BIOL / RNR 4015 & 4017
Conservation Biology & Lab
Spring 2026
Instructor: Dr. Kyle E. Harms
BIOL / RNR 4015 is the 4-credit, cross-listed, lecture-plus-recitation course, i.e., the lecture meets for 3 hours each week and the recitation meets separately for an additional 1 hour each week (both the lecture and recitation are required to complete the course).
BIOL 4017 is the 2-credit laboratory course, which is separate from the lecture-plus-recitation course. The laboratory course meets for 4 hours each week.
LSU students register separately for BIOL / RNR 4015 and BIOL 4017. Students are not required to take the lecture-plus-recitation course (BIOL / RNR 4015) during the same semester in which they take the laboratory course (BIOL 4017). During their time at LSU, some students opt to only take one or the other course, some students take both simultaneously, and some students take both, but during different semesters (depending on their degree requirements and course schedules).
For syllabi, PowerPoint files (for the lectures), assigned readings (especially for the recitation sections and laboratory), etc., LSU students who enroll in the courses will have access to these items via the courses' LSU Moodle pages; 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