BIOL 452 -SYSTEMATIC BOTANY

SYLLABUS SPRING 2014

Instructor:Eric DeChaine

Office hours:BI 237; M 11am - noon

& by appointment

Lecture:MWF 12:00-12:50 am

Lecture room:AH 219

Lab:F 1:00-4:50 pm

Lab room:BI 249

Prerequisite:BIOL 206 or equivalent

Teaching Assistants: Paige Lanham, Megan Whiteside

Required Textbooks

Judd, WS, CS Campbell, EA Kellogg, PF Stevens, and MJ Donoghue. 2008. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach, 3rd ed. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, MA. ISBN: 0878934073

Hitchcock, CL & A Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. ISBN: 0295952733

Recommended

Harris, JB & MF Harris. 2007. Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, 2nd ed. Spring Lake Pub. ISBN: 0964022168

Course Objectives

After completing this course, students should:

  1. be able to explain and apply their understanding of the principles of evolutionary biology and the phylogenetic relationships of plants;
  2. be familiar with the terminology, tools, and lab/field techniques for identifying plants using dichotomous keys;
  3. be familiar with the distinguishing characteristics of plant families, particularly those native to the Pacific Northwest of North America;
  4. be able to collect, identify, and process a plant for an herbarium specimen

Evaluation

Students will be assessed for the above skills through a combination of quizzes, lab assignments, a midterm exam, a practical exam, and a collection. Grading will be as follows:

Requirement% GradeGrade %Grade %

A 93+ C+78-79

Lab notebook/quizzes 15% A- 90-93 C73-77

Systematics Exam 20% B+ 88-89 C-70-72

Plant collection 30% B 83-87 D60-69

Final practical 35% B- 80-82

LECTURE SCHEDULE

WeekDateTopicReading - Judd et al.

14/2Introduction to Systematic Botany

4/4Classification & phylogenetics Ch. 1, 2

Lab 0:Intro to Herbaria and Specimen Mounting

24/7Vegetative morphology Ch. 4 (p. 54-61; 81-87)

4/9Floral morphologyCh. 4 (p. 61-67; 87-95

4/11Quiz 1,Lab 1: Morphological Characters

34/14Nomenclature & dichotomous keysCh. 3, App. 1, 2 (p. 557-560)

4/16The Rocky Mountain Floristic Region

4/18Field 2: Spring flowers at Washington Park

(Lab notebook check during lab)

44/21Species & speciationCh. 6 (p. 19-150)

4/23The PoalesCh. 9 (p. 276-306)

4/25Quiz 2,Lab 3: The MonocotsCh. 9 (p. 232-276)

54/28Pollination & breeding systemsCh. 4 (p. 67-72)

4/30Fruits, seeds, & dispersalCh. 4 (p. 72-80)

5/2Quiz 3,Lab 4: Basal Tricolpates & RosidsCh. 9 (p. 318-345)

(Draft Plant Collections Due in Lab – 5 specimens including 1 mounted)

65/5The How To’s of plant systematics: Saxifragareprint handouts

5/7Systematics Exam

5/10Field 5:Eastern Flowers of the Methow Valley

75/12Review of basal family characters

5/14Eurosids ICh. 9 (p. 346-410)

5/16Eurosids IICh. 9 (p. 410-440)

Quiz 4,Lab 6: Eurosids

85/19Collection wrap-up

5/21EusteridsICh. 9 (p. 440-515)

5/23Euasterids II

Quiz 5,Lab 7: Asterids

95/26No Class - Memorial Day

5/28Non-flowering plants

(Lab Notebooks & Plant Collections Due in Herbarium by noon)

5/30Field 8: Review trip to Mt. Baker

106/2The Arctic-Alpine Flora or “What to look for this summer”

6/4Review of the Families & Mock Practical

6/6Final Practical Exam in BI 249, 2:00-4:00pm

SYSTEMATIC BOTANY LAB

Laboratory notebook:

You will need to keep a laboratory notebook for the duration of the course. I will evaluate your laboratory assignments early in the quarter to give you feedback. Lab assignments consist of making detailed drawings and descriptions of characters observed from specimens in class as well as using dichotomous keys to identify particular species of interest. 10% will be lost for each day the notebook is late. Your notebook should be restricted to plain (not lined) white paper, with a Table of Contents up front, Tabs for each Lab (protruding from the edge), and should be organized such that there is only one specimen per page with a focus on illustrations and keys.

Quizzes:

There will be a total of 5 quizzes throughout the quarter that will take place at the beginning of labs. The quizzes are designed to test your knowledge on the material (terminology and phylogeny) that we have covered as well as what we will be examining that day.

Fieldtrips:

We have 3 fieldtrips planned throughout the quarter (please note that one of these is on a Saturday – Eastern Flowers of the Methow Valley). Be sure to bring the necessary supplies for spending our time outside (plant identification book and equipment, rainwear, warm clothes, sunglasses (think optimistically!), and food and water. Note: one of the main goals of the fieldtrip activities is to improve your skills at using the dichotomous keys provided in Hitchcock & Cronquist, so do not use field guides during class; if you do so, you will lose all points for that lab.

