BIOL / RNR 4015 & 4017
Conservation Biology & Lab
Spring 2024
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. – enrolled LSU students 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 6th 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
See also Global Change
"Belief in Climate Change Hinges on Worldview" – National Public Radio report (February 23, 2010)
Data ONE – Universal Access to Data about Life on Earth and the Environment
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
James Hansen's website – includes updates to Storms of my Grandchildren (2010)
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – Climate Change
"Time-Lapse Proof of Extreme Ice Loss" – James Balog (2009) TED talk
"Ways to be Wrong: Climategate, Climate Science And Who Gets a Say" – National Public Radio report (March 23, 2010)
"With Deaths of Forests, a Loss of Key Climate Protectors" – The New York Times (October 1, 2011)
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
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
See also Climate Change
"An Epoch Debate" – G. Vince (2011) Science
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
Human Population Size / Trends Resources
"The Population Bomb Revisited" – Paul R. Ehrlich & Anne H. Ehrlich (2009) Electronic Journal of Sustainable Development
U.S. Census Bureau's Population Counter ("Clock")
Invasive Species
"Top 10 Invasive Species" – Time Magazine (February 2, 2010)
Natural History
Overexploitation
"The Perils of Overfishing" – National Public Radio interview with Daniel Pauly
Part 1 (Nov. 2, 2009)
Part 2 (Nov. 3, 2009)
Protected Areas
"To Save Wildlife, Namibia's Farmers Take Control" – National Public Radio (October 10, 2011)
Recycling
Capital Area (Baton Rouge) Corporate Recycling Council
Sustainability
"Freeze the footprint of food" – Clay (2011) Nature
"Walking the talk on sustainability" – Laband & South (2010) Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment
Valuing Nature
"Biodiversity Studies: Science and Policy" – Paul R. Ehrlich & E. O. Wilson (1991) Science
"The Land Ethic" – Aldo Leopold (1949)
Vote!
Use non-partisan, evidence-based VoteSmart to evaluate candidates and elected officials
What Can You Do?
"51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment" – Time Magazine (2007)
International Conservation-Oriented Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Canopy Watch International
Conservation International (CI)
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
National (USA) Conservation-Oriented Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Also see Conservation Conversations with Sean O'Brien (NatureServe's President & CEO)
Student Conservation Association
Louisiana Conservation-Oriented Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or Non-Profits
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
Louisiana Environmental Action Network
Other States' Conservation-Oriented Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or Non-Profits
California - Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Wyoming - Friends of the Bridger-Teton National Forest
Scientific Societies
Association for Tropical Biology & Conservation
Society for the Study of Evolution
Federal (USA) Governmental Offices Charged to Varying Degrees with Conservation-Oriented Mandates
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
State (Louisiana) Governmental Offices Charged to Varying Degrees with Conservation-Oriented Mandates
Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority (CPRA)
LA Department of Natural Resources
LA Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
Stay Informed
British Broadcasting Service (BBC)
Ecolog
EcoTone – blog of the Ecological Society of America
Also see "blogging ecologists" for a list of ecologically-oriented blogs
Wikipedia
Wikipedia page for LSU BIOL 4015 – Fall 2012
Wikipedia page for LSU BIOL 4015 – Fall 2011
"Why Wikipedians are the Weirdest People on the Internet" – YouTube video