BIO 1: Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology Spring 2008
Lecture section 10
Lab sections 11, 12, (13 Holland)
Activity Sections 15, 16, 17
Welcome to Biodiversity, Evolution, and Ecology! Throughout this course, we will explore the evolution and diversity living organisms, and how these organisms interact with one another. Class meetings will include lecture, activity, and laboratory exercises. By the end of this course, you should be able to:
· Identify the properties common to all living organisms.
· Explain the biological basis of evolution.
· Diagram the basic parts of a cell, and identify the structure and function of the major organelles.
· Appreciate the diversity and complexity of major lineages of life on earth.
· Recognize the major lineages of life on earth and understand the major characteristics of each lineage.
· Discuss the ecological interactions among living organisms.
· Explain major biogeochemical cycles.
· Describe the basic properties of populations and interactions among different types of organisms within an ecosystem.
· Analyze the interactions of different trophic levels within ecosystems.
· Develop and test hypotheses using the scientific method.
· Use basic scientific tools, including microscopes, computers, calipers, etc.
· Interpret and write in the structure of scientific literature and employ scientific communication skills.
Instructors:
Dr. William Avery Erica Holland:
Email:
Website: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/a/averyw/bio1/
WebCT: https://online.csus.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct (WebCT contains all course information)
Office: SQU 412; Phone: 278-6279
Office Hours: Wednesday 3-4 pm; Friday 10-11 am (or by appointment)
class meetings:
Lecture: SQU 316; TR 7:30-8:45 am
Labs and Activities
Laboratory / ActivitySection / Day & Time / Room / Instructor / Section / Day & Time / Room / Instructor
11 / T 9-11:50 am / HMB 110 / Avery / 15 / W 8-9:50 am / Hmb 109 / Avery
12 / T 1-3:50 pm / HMB 110 / Avery / 16 / W 10-11:50 am / Hmb 109 / Avery
13 / R 9-11:50 am / HMB 110 / Avery / 17 / W 1-2:50 pm / Eur 109 / Avery
Texts ( required and available in the University bookstore):
Campbell & Reece. Biology, 7th Edition, with CD (Camp)
McMillan VE. 2006. Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences. 4th ed. Bedford/St. Martins (McM)
BIO 001 Laboratory Manual Spring 2008 Avery, Datwyler, Greenleaf
Lecture Format
The first part of each lecture period will be an (1) open period of questions and discussion regarding the major concepts associated with your reading assignments. These major concepts are included as topic headings in your readings and the table of contents in your textbook. Depending upon time this question/discussion period may be followed by a (2) short (15 – 20 minutes) lecture/presentation on the topic area by Dr. Avery. This will be followed by a 5 pt problem-solving (3) Team Activity in which you and your team will determine and express an answer in writing (or other means suggested by the activity) to be turned in at the end of the period.
On Content Quiz days you will be required to bring ScanTron 882-E forms and number 2 pencils. You will individually take a 25 pt multiple choice quiz, turn this in and then take the quiz again as a team. The team will turn in one ScanTron for the entire team. You will receive both an individual grade and a team grade for each quiz.
Grading
Lecture Number x points Sub totals Percentage of total
Content Quizzes Individual (ScanTron)* 4 x 25 100
Team (ScanTron)* 4 x 25 100
Team Activities (Blue Book) 20 x 5** 100
Individual Contribution to Team 30
Total 330 41%
Activity/Discussion
Attendance and Short Assignments 15 x 10** 150
Presentation 30
Total 180 22%
Laboratory
Lab assignments (incl. Mini Lab Reports) 5 x 10 50
Lab practical Quizzes (online) 5 x 10 50
Pond Ecology Paper 100
Total 200 25%
Final Exam (ScanTron) 100 12%
Grand Total 810 100%
* Lowest score dropped **actual number of assignments may vary with totals adjusted accordingly
Grades in the course will be assigned according to the criteria below:
Percent Grade
90-92.9 = A- 73-76.9 = C
87-89.9 = B+ 70-72.9 = C-
83-86.9 = B 67-69.9 = D+
80-82.9 = B- 63-66.9 = D
77-79.9 = C+ 60-62.9 = D-
< 59.9 = F
Depending on grade distributions, I may make adjustments to grades at the end of the semester. However, you shouldn’t count on this.
