolution

"Four Billion Years of Evolution in Six Minutes" – a thoughtful TED talk by Prosanta Chakrabarty (LSU) on YouTube

Understanding Evolution – University of California at Berkeley website concerning evolution

Extinction

See Biodiversity & Biodiversity Loss

Five Minute University

"Five Minute University" – Father Guido Sarducci's comedy on YouTube

Global Change

Habitat Destruction & Degradation

"Can Our Species Escape Destruction?" – J. Terborgh (2011) New York Review of Books

"Should Science Take Sides in the Gulf [of Mexico]?" – National Public Radio report (August 20, 2010); interview with Chris D'Elia (LSU), Linda Hooper Bui (LSU) et al.

"The Tragedy of the Commons" – G. Hardin (1968) Science