FNR3410C
NATURAL RESOURCE
SAMPLING
3
credits Fall terms
COURSE
OUTLINE AND GOALS
Natural resource sampling is the theory and
practice of acquiring and analyzing data (both quantitative and qualitative)
about the natural environment surrounding us.
Gathering data about the environment is the first step in understanding
and effectively manipulating it.
This course covers the principles of
natural resource sampling (the use of statistics, data analysis, the relative
value of different sampling methods, etc) as well as some of the common methods
/ tools used in sampling a variety of resources (soils, water, understory
vegetation, overstory vegetation, wildlife populations, and humans as they
relate to natural resources).
Main Instructor: Dr.
(352) 846-3503; email: staudham@ufl.edu
349 Newins-Ziegler Hall
Old
course webpage: http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/faculty/staudhammer/FNR3410C.html
New
course material on e-learning: lss.at.ufl.edu/
Required Text:
A course packet
is available from Orange & Blue Textbooks.
See Schedule for assigned reading by week.
Other Interesting/Useful Texts:
Avery, T.E., and H.E. Burkhart.
1994. Forest Measurements, 4th
Ed. McGraw-Hill, Inc., NY. 408
pages. (SCIENCE
LIBRARY SD555.A93)
Brower, J.E. (1990) Field and Laboratory Methods for General
Ecology. W.C.
Brown Publishers, Dubuque,
IA. 237 pp. (SCIENCE LIBRARY QH541.28 .B76 1990)
Fulton, D.C., K.C.
Nelson, D.H. Anderson, and D.W. Lime (eds.) (2000) Human Dimensions of
Natural Resource Management: Emerging Issues and Practical Application. St.
Paul, MN: Cooperative Park Studies Program, University of Minnesota, Department
of Forest Resources. 154 pp. (http://www.cnr.umn.edu/CPSP/Research/HumanDimensions.pdf.)
Kozak, A., R.A. Kozak, C.L. Staudhammer, and S. Watts. 2008. Introductory
Probability and Statistics: Applications for Forestry and Natural Sciences.
CABI, London, UK.
Krebs, C.J. (1999) Ecological methodology, 2nd
edition. Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, C, USA, 620 pp. (SCIENCE
LIBRARY QH541.15 .S72 K74 1998).
Peters, C.M. (1994) Sustainable Harvest of Non-timber Plant
Resources in Tropical Moist Forest: An Ecological Primer, World Wildlife
Foundation, Biodiversity Support Program. (http://worldwildlife.org/bsp/publications/bsp/sustainable_eng/sustainable06-14-99.html.)
Reed, D.D. and G.D.
Mroz (1997) Resource assessment in
forested landscapes. John Wiley & Sons, NY. 386 pp.
Shiver, B.D. and B.E. Borders. 1996. Sampling Techniques for Forest
Resource Inventory. John Wiley and Sons, NY.
Vanclay, J.K. 1992.
Before you begin your inventory. ITTO Tropical Forest Management Update
2(4):4-6.
Williams, B.K.,
J.D. Nichols, and M.J. Conroy (2002) Analysis
and Management of Animal Populations. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
817 pp.
Wong, J. L. G., K.
Thornber, and N. Baker (2001) Resource
assessment of non-wood forest products: experience and biometric
principles Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
Rome. 109 pp. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/saf/fs/2002/00000048/00000003/art00016)
TYPICAL SCHEDULE (2008)
|
Week |
Date |
Monday
Lecture: 9:35am – 10:25am |
Wednesday
Lecture: 9:35am – 10:25am |
Wednesday
Lab: 12:50pm - 3:50pm |
Reading** |
|
1 |
25-Aug |
Syllabus
overview Lec.1:
Introduction |
Lec.2:
Review: measures of central tendency & variability, sampling theory |
Review of
basic meas. equipment and Excel– UF Please bring your laptop, if you have one! |
AB: 1-23, 97-101, 106-107 |
|
2 |
1-Sep |
Labor
Day – No Class |
Lec.3:
Temporal & spatial variation, geographic location, compass & GPS
basics |
Atmospheric
Sampling - ACMF (T. Martin) - weather
stations, environ. instrumentation, vegetative gas exchange - review
of GPS, basic measurement equipment |
SB: 33-39, G-M |
|
|
|||||
|
3 |
8-Sep |
Lec.4:
Review: confidence limits, and hypothesis testing |
Soil Sampling (R. Ellis, Soils) -techniques and methods |
Soil Sampling - ACMF (R. Ellis, Soils) - field
demonstration |
KKSW: 111-125, 147-155 |
|
4 |
15-Sep |
Lec.5:
Types of Sampling: simple random, systematic random Lec.6:
Intro to sampling vegetation |
Lec.7. Line intercept sampling |
Understory
Vegetation Sampling – NATL -
transects, species inventories (Asgn.
