Insect Conservation Biology

Presentation: 10-15 minute long PowerPoint presentations. Presenter will hand out a 1 page illustrated (1 or 2 images) summary to the class when they make their presentation. Please include your name and date of the presentation and, if possible, use a non copyright protected image or seek permission to use the image (not a requirement but it will make it easier for me to post the pages).

Report: Reports should be 5-10 pages long (double-spaced). Each report should contain at least 8 references. At least 4 references must be from primary sources (refereed journal articles) while the others can be texts or websites. Note that the primary references do not all have to be on your species they can on closely related species or used to support a point being made (e.g. another species facing similar threats). Reports are due on the last day of class.

Format: Both presentations and reports should follow the same basic format (lattitude will be allowed if a slightly altered format better fits individual species).

I. Species biology/natural history

II. Current status of the species

III. Threats faced by the species

IV. Current conservation efforts

V. Future propects / Listing prospectus

Sources of information: The web can be a good place to start looking for information on a species being considered but it will seldom yield all the information needed. Search for scientific publications using databases such as Biosis and Agricola (available through the library gateway). Note that many of the articles may not be available on line and will need to be obtained in person from the library (maps are available). Finally, the best source of information is often contact with an expert on your chosen species. I strongly encourage you to contact individuals you identify through your library and web searching.