| October 7 -- First test | 30% |
| November 4 -- Second test | 30% |
| December 9 -- Third test | 30% |
| Take-home exercises | 10% |
Grading Scale:
| 90-100 | A | 4 points |
| 80-89.99 | B | 3 points |
| 70-79.99 | C | 2 points |
| 60-69.99 | D | 1 point |
| <60 | E | 0 points |
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: Powers, L.E., and R. McSorley. 2000. Ecological Principles of Agriculture.
Delmar Thomson Learning, Albany, NY.
Objectives: To learn ecological principles applicable to most ecosystems; To understand
the principles and functions of agroecosystems; To examine examples relevant to current issues
in agricultural ecology.
Make-up Exams: None - take average grade of other two exams minus 10 points.
Late exercises: Minus 25% per day
Tentative Schedule (2009)
| Week | Date | Topic | |
| 1 | Aug 24 | Introduction, ecological experimentation in agriculture; Basic chemical processes - carbon cycle; Climate and adaptation of agricultural crops | |
| 2 | Aug 31 | Physical factors affecting crops - water; Energy in agroecosystems; field visit | |
| 3 | Sep 7 | Labor Day Holiday (Monday); Soil type and classification; Soil properties and environmental factors | |
| 4 | Sep 14 | Nitrogen in agroecosystems; Fertilizer elements in the environment | |
| 5 | Sep 21 | Decomposition; Beneficial soil organisms | |
| 6 | Sep 28 | Plant succession and competition; Weed ecology and management | |
| 7 | Oct 5 | Distribution and sampling of agricultural pests; October 7 (Wednesday) - first test; field visit? | |
| 8 | Oct 12 | Introduction to insects; Homecoming holiday (Friday) | |
| 9 | Oct 19 | Population dynamics; Pesticides and the environment; field visit? | |
| 10 | Oct 26 | Plant-parasitic nematodes; Plant disease and environment | |
| 11 | Nov 2 | Integrated pest management; November 4 (Wednesday) - second test; Host plant resistance and conservation of genetic resources | |
| 12 | Nov 9 | Cropping systems and agroecosystems in the landscape; Veteran’s Day Holiday; Crop rotation and cover crops | |
| 13 | Nov 16 | Intercropping; Mulches | |
| 14 | Nov 23 | Irrigation and salinity; Thanksgiving Holiday (Friday) | |
| 15 | Nov 30 | Graduate student presentations | |
| 16 | Dec 7 | Conservation tillage; December 9 (Wednesday) - third test |
Announcements
Note critical test dates: October 7, November 4, December 9
NOTE: Field trip on Friday, September 4. Please meet at field instead of
class. Please see map for field
location.
List of plants seen on field trip here.
Take-home exercise #1 is now available here and due on September 23.
Information about missed classes due to H1N1 flu here.
NOTE: Field trip on Friday, October 2. We will visit the same site that we went to last time.
Please see previous announcement if you need a map.
The first test is coming up October 7. It will cover material from PowerPoint presentations
#1-11 including #11, and the first field trip.
A list of weeds seen on the October 2 field trip is shown here.
IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGES!!! We will shift the dates when some upcoming classes will be presented:
October 9 -- Finish #14, start #16
October 12 -- Finish #16, start #17
October 14 -- Start #15.
October 19 -- Finish #15, finish #17
October 21 (Wednesday) -- #19 (Plant disease)
October 28 (Wednesday) -- Field visit (Same location; insect sampling and ID)
Please click here for take-home exercise #2, due Friday October 30.
Hint for Take-Home Exercise #2: Standard deviation can be tedious to calculate, so it
is recommended to use a computer application such as Excel for doing it automatically. Some
calculators will also give standard deviation automatically. If you need to calculate it by
hand using a calculator, then a page from the textbook will explain exactly how to do this
and shows an example calculation. Click here to see
that page.
