Course Overview


Ecosystems of Alaska focuses on the application of ecological principles to field research. The course emphasizes the integration of ecology with climatology, geology, and hydrology to understand the functioning of ecosystems at local and regional scales. The major objective of this course is to introduce students to the concepts of ecosystem ecology and their application to the major ecosystems of Alaska through field research in these ecosystems. The field research is intended to provide students with the opportunity to design and conduct several interdisciplinary research projects and to analyze and interpret the results of this research. Following several days of lectures, library research, and research planning, we will spend two weeks doing field research in the major ecosystems of Alaska. At the end of the course, each student will present an oral and draft written report on the ecosystem on which she/he has specialized. The final written report is due within one month of the completion of the course. The course involves a full-time commitment for three weeks in late August and provides three undergraduate credits


Dates, Prerequisites and Availability

August, 2004 and even years thereafter. The course (Biol. 467) will be listed as a fall-semester course at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) The course is intended for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students. The course requires permission of the instructor (fschapin@lter.uaf.edu) and an undergraduate course in ecology, geology, hydrology, or climatology.

Availability to Non-Alaskan Students
This course is intended for students from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and students from other universities around the country.  The course is designed for students who seek a career in ecology and want practical experience in ecological field research and the application of ecological principles to northern ecosystems. The maximum class size is 25 students.


Format and Logistics

Format and logistics
The course requires full-time involvement of students from 8 am until 8 pm every day during a three-week period in August. There are three major sections to the course.
I. Introduction: Three days of introductory lectures and field trips will familiarize students with principles of ecosystem ecology and provide general background about Alaska.
II. Field research: Two weeks of field research in selected Alaskan ecosystems. Half the time will be spent conducting student-led research projects. The other half of the time will be spent learning about other ecosystems from selected ecosystem experts. The class will be divided into 5 research teams. Each team is responsible for designing a research project to address a specific question that can be answered with one day’s field work. The student team responsible for an ecosystem will decide on the measurements to be made, using a research “toolbox” of techniques for which we have the necessary equipment. The team will make brief presentations to the rest of the class about their ecosystem, providing background information about that ecosystem and about the research that will be done. The team will then direct the rest of the class in collecting the essential data and will be responsible for analyzing and interpreting these data. Each student will be a member of one research team.
III. Data analysis and final presentations. For the last four days of the course, we will prepare and analyze samples and analyze the data statistically in preparation for a final symposium. At this symposium, each team will present the results of their research project to the rest of the class. Each student will prepare an individually written report in the form of a 3-5-page scientific paper that is due October 1, 2002.

Grades
Letter grades will be given to all students, based on the following criteria:
Intellectual contribution to discussions 25%
Active involvement in all phases of research 25%
Quality of the research and final presentations of your teams 20%
Final paper 30%

What conditions to expect:
Anything can happen. The challenge is to bring the minimum essential stuff for a range of conditions. This is easiest if you bring layers of clothes rather than big bulky jackets. It could be sunny and 70_F (20_C) or rainy and windy and 35_F (2_C). We will probably get some of both types of conditions. We will be sleeping in tents part of the time and inside part of the time. We will be traveling in cars with a minimum of storage space, so don't bring things you won't need.
What to bring:
Everyone should bring the following things:
Comfortable field clothes (for example T-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, jeans, hat for sun, and boots)
Things to keep dry: rain coat, rain pants, waterproof boots (preferably 14 inch rubber or neoprene boots). You should be prepared to work outside all day in the rain.
Things to keep warm: Warm coat, sweater, windbreaker, warm hat, gloves, long underwear. You should be prepared to work outside in the cold all day.
A set of extra field clothes if your clothes get wet
Sleeping bag and sleeping mat
Bug repellant, sun screen, sunglasses
Camera and film
Unbreakable coffee mug for warm drinks and picking blueberries
Money: we will share the cost of food equally among all of us. I am guessing that this will be about $200 per person for the 3-week course. I would bring at least an additional $100, in case you see something else you want from the stores (film; replacement for lost clothes, meal in restaurant, etc.). I am assuming that each person will have paid their tuition prior to arrival. The transportation/lab fee will cover the costs of vehicles for the field trips and can be paid when you arrive. You cannot participate in any field trip until you have paid these fees, for insurance reasons.
Special needs:
Please tell me if you have special needs or concerns. For example, it would be useful for me to know if you have special dietary needs (allergies, vegetarian?), severe allergies (e.g., bee stings), etc. or if there are things we should know in planning the field work. Please bring any medicines you use regularly. We will supply a first aid kit for emergencies. There will be times when we will not see a store for 6 days.
 