#1) |
|
|
5 |
22-Sep |
Lec.7.
continued Lec.8:
Fixed Area Plots |
Lec.8 continued |
Understory /Regen. Sampling
– Morningside Ctr - fixed
area plots, density (Asgn. #2) |
AB: 198-215 |
|
6 |
29-Sep |
Exam 1 |
Water
Sampling concepts (M. Cohen) -quantity, quality |
Water
Sampling Lab – ACMF (M. Cohen) |
|
|
7 |
6-Oct |
Lec.9:
Sample size, accuracy, precision -quantity, quality |
Lec.10:
Intro to Variable Plot - prism, increment borer |
Overstory
Vegetation Sampling – ACMF - variable plot (HPS), dbh,
height, density (Asgn. #3) |
AB: 217-228 |
|
8 |
13-Oct |
Lec.11: Comparison of vegetation sampling
methods |
Lec.12:
Overview of animal sampling
methods |
Overstory
Sampling Comparison – ACMF - 1/20th acre vs.
point-quarter vs. HPS (Asgn. #4) |
SB: 317-335 |
|
9 |
20-Oct |
Lec.12
continued |
Fish Sampling (B. Pine, FAS) |
Fish
Sampling (B. Pine, FAS) – NOTE that lab may go to 5pm |
|
|
10 |
27-Oct |
Lec.13:
Cluster sampling |
Bird
Sampling (S. Robinson, FNHM) -
visual/audio ID, mist-netting, banding, surveys |
Bird
Sampling (P. Frederick, WEC) |
|
|
11 |
3-Nov |
Exam 2 |
Class
cancelled - SAF Meeting |
Class
cancelled - SAF Meeting |
|
|
12 |
10-Nov |
Review Exam Catch-up lecture |
Human
Sampling / Surveying (T. Stein) - automatic counters,
questionnaires |
Human
Sampling / Surveying, on campus (T. Stein) |
TBA |
|
13 |
17-Nov |
Lec.14:
Review of Chi-square and F
distributions |
Amphibian/Reptile Samp. (S.
Johnson, WEC) |
Amphibian
and Reptile Sampling - Ordway Preserve (S. Johnson, WEC) – NOTE that lab may
go to 5pm |
KKSW: 136-140 |
|
14 |
24-Nov |
Lec 15:
Simple Linear Regression (Asgn. #5) |
Lec.16:
Stratified random sampling |
Happy
Thanksgiving – no lab |
KKSW: 217-236 |
|
15 |
1-Dec |
Lec.17:
Intro to Point-Quarter |
Game Animal Sampling (W. Giuliano,
WEC) |
Game Animal Sampling (W. Giuliano, WEC) |
K: 182-184 |
|
16 |
8-Dec |
Lec.18:
Benefit vs cost, professional ethics, “over concluding” |
Review |
Exam 3 |
V |
*Expect these labs to finish at 5pm.
**See online reading schedule for
abbreviation key.
Bring a calculator to all lectures. Bring a clipboard to all labs. With these exceptions, students will be
provided the equipment necessary to complete field labs. Students should have access to a computer
running either Microsoft Excel.
Reasonable proficiency with one of these software packages is expected.
|
Due Date |
Points |
|
|
Quizzes |
During lecture |
40 points (4 @ 10 pts) |
|
Assignments |
As indicated by instructor |
130 points (5 @20 pts, 1 @ 30 pts) |
|
Participation |
All classes, labs |
30 points |
|
Exam 1 |
Monday, 29 September |
100 points |
|
Exam 2 |
Monday, 3 November |
100 points |
|
Exam 3 |
Last day of classes |
100 points |
|
|
Total Possible |
500 points |
GRADES
Quizzes
(10 points each):
Any material previously covered in lecture or lab is fair game. Quizzes will usually take 10 minutes or
less. A minimum of 4 quizzes will be
given - any additional quizzes will replace lower quiz grades.
