Seth Newsome (SDN)
Alexi Besser (ACB)
BIOL 409/509
PAIS 2120
Lecture: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30–10:45AM
Lab: Wednesday 2:00–4:00PM
Course Syllabus
Reading Report Form
CSI Sample Submission Form
Course Schedule
Week 1
August 24th: Introductions, Expectations, and Ecological Origins
August 26th: Definitions and Fractionation (ACB)
Reading: *Ben-David and Flaherty 2012.pdf
Lab (8/25): Group Project Discussion and Form Groups
Week 2
August 31st: Isotopes in Water (SDN)
September 2nd: Isotopes in Plant Water* (SDN)
Reading: *Dawson 1998; Bowen et al. 2005.pdf
Lab (9/1): Experimental Design and Field Methods
Assignment Due (9/3): Ideas for Group Projects
Week 3
September 7th: Primary Producer Carbon (ACB)
September 9th: Primary Producer Carbon* (ACB)
Reading: *Driscoll et al. 2020.pdf; Cerling et al. 1997.pdf
Lab (9/8): Introduction to Gear I: CSI Tour (EA/TCEA/GB–IRMS)
Week 4
September 14th: Primary Producer Nitrogen I (SDN)
September 16th: Primary Producer Nitrogen II* (SDN)
Reading: *Austin and Vitousek 1998.pdf; Amundson et al. 2003.pdf
Lab (9/15): Sample Preparation I: Decalcification, Lipid-Extraction, Microbalance; Sample Preparation Protocols
Assignment Due: Project Description and References Guidelines (50 points)
Week 5
September 21st: Consumer Carbon I (ACB)
September 23rd: Consumer Carbon II* (ACB)
Reading: *Kurle et al. 2014.pdf; Kelly 2000.pdf
Lab (9/22): Introduction to Gear II: CSI Tour (GCC–IRMS and Picarro)
Week 6
September 28th: Consumer Nitrogen (SDN)
September 30th: Consumer Nitrogen* (SDN)
Reading: *Croll et al. 2005.pdf; Vanderklift and Ponsard 2003.pdf
Lab (9/29): Sample Preparation II: Sample Homogenization, Cryodistillation
Assignment Due: Experimental Design and Methods Guidelines (50 Points); Example: SEV Smammals
Week 7
October 5th: Consumer Hydrogen (SDN)
October 7th: Isotopic Niches* (Dr. Philip Manlick)
Reading: *Newsome et al. 2007.pdf; Clegg et al. 2003.pdf
Lab (10/6): Group Work Time
Week 8
October 12th: Consumer Oxygen* (ACB)
October 14th: FALL BREAK (NO CLASS)
Reading: *Wang et al. 2009.pdf
Lab: NO LAB
Assignment Due: Final Sample Submission Deadline (CSI)
Week 9
October 19th: Isotopic Incorporation (SDN)
October 21st: IsoClocks* (Dr. Oliver Shipley)
Reading: *Moore et al. 2016.pdf; Martinez del Rio and Carleton 2012.pdf
Lab (10/20): Mixing Models (SDN); Linear Mixing Model Exercise (Group Work Time)
Week 10
October 26th: Amino Acid Carbon (ACB)
October 28th: Amino Acid Fingerprints (Dr. Philip Manlick)
Reading: *Elliott Smith et al. 2021.pdf; Larsen et al. 2009.pdf
Lab (10/27): Bayesian Mixing Models (SIMMR); R Installation Instructions; SIMMR Assignment; SIMMR Assignment Data
CLASS SIMMR DEMO: SIMMR Code; geese; sources; corrections
Assignment Due: Linear Mixing Model Exercise
Week 11
November 2nd: Producer Amino Acid Nitrogen (ACB)
November 4th: Consumer Amino Acid Nitrogen* (SDN)
Reading: *McMahon and McCarthy 2016.pdf; Ramirez et al. 2021.pdf
Lab (11/3): Visualizing Data and Data Reduction
Assignment Due: Bayesian Mixing Model Exercise
Week 12
November 9th: Amino Acid Hydrogen (SDN)
November 11th: Forensic Applications* (Dr. Christy Mancuso)
Reading: *West et al. 2009.pdf; Fogel et al. 2016.pdf
Lab (11/10): Spatial Metrics (SIBER)
Week 13
November 16th: Fatty Acid Carbon and Hydrogen (ACB)
November 18th: Fatty Acid Carbon and Hydrogen* (ACB)
Reading: *Wang et al. 2015.pdf; Ruess and Chamberlain 2010.pdf
Lab (11/17): Multivariate Statistics (Group Work Time)
Assignment Due: SIBER Exercise
Week 14
November 23rd: Triple Oxygen Isotopes* (Dr. Nico Lubcker)
November 25th: THANKSGIVING (NO CLASS)
Reading: *Whiteman et al. 2019.pdf
Lab: NO LAB
Week 15
November 30th: Marine Mammal Applications (Drs. Geraldine Busquets Vass & Nico Lubcker)
December 2nd:
Reading:
Lab (12/1): Group Work Time
Assignment Due: Submit Project Pre-Proposal for Peer Evaluation (Monday November 29th)
Week 16
December 7th: Group Project Presentations
December 9th: Group Project Presentations
Lab (12/8): Group Project Presentations
Assignment Due: Submit Project Pre-Proposal Peer Evaluations (Monday December 6th)
Final Pre-Proposal Due: Monday December 13th