Registration and fees

Registration information is available at www.uaf.edu/reg/.

No student will be allowed to participate in field trips until they have registered for the course. To enroll in the course you must do the following:
1. Obtain permission of instructor
2. Register for the course and pay university fees
3. Pay transportation fees to the Department of Biology (upon arrival in Fairbanks)
4. Arrange your own housing (we recommend dormitories) in Fairbanks. Be sure to tell the housing office that you will be using a shared double room and that you are a registered student. To register for dormitory housing contact conferenceservices@uaf.edu.
The costs for the course are as follows:(as of 2002)
Paid to the University of Alaska
Tuition (3 credits) $279
Technology fee $15
Paid to the Biology Department after arrival in Fairbanks
Transportation/laboratory fee $90
In addition, each student is responsible for the cost of their transportation to and from Fairbanks and for housing and meals during the time we are in Fairbanks. Dormatory fees are $16/person per night for a shared double room or $22 per night for a single room. Meals on the Fairbanks campus are about $15-25/day. We will share the cost of the food for the time we are camping (approximately $20 per person per day) equally among all students and instructors.

For further information
For additional information about the course see http://lter.uaf.edu/`fschapin/Ecosystems.html or contact Terry Chapin
Phone 907-474-7922
Fax 907-474-6967
Registration forms and information about registration are available at
http://www.uaf.edu/reg/schedule/index.html
tel: 907-474-6300
Housing information is available from UAF Conference housing
http://www.uaf.edu/reslife/confgst.html
907-474-6768
Housing application forms may be viewed and printed as .html, .doc, or .pdf files

Additional information is available from the Biology Department
907-474-6294

Reading List  and Tentative Schedule

Choose any two of the general background reading list to read before coming to Alaska.  The scientific articles provide further details about Alaskan ecosytems and will be useful to you in learning more about specific topics.

General background reading

  1. Chapin, F. S., III, P. A. Matson, and H. A. Mooney. In prep. Principles of Ecosystem Ecology (draft chapters available at http://www.lter.uaf.edu/~fschapin/Ecos.Ecology.html
  2. Chapin, F. S., III, M. S. Torn, and M. Tateno.  1996.  Principles of ecosystem sustainability.  American Naturalist 148:1016-1037.
  3. Lopez, B.  1986.  Arctic Dreams.  Bantam Books, Toronto.
  4. McPhee.  1977.  Coming into the Country.  Bantam Books, New York.
  5. Mergler, W., editors.  1996.  The Last New Land: Stories of Alaska.  Alaska Northwest Books, Anchorage.
  6. Michner, J. A.  1988.  Alaska.  Fawcett Crest, New York.
  7. Murie, M. E.  1957.  Two in the Far North.  Alaska Northwest Books, Anchorage.
  8. Pielou, E. C.  1994.  A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic.  University of Chicago Press, Chicago.