Assignments
(20/30 points each):
Five
assignments will be given based on field labs (20 points each). Additionally, students will write an animal
sampling summary or perform a sampling simulation (3- points, see below). One additional summary may replace an
assignment grade. Points will be deducted for sloppy work, grammatical errors,
spelling errors, unreadable handwriting, unstapled papers, etc. Late assignments will be marked down at 10%
per day past the due date.
Animal Sampling
Summary: The first step in any
sampling exercise is gathering information on what is already known. This is especially true in sampling animals,
since their biology and habits can have drastic impacts on the value of the
data you collect. Choose a species of
and summarize its biology / habits (8 points) and previous efforts to sample it
(18 points), using proper
grammar, spelling, etc (4 points). Bonus
points may be awarded for odd or unique selections. As with all assignments, please be
neat!
Sampling Simulation:
Using
geospatial information, you will evaluate a large scale logging operation in
the Brazilian Amazon forest. Using sampling techniques, you will determine the
impact of logging, including quantifying the area used by equipment and the
amount of tree volume removed. You will determine the sampling method to use
and simulate the results of such sampling.
Exams
(300 points in total): A collection of short-answer, multiple choice, and
true-false questions based on previous lectures and labs. These exams are cumulative (i.e., material
tested in exam 1 may also be tested on exam 2), but will emphasize material
covered since the last exam. At each
exam, you will be allowed one page of notes (front and back). There will be no
make-up exams. If you miss and exam
and can provide a valid excuse (e.g.,
doctor’s note or pre-approved conference program), the exam will be dropped
from your evaluation criteria.
Participation
Points:
Students will earn points for attendance, class contributions, and enthusiasm (i.e.,
engaging questions and a lack of whining will be rewarded). Roll will be taken. Any unexcused absence from class will results
in a 5-point reduction from your participation grade.
Professional Conduct: Very shortly, you
will graduate and begin your career as a Natural Resource Professional. In addition to making certain you learn (and
retain) the
basics of natural resource sampling, I also hope to instill in you a
professional demeanor, ethic, etc. As
such, I may penalize your grade for behavior I deem unprofessional. Unprofessional actions include the mundane
(improper field dress) to the critical (racial, sexual, or ethnic
discrimination). In short, act like
the professional you are preparing to be and you’ll do fine.
Occasionally, labs
may be shorter or longer than the 3-hour scheduled time in order to travel to
appropriate field sites. You will
receive ample warning in advance of these labs.
SAFETY
DISCLAIMER
Much of this course entails field work
where the opportunity exists that you will be injured. Injuries range from relatively minor
(scratches, abrasions, sunburn, insect bites, etc) to potentially
life-threatening (snake bites, west nile virus, lyme disease, skin cancer,
heatstroke, falling objects, etc). As
students entering the field of natural resources you should realize that these
hazards are part of your career and should be taken seriously. Students should dress appropriately
(closed-toed shoes, long pants, sunblock, insect repellant, etc) and act appropriately. This means you should refrain from throwing
or pushing things (e.g., trees or snags), always use equipment in the way it
was designed for, and generally avoid taking unnecessary risks. While I will endeavor to keep all students
safe, it is the ultimate responsibility of the student to safeguard their
health and safety. By enrolling in
this course, you are accepting this responsibility.
|
PRECAUTIONS should be taken to avoid ticks and tick bites: 1) Wear
long pants and tuck the legs inside socks. 2) Wear
generous amounts of PERMANONE on clothing only or other insect repellents on
skin. 3) After
hiking or working outdoors, inspect yourself for ticks. Carefully remove and
save ticks if possible for help in diagnosis. 4) Anyone
who experiences flu-like symptoms after possible contact with ticks should
seek medical attention immediately. MANDATORY: To claim injury/sickness from
Workmen's Compensation you are required to keep a TICK LOG which must
include: 1) Your name, 2) Date of
bite, 3) Where you were working when the tick bite occurred, and 4) Your
supervisor's signature. A tick ID card and an information brochure for
each student in each lab has been included with all SFRC field lab
equipment. Extra cards and brochures
can be obtained from Willie Wood/118A N-Z. |
POLICY
ON ACADEMIC HONESTY
As a student, you
have already agreed to the following statement: I understand that the
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:
-
- Student Mental
Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling
- Sexual Assault
Recovery Services,
-
Notes
are available through e-learning (lss.at.ufl.edu/).
These notes are subject to last-minute changes and/or other
unexplained phenomenon. Notes are incomplete
and may contain multiple and severe errors! In other words, these notes are not a
replacement for attending class.
Announcements
are available through e-learning (lss.at.ufl.edu/).