NOTE TYPO ERROR IN EXERCISE #2: In Take-Home #2, we show data for Florida Pusley in
Table 1. But Table 2 shows Bermudagrass by mistake, we do not have data for Bermudagrass. So
in Table 2, please cross out Bermudagrass and replace with Florida Pusley.
Notes from the field trip on October 28 can be found
here.
Please click here for take-home exercise #3, due Wednesday December 2.
NOTE: Following is a schedule of classes over the upcoming two weeks:
Monday, November 23 -- Conservation tillage
Wednesday, November 25 -- No Class
Monday, November 30 to Friday, December 4 -- Graduate student
presentations, see schedule here.
NOTE: Abstracts for the graduate student presentations are available here.
List of Class Presentations:
| Class | Topic | |
| 1 | Introduction and ecological experimentation | |
| 2 | Basic chemical processes | |
| 3 | Climate and adaptation of agricultural crops | |
| 4 | Physical factors affecting crops - water | |
| 5 | Energy in agroecosystems | |
| 6 | Soil type and classification | |
| 7 | Soil properties and environmental factors | |
| 8 | Nitrogen in agroecosystems | |
| 9 | Fertilizer elements in the environment | |
| 10 | Decomposition | |
| 11 | Beneficial soil organisms | |
| 12 | Plant succession and competition | |
| 13 | Weed ecology and management | |
| 14 | Distribution and sampling of agricultural pests | |
| 15 | Introduction to insects | |
| 16 | Population dynamics | |
| 17 | Pesticides and the environment | |
| 18 | Plant-parasitic nematodes | |
| 19 | Plant disease and environment | |
| 20 | Integrated pest management | |
| 21 | Host plant resistance and conservation of genetic resources | |
| 22 | Cropping systems and agroecosystems in the landscape | |
| 23 | Crop rotation and cover crops | |
| 24 | Intercropping | |
| 25 | Mulches: synthetic and organic | |
| 26 | Dryland agriculture, irrigation, and salinity | |
| 27 | Conservation tillage |
Links to PowerPoints
1 - Introduction and Ecological Experimentation in Agriculture2 - Basic Chemical Processes – Carbon Cycle
3 - Climate and Adaptation of Agricultural Crops
4 - Physical Factors Affecting Crops - Water
5 - Energy in Agroecosystems
6 - Soil Type and Classification
7 - Soil Properties and Environmental Factors
8 - Nitrogen and Other Nutrients in Agroecosystems
9 - Fertilizer Elements in the Environment
10 - Decomposition
11 - Beneficial Soil Organisms
12 - Plant Succession and Competition
13 - Weed Ecology and Management
14 - Distribution and Sampling of Agricultural Pests
15 - Introduction to Insects
16 - Population Dynamics
17 - Pesticides and the Environment
18 - Plant-Parasitic Nematodes
19 - Plant Disease and Environment
20 - Integrated Pest Management
21 - Host Plant Resistance
22 - Cropping Systems and Landscape Ecology
23 - Crop Rotation and Cover Crops
24 - Intercropping
25 - Mulches: Synthetic and Organic
26 - Dryland Agriculture, Irrigation, Salinity
27 - Conservation Tillage
28 - Organic Amendments
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA COURSE POLICIES:
Additional General Information: The following information applies to all courses at the University of Florida.
We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standard of honesty and integrity.
Academic Honesty: As a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, every student has signed the following statement: "I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University."
Copyrighted Materials and Software Use: All students are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing copyrighted material and software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation. Please provide this documentation to the instructor during the first two weeks of class.
University Counseling Services: Resources are available on-campus for students having personal problems or lacking clear career and academic goals which interfere with their academic performance. These resources include:
1. University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career counseling;
2. Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling;
3. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual counseling;
and
4. Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling.
University Deans Office: For students with serious academic problems, such as late withdrawal,
failure due to lack of attendance, medical withdrawal, etc.:
1. Dean for College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), 2001 McCarty Hall, 392-1963;
2. University Dean of Students Office, 202 Peabody Hall, 392-1261.
Email: Course webmaster | Dept. Home Page
