Plant Ecology in a Changing World
  • Topics
    • Topic Overview
    • Biomes and Climates in a Changing World >
      • Adaptation, biodiversity, and environment
      • Climate constrains plant distributions
      • Biome and climate relationships
      • Deserts
      • Grassland, savanna, and shrub biomes
      • Forest biomes
      • Alpine and tundra biomes
    • Plant adaptation >
      • Plant microclimate 1
      • Plant microclimate 2
      • Leaf energy budgets
      • Water movement through the soil-plant continuum
      • Principles of photosynthesis
      • Photosynthesis responses to light and temperature
      • Environmental stresses limit resource capture and use
      • Nutrients in the environment
      • Adaptation to environmental stress
    • Resource Allocation Changes with Environment >
      • Architecture and canopy processes
      • Plant phenology and resource allocation enhance performance
      • Leaf economic spectrum
      • Life history and reproduction
      • Defense against herbivory
      • Plant competition
    • Plant Responses to a Changing World >
      • Global changes occurring today
      • Invasive species
      • Atmospheric CO2 impacts plant
      • C3/C4 photosynthesis and climate
      • Climate change and the global carbon cycle
      • Climate warming and its impacts
    • Engineering Plant Communities >
      • Remember Utah's past and envision our future
      • Restoration ecology
      • Managed ecosystems
      • Utah urban ecology
      • Urban ecological futures
  • Assignments
    • Assignment Overview
    • Discussion
    • Problem sets
    • Ecology & Global Changes
    • Plant ecology policy
    • Defense of policy
    • Exam #1
    • Exam #2
  • Campus
    • Campus Overview
    • Grasses
    • Green infrastructure >
      • GI Overview
      • Stormwater >
        • GI 1
        • GI 2
        • GI 3
        • GI 4
        • GI 10
      • Green roof
      • Pollinator >
        • Pollinator species
    • Trees of the Wasatch
    • Shrubs of the Wasatch
    • Invasives
  • Biomes
    • Biome Overview
    • Climate diagrams
    • Vegetation sight-seeing trip
    • Biome images
  • Models
  • Lab

Plant Ecology
Policy Paper

​Alpine meadows of Albion Basin in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah.

In this project, between 3-5 students (a self-selected group) will collaborate as a team to research a topic, select and develop figures/tables, and to identify the 15 literature citations. Each group of students will submit a single paper (and receive the same score).

The objective of this assignment is to produce an interesting and informative policy statement on a topic related to a topic theme in "Plant ecology in a changing world" or "Engineering plant communities".  Within this assignment, you are to inform and educate your reader about your proposed policy. You must develop a policy position based on an informative understanding of the topic and the desired policy outcome(s). Creativity, clear and organized writing, synthesis, informative figures, and the use of appropriate scientific literature citations are essential elements of this assignment.

Click here to see the document preparation guidelines and the grading instructions for this assignment.

Your paper will be peer-reviewed by other students in class and this feedback will be shared with you. In turn, you as an individual will be required to review other proposed policy papers and to provide written, constructive feedback.
Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah