Prerequisites
7.012 / 7.013 / 7.014 recommended
Textbook
Krebs, Charles. Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance. 5th edition.
Readings and Assignments
Required reading assignments from current journal and news sources will be given periodically to supplement the lecture and textbook material. These readings will be listed on the handout for each lecture segment.
Grading
Quizzes - 50%
There will be 3 equally weighted quizzes throughout the semester. The third exam will be cumulative.
Term Project - 30%
The term project will have deadlines throughout the entire semester, and all components will contribute to the grading of the final project. A separate handout will describe this project in greater detail.
Homework - 20%
There will be 3 homework assignments and 3 EcoBeaker lab write-ups. The homework assignments will rely on readings as well as lecture notes, and will emphasize qualitative as well as quantitative skills. The EcoBeaker labs are designed to give you hands-on experience with an ecological modeling tool and practice forming and describing hypotheses and observations.
Academic Honesty (From the Instructors to the Students)
Even though MIT does not have an honor code, I function as if we do. I assume that you are honest, are here to learn, and are proud of your work. For papers and homework, I encourage you to discuss your ideas with other students, but the written document you turn in should be your own. The exams are given in the classroom which is sometimes crowded. I trust that you will not attempt to cheat on an exam. I expect that you will not betray this trust.