Alaskan science background

  1. Chapin, F. S., III, R. L. Jefferies, J. F. Reynolds, G. R. Shaver, and J. Svoboda, editors.  1992.  Arctic ecosystems in a changing climate: an ecophysiological perspective.  Academic Press, San Diego.
  2. Chapin, F. S., III, and C. Körner, editors.  1995.  Arctic and alpine biodiversity: Patterns, causes and ecosystem consequences.  Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  3. Chapin, F. S., III, A. D. McGuire, J. Randerson, R. Pielke, Sr., D. Baldocchi, S. E. Hobbie, N. Roulet, W. Eugster, E. Kasischke, E. B. Rastetter, S. A. Zimov, and S. W. Running.  2000.  Arctic and boreal ecosystems of western North America as components of the climate system.  Global Change Biology 6:1-13.
    1. Fastie, C. L.  1995.  Causes and ecosystem consequences of multiple pathways of primary succession at Glacier Bay, Alaska.  Ecology 76:1899-1916.
  4. Guthrie, R. D.  1990.  Frozen fauna of the mammoth steppe: the story of Blue Babe.  University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  5. Hammond, T., and J. Yarie.  1996.  Spatial prediction of climatic state factor regions in Alaska.  Ecoscience 3:490-501.
  6. Hopkins, D. M., J. Matthews, J.V., C. E. Schweger, and S. B. Young, editors.  1982.  Paleoecology of Beringia.  Academic Press, New York.
  7. Kasischke, E. S., N. L. Christensen, and B. J. Stocks.  1995.  Fire, global warming, and the carbon balance of boreal forests.  Ecological Applications 5:437-451.
  8. Mann, D. H., C. L. Fastie, E. L. Rowland, and N. H. Bigelow.  1995.  Spruce succesion, disturbance, and geomorphology on the Tanana River floodplain, Alaska.  Ecoscience 2:184-199.
  9. Myneni, R. B., C. D. Keeling, C. J. Tucker, G. Asrar, and R. R. Nemani.  1997.  Increased plant growth in the northern high latitudes from 1981-1991.  Nature 386:698-702.
    1. Shaver, G. R., W. D. Billings, F. S. Chapin, III, A. E. Giblin, K. J. Nadelhoffer, W. C. Oechel, and E. B. Rastetter.  1992.  Global change and the carbon balance of arctic ecosystems.  BioScience 61:415-435.
  10. Starfield, A. M., and F. S. Chapin, III.  1996.  Model of transient changes in arctic and boreal vegetation in response to climate and land use change.  Ecological Applications 6:842-864.
  11. Van Cleve, K., F. S. Chapin, III, C. T. Dryness, and L. A. Viereck.  1991.  Element cycling in taiga forest: State-factor control.  BioScience 41:78-88.
  12. Van Cleve, K., F. S. Chapin, III, P. W. Flanagan, L. A. Viereck, and C. T. Dyrness, editors.  1986.  Forest Ecosystems in the Alaskan Taiga: A Synthesis of Structure and Function.  Springer-Verlag, New York.
  13. Van Cleve, K., C. T. Dyrness, L. A. Viereck, J. Fox, F. S. Chapin, III, and W. C. Oechel.  1983.  Taiga ecosystems in interior Alaska.  BioScience 33:39-44.
    1. Viereck, L. A.  1970.  Forest succession and soil development adjacent to the Chena River in interior Alaska.  Arctic and Alpine Research 2:1-26.
    Viereck, L. A.  1973.  Wildfire in the taiga of Alaska.  Quaternary Research 3:465-495.
     
     

    Tentative Schedule

    (sample schedule for 2002, will be updated)


