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ZO 501 Ornithology - Spring 2009
This semester you will write two papers critiquing first a bird monitoring program, and then an scientific paper on avian ecology. Guidelines for both papers are listed below.
Monitoring program critique guidelines:
There are thousand s of avian population monitoring programs around the world. Their size and objectives range from the Breeding Bird Survey in North America to regional species specific programs such as the Nightjar Monitoring Program in the eastern U.S., to small scale surveys in individual parks and natural areas. Select a monitoring program (other than the BBS) to evaluate, and write a short critique (1000 words including literature cited) in which you review the history, objectives, methods, assumptions, and results of the program. Then evaluate the effectiveness of the program and offer recommendations for improvement. A summary of a recent program to monitor mountain birds in the northeastern U.S., and new guidelines for bird monitoring programs developed by the American Bird Conservancy are provided to stimulate your thinking. A review of the BBS published in 2000 is also provided as an example of an in-depth program review.
Scientific paper critique guidelines:
Choose a full length article about birds from a professional ornithological or ecological journal and write a review (maximum 1000 words) following the reviewer guidelines provided by the Ecological Society of America http://esapubs.org/esapubs/reviewers.htm. Assess how well the article meets these guidelines and the mission and scope of the journal. Most journals provide a mission statement similar to these statements from The Auk http://www.aou.org/auk/index.php3 and Ecological Applications http://esapubs.org/esapubs/journals/applications.htm#Mis. Summarize the strengths and weakness of the article and make recommendations for improvement.
