2014 In-country presentations

Presentations in the field: TOPICS MARKED BY STRIKETHROUGH ARE ALREADY TAKEN.

Prepare a 15-minute presentation on a subject listed below. When you select a topic, enter your name and the topic number ON THIS BLOG so fellow students know that topic is now taken. Your presentation must be verbal only. It can be given at any time during the course (will be randomly selected) and no visual aids are possible. Prepare it entirely before departure. Remember that you might be giving this talk on a noisy rooftop, in the dark in the meal area of Seronera, or in a village gathering spot near Tarangire. You will be roughing it.

Grading expectations: To receive a very good mark on your presentation (B+ to A), you must demonstrate that you are thinking of underlying processes and causes for the issue(s) you discuss. This must include critical assessment of evidence. In other words, you must demonstrate that you are aware of the scientific or other evidence behind the issue you address and have formed a strategic view of how that evidence supports, or does not support, a particular viewpoint you present. If you demonstrate thinking at this level, you will do very well. To get a middling grade (C to B), present a thorough summary of information without apparent critical thinking or consideration of points are debated in the scientific literature. To get a poor grade (E to D), regurgitate a wikipedia-style entry on the topic you select for yourself, or use poor quality information sources. Such superficiality is extremely obvious. We expect better.

Climate and geology
1) In what ways does the geology of East Africa influence ecological processes?
2) How do climatic processes influence the distribution of ecological regions (e.g. savannahs) in East Africa spatially and through time?

Ecosystem ecology
3) How do the soils of savannahs differ from those of other ecosystems? What are the ecological consequences of these differences?
4) Do termites structure savannah ecosystems and influence ecological dynamics?
5) What are the effects of fire in savannah ecosystems in terms of influences on ecological processes?
6) What factors influence desertification across space and through time, and how to human activities influence this process?

Animal ecology
7) Describe the role of herbivory, including key herbivore guilds, in shaping spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation in east African savannahs?
8) What determines temporal and spatial variation in elephant abundance? How does elephant abundance influence the distribution of plant communities and their dependent animal species?
9) What factors influence the population dynamics of flamingos (lesser and greater) in East Africa and why?
10) What factors influence spatial differences in species richness in East Africa and why?
11) To what extent does predation regulate the populations of east African ungulates? Discuss whether population dynamics of herbivores and predators track each other and the basis for those similarities/differences.
12) Discuss the interactions among ants, Acacia species, insect pollinators of Acacia, and herbivores that consume Acacia. Discuss the evolution of this mutualism and provide critical evaluation of factors that have shaped it.
12.1) Discuss the conservation trajectory of cheetahs in terms of their population trends, habitat availability, and whether their intraspecific genetic variation (inferences from which have been sometimes controversial for cheetahs) is likely to have contributed to those trends.
12.2) Wild dogs in Africa are one of the most effective predators but their populations have dwindled to dangerously low levels. Discuss the key issues that have caused their decline and address particularly the relevance of wild dog population genetics to the survival and recovery.

Plant ecology
13) What determines the local vegetation patterns, spatially and temporally, in the Serengeti-Mara area? Do processes influencing vegetation dynamics affect the population dynamics of significant animal species? Why (or why not)?
14) How important is herbivory in the population dynamics of plants in east Africa? What are the main plant defences against herbivores? How effective are they?
15) Discuss the relative importance of vertebrate vs. invertebrate herbivores in East African grassland/savannah ecosystems. Explain the biological processes and population dynamics that may shape their influences.


Human impacts and conservation
16) How do human activities currently contribute to endangerment of large vertebrate populations in East Africa and what strategies could be/are being adopted to mitigate these effects? Provide critical evaluation of the likelihood of success for each strategy using specific examples.
17) Discuss the potential impacts of highway creation through the Serengeti ecosystem, including reasons for proposing such a project, as well as ecological consequences expected from it.
18) Discuss the role of protected areas in wildlife conservation in East Africa and ways in which that role has evolved in the past century. What role will these protected areas occupy in the future and why?
19) Discuss the creation of national parks (e.g., Serengeti) versus conservation areas (e.g., Ngorongoro) in Tanzania. Has the issue of human use of these areas been successfully addressed?
20) Discuss the patterns of species endangerment in East Africa. Are they driven by the same factors in Africa as in other parts of the world? Evaluate differences/similarities.
21) Discuss the issues involved in the conservation of migratory ungulates. Evaluate prospects for their conservation in the future on the basis of critical assessment of present day and past trends.
22) In what ways does wildlife provide economic benefits, or incur economic costs, in East Africa? Do the costs outweigh the benefits? Why?

History and culture
23) Discuss emerging hypotheses and evidence concerning hominid evolution, emphasizing Africa. Use specific examples that relate to locales we may visit (e.g. Oldupai (Olduvai) gorge).

Human disease
24) To what extent has disease influenced human land use in East Africa and why? How has that situation changed in recent years and how/why might this change in the future?
25) Discuss progress in controlling malaria and evaluate the reasons for perceived progress (if any). What are expectations for the near future and what is the basis for those expectations?