    Tentative Schedule (2002)
    Aug. 12 Introduction
    Course objectives and logistics 8:00
    Principles of ecosystem ecology 9:00
    Geography and history of Alaska:
    Geology: David Stone 10:30??
    Climate: Terry Chapin 11:00
    Paleoecology: Terry Chapin 11:30
    Culture and human history: Mimi Chapin 1:00
    Univ. of Alaska Arboretum: overview of Alaskan ecosystems
    Organize research teams
    Supper at Chapins
    13 Lectures: Major ecosystem components
    Vegetation and production: Terry Chapin 8:00
    Decomposition and nutrient cycling Michelle Mack 9:00??
    Trophic dynamics: Steve MacLean 10:30??
    Vegetation distribution and succession: Terry 11:30
    Research teams meet Terry
    Visit UAF museum; Library research on projects
    14 Class discussion: Dynamics and interactions in ecosystems
    Global change in climate and land use
    Vegetation-climate interactions
    Biogeochemical processes
    Landscape dynamics
    Ecosystem change
    Ecosystem teams meet to plan projects
    15* Tanana River: Floodplain succession (Biotic controls over succession)
    16 Help harvest fire severity experiment
    17* Fire recovery study
    18 Free day: hiking, Alaska Range; drive to Fairbanks
    19 Process samples; introduction to tundra ecosystem dynamics
    20 Drive to Toolik
    21 Overview of Toolik ecosystems and experiments
    22* Alder/poplar expansion in response to recent warming
    23 Drive transect from foothills to coastal plain
    24* Impacts of tracked vehicles on tundra ecosystems
    25 Drive to Fairbanks
    26 Free day; hiking, Chena Hot Springs
    27-29 Analyze data and prepare presentations
    30 Symposium: Ecosystems of Alaska (Final presentations)
    Potluck
    *Days with student-led research

Ecosystems and possible focal questions

*Bonanza Creek: Floodplain succession
Succession is typically viewed as a process where competition, facilitation, and life-history processes govern the changes in species composition. What is the relative importance of these processes? In particular, how might succession be influenced by herbivory or by nitrogen-fixing plants? Document herbivore effects inside and outside exclosures that were constructed in 1988; document changes in woody species through succession. Compare areas in which nitrogen-fixing alder has/has not established. Initial references: Van Cleve et al. 1991; Walker et al. 1986; Kielland and Bryant 1998.
*Delta Junction: Role of fire in the Alaskan boreal forest
In July 1999, a wildfire burned a large expanse of white spruce forest. Fire is an important factor governing the dynamics of the boreal forest. What are the initial patterns of recovery following this burn? What accounts for patterns of variation?
*Alder expansion in response to high-latitude warming
Repeat photography suggests that alders have increased in density over the past 40 years. This is consistent with satellite measurements showing increased NDVI (a greenness index) over the past 30 years. Can we detect a change in population structure of alder patches? Is it caused by expansion of existing shrubs or establishment of new seedlings? Where do seedlings establish and why? Initial references: Chapin et al. 1995; Mynini et al. 1997; Sturm et al. 2001.
*Tussock tundra: Recovery from disturbance by tracked vehicles
Tundra vegetation grows slowly due to severe climate and is very sensitive to human disturbance. What are the changes in environment, diversity and productivity following disturbance? We can examine vehicle tracks that were studied 25 years ago. Are things returning to their original state or moving to some new ecosystem type? Initial references: Chapin and Shaver 1981; Walker et al. 1986.

References:
Chapin, F.S., III, and G.R. Shaver. l98l. Changes in soil properties and vegetation following disturbance in Alaskan arctic tundra. J. Appl. Ecol. l8:605-6l7.
Chapin, F. S., III, G. R. Shaver, A. E. Giblin, K. G. Nadelhoffer and J. A. Laundre, 1995: Response of arctic tundra to experimental and observed changes in climate. Ecology 76, 694-711.
Kielland, K., and J. Bryant. 1998. Moose herbivory in taiga: effects on biogeochemistry and vegetation dynamics in primary succession. Oikos 82:377-383.
Myneni, R. B., C. D. Keeling, C. J. Tucker, G. Asrar, and R. R. Nemani. 1997. Increased plant growth in the northern high latitudes from 1981-1991. Nature 386:698-702.
Van Cleve, K., F. S. Chapin, III, C. T. Dryness, and L. A. Viereck. 1991. Element cycling in taiga forest: State-factor control. BioScience 41:78-88.
Walker, L. R., J. C. Zasada, and F. S. Chapin, III. 1986. The role of life history processes in primary succession on an Alaskan floodplain. Ecology 67:1243-1253.