Required tools:

Please bring the following to each lab and field exercise: 10x hand-lens, drawing pencils and a good eraser, lab notebook with plain white paper for illustrations, small lined notebook for recording data during field collections, and Hitchcock & Cronquist.

Plant Collection and Identification (see Judd et al. 2008 appendix 2):

As part of the requirements for this course, each student will make a plant collection of pressed, properly identified native plant species. The collection must include 30 specimens, and must represent plants from at least 20 different families. For the purpose of the collection, family designations will based on Hitchcock and Cronquist, not Judd et al., except where the family name has been updated with the suffix –aceae. In addition, the collection must include at least one specimen each from the Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Juncaceae. Furthermore, the samples must represent native species (not cultivated species) and must be collected and pressed to show relevant features (flowers, leaves, stems, roots, fruits) that will allow their identification. Include a specimen list with your name and all the species listed in collection order.

Use a sharp digging tool to collect the above-ground and underground (where appropriate) parts of a healthy plant in reproductive condition (flowering). Place specimens individually between newspapers in a field press so they wilt in place. Selective pruning may be necessary. Place name, date, and collection number with specimen and record data in field notebook. Each specimen must be identified to species.

Each sample must also include a label that contains the scientific name (genus species (family)) and authority, location (country, state, county, map coordinates, precise information so the site can be relocated), a site description (elevation, substrate or soil type, slope, aspect, drainage), habitat description (typically dominant species and community type; where appropriate, species abundance, cover, successional status, life forms, phenology, adjacent communities and their influence, animal interactions), specimen description (abundance, annual/perennial, height, reproductive characteristics), collector's name, collection number (just number them from 1-30), and date of collection. The labels must be typed or printed on a computer in permanent ink.

Example label:Penstemon davidsonii Greene var. menziesii (Keck) Cronquist

(Scrophulariaceae)

CLALLAM CO: Olympic National Park; Deer Park 18-19 m S of intersection of hwy. 101 and rd. to Deer Park (on Blue Mt.); woods mostly of Abies lasiocarpa, with some Pinus contorta; elevation 5850-6000 feet; perennial with woody stems, occasional on rocky slopes near summit; flowers lavender-purple with bluish tinge distally

Eric G. DeChaine2569 25 July 2001

Five of the 30 samples must be appropriately mounted on herbarium paper with water-soluble glue; affix labels preferably in lower right corner. The other specimens may be loose in folded newsprint (11"x16") with label.

The collection is worth 100 points, 3 points per sample and 10 points for neatness and quality. No points will be given for incomplete samples (e.g., lacking relevant part for identification), non-natives, or specimens that are misidentified to family or genus. Each poorly-prepared specimen, inadequate label, or misidentification to species will result in -1 point. Your collection will also be assessed for its overall quality (10 points).

Herbarium Mounting:

I. Preparation

Begin the mounting process by gathering the following materials as needed:

Glue – Elmer’s multi-purpose Glu-all

Cutting implements – Scalpel, scissors, plant clippers, saws

Mounting paper

Paper towels

Wax paper and blotters

Weights

Linen tape

Sponge and dish

Specimens

II. Layout

Mounting can be broken down into three steps, with the first of these being the layout. In order to avoid limiting your space on the sheet, it is best if you finish the layout before actually gluing anything.

  1. Arrange the specimen onto a sheet of mounting paper. The entire specimen needs to fit on the paper – you may need to trim the plant. Make sure that both sides of the leaves are showing. Present the side of your pressed specimen that shows the most flowers and fruit. If space allows, spread out the stems so that they are not on top of one another.
  2. The label is affixed to the lower right corner of the sheet.

III. Gluing

Make a mixture (stir it up) of one part glue and two parts water in a spray bottle. Set up newspapers as a spraying station and place the specimen face down on the newspaper.

  1. Apply undiluted glue to bulky areas and spray the entire plant with the diluted glue. Once the plants have been coated with glue, it is time to place them on the mounting paper.
  2. Place the mounting paper on top of a blotter. Place the specimen on the mounting paper (glue side down). Glue label in lower right corner with undiluted glue. Wipe off the excess glue with a paper towel. Place wax paper over the specimen.
  3. Each specimen (blotter, specimen, wax paper) can then be stacked atop one another. On top of them all, place a foam cushion or towel over the uppermost specimen’s wax paper. Place a weight on top.
  4. Let dry overnight

IV. Strapping

The conclusion of the mounting process deals with the strapping of specimens. After the specimens have dried overnight, remove the weight and retrieve the sheets. Gently pull off the wax paper, so as not to disturb the specimen. The general rule is that even if a plant seems to be securely fastened by the glue, it still needs to be strapped down in at least two places for extra assurance. Be conservative with the number of straps.

  1. Cut straps from linen tape.
  2. Wet the straps and apply them to the specimen in areas that need extra stabilization. The back of the scalpel can be used to help tuck the tape under areas to secure it better.
  3. If the linen tape is not sufficient, e.g., a heavy branch, sew 1 or two loops over the area, tying the thread on the back of the mounting paper. Tape over the knots with linen tape.