ENR 5358 Applied Vertebrate Physiological Ecology
Module #5: Sensory systems and noise
Problem Statement: As urbanization around the world increases and encroaches on wild animal habitat, the noise generated by human activities pervades the surrounding soundscape. There is evidence that increased noise interferes with reproduction in songbirds and frogs living in or near urban centers. However, populations of both taxa persist in these altered environments.
- What key physiological concepts do you need to learn?
- Is there a general review that explores the issue?
- What areas will each group member research?
Case Study Report Instructions
(50% of final grade)
We will cover 6-7 major topics in the form of problem based learning modules throughout the course. For each module, each student is responsible for submitting a case study report that explores the conservation physiology issue (or problem) presented for each module.
Key points:
- Written individually, based on notes from group discussions
- 3 pages minimum – 6 pages maximum (double spaced)
- Cover page, references, Tables and Figures should be on additional pages
- a report must be submitted for EVERY module; however, only the top five report grades will count toward your final Case Study Grade
Content:
Cover page – Title (be creative), name, name.#, date
Main text – Summary of Problem Statement (1 paragraph) – in your own words outline the main issue to be addressed based on the problem statement.
- Broadly describe the primary physiological mechanisms associated with the problem. As an example, if the problem is about metabolism and climate change in ectotherms, this section should describe the basic principles of metabolism in ectotherms under increasing temperature. Try to be specific in your descriptions, for example by including definitions of specific terms or use examples from the literature (~1 page).
- Specifically identify evidence to support expected responses to the Here you should state the possible ways an animal might be able to respond to an environmental stressor based on the theory you’ve outlined above, and then give examples from the literature that back-up your statements. Following the above example, you might describe two ways that an ectotherm might respond to increasing temperatures (such as move to cooler water or adjust the performance optima to a higher temperature), then give examples of each. Again, you should try to be as specific as possible (~2 pages).
- Conclusion (1 paragraph) – Summarize your exploration of the problem statement, consider suggesting what research needs to be done or is lacking in the literature
*Note that the use of subheadings in the Main Text are acceptable and encouraged!
Additional material
- References – start on a separate page, follow the reference guide below
- Tables – each table should be placed on a separate page and should have a short, informative title placed above the table. Tables should only be included if they strengthen your argument (e.g. provide data from an empirical paper that support an example you have provided in the text).
- Figures – each figure should be on a separate page with a descriptive figure legend placed below the figure. Figures should “stand alone” such that one can read the legend and understand what the figure is about without having to return to the main If you use a figure from a paper, book, etc. be sure to give attribution to the author at the end of the legend,
e.g. (modified from Smith et al. 2015).
Format and Submission:
All Reports are to be submitted electronically using Carmen by 11:59 pm on the date that they
are due. Written assignments should have 1” margins, 12 pt Times New Roman font, double line spacing, and all pages should be consecutively numbered, including the cover page. All written assignments should include a cover page that provides the title of the assignment, your name, name.#, and the date. In-text citations and reference lists should follow the instructions found in the Author Guidelines for the journal Conservation Physiology (http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/conphys/for_authors/). A single file saved as a Word document with your name and assignment title as the file name (e.g. “GRAY_Report1”) should be submitted. Late assignments will not be accepted without prior discussion.
Grading:
Each student is responsible for submitting a Case Study Report for each module and all reports will be graded; however, only the top 5 report grades will be counted toward your overall grade for this component of the course. Failure to submit a report will result in a 5 percentage point reduction of your overall Case Study Reports grade. For example, if you submit only 5 out of a possible 7 reports and receive a total of 28% (out of 30%), I will deduct 5 percentage points for each report not submitted, making the final grade for this component 18%. See Rubric below for how Reports will be assessed.
ENR 5358 Applied Vertebrate Physiological Ecology, Spring 2022
Case Study Report Grading Rubric
(50% of final grade)
Each Report is worth 10% of your final grade (only the top 5 grades will count). Your report will be evaluated based on the description above, and using the following point values. A grade of A can be achieved by addressing each of the points below, using a clear and concise writing style, and incorporating specific examples from the literature.
Points
Format follows guidelines 5
Logical flow 10
- writing is clear and concise
- the writing follows a clear logic, with topic sentences, content, and concluding sentence for each paragraph
- spelling and grammar are correct
Summary of problem statement 10
- succinctly summarize the problem in your own words
- outline the key points your report will address
Identification of key physiological concepts 15
- clear and concise descriptions of key processes linked to the problem
- definitions are provided where appropriate
Support for “solutions” or expected responses 30
- physiological principles are integrated with evidence to clearly outline “solutions”
- examples from the literature are used, and described in enough detail to support each statement
Conclusion 10
- summarizes possible responses to problem statement