lab fees:
It has become necessary for the biology department to impose lab fees for all lab courses. The lab fee for BIO 1 is $5.00. These fees make it possible for us to provide you with all of the necessary supplies during lab. The lab fee needs to be paid by ______. Failure to pay this fee will result in a hold being placed on your records.
Laboratory Assignments: Laboratory material will be graded using a combination of 5 online lab quizzes (on WebCT), 5 small assignments or mini lab reports, and one formal laboratory report. Each laboratory assignment in the syllabus is noted as to what type of assignment will be required. More details about this will be available from your laboratory instructor. The laboratory manual includes all of the laboratory assignments for the course (except for Lab 3 which is currently under construction). Each week’s lab exercise has information about what we will be doing in lab, data sheets, and review questions for you. You are responsible for completing ALL of these questions/handouts and keeping this notebook up to date. Online laboratory quizzes will be based on the laboratory assignments each week. You may, of course, want to keep additional notes for the laboratory assignments. Keeping up with these assignments is your own responsibility, whether you make it to lab or not. The Laboratory quizzes will be available for a limited amount of time (30 minutes between Thursday of the indicated week at 5pm and midnight the following Monday), and will cover the current week’s lab, and potentially any previous laboratory assignments. You will also be responsible for writing five assignments or mini-lab reports and one formal laboratory report during the semester. The due dates for these assignments will generally be the week following the date on which they were assigned unless otherwise directed by your lab instructor. The formal laboratory report is due in lab during the 13th week (May 6 or 8 depending on your lab). Information is available in the laboratory manual regarding this assignment.
Activity/Discussion Assignments: In addition to lecture and laboratory, BIO 1 has an activity section. These activities will include discussions, group activities, presentations, and videos. Each week, the activity will be different. However, attendance is required. Activities will be graded through either attendance or an assignment related to the week’s activity. The weekly assignment types are noted on the syllabus.
Cumulative Final: This course will have a cumulative final. This exam is required, and will be one hour long. Questions for the final will be derived from the lecture, laboratory, and activity portions of the course. This will be a multiple choice exam. You will need to provide a Scantron form for this exam only (No. 882-E).
Late Assignments: Late assignments will accepted, but 10% will be deducted for each day that an assignment is late. If you should have to miss an exam, make-ups will be scheduled only for valid medical or educational reasons (i.e., sickness, out of town for educational reasons, etc.). Please let me know if you will have to miss an exam. Make-up exams will be given at the testing center. They are given in the evening at a cost of approximately $5.00 to you.
What is expected of you:
· Finish reading assignments before coming to class. My expectation is that you will have read and understand the reading assignments prior to lecture periods. I will hold you responsible for reading material even if I don’t lecture on these topics. Content quiz questions will be taken from the readings and relate directly to major concepts presented in the text. I recommend using the “Testing Your Knowledge” sections at the end of every chapter to practice with multiple choice questions similar to those you will encounter on the Content Quizzes. Please come to class with questions you may have about the reading and ready to discuss these topics. Your questions will be addressed in the question/discussion sessions at the beginning of each lecture period
· Teams. We will determine learning teams during the second lecture period of the semester. Teams will be composed of semi-randomly chosen members from 4 groups with slightly different strengths: 1) English as a 2nd language; 2) Academic experience in Biology (AP, JC, University); 3) Jr/Sr/2nd BA; 4) So/Fr. Team composition will thus be balanced and will not be a handicap to you. You will remain with your team for the entire semester. You will be expected to create a photo sheet of your team from jpegs available online and taken during our second lecture period (this will count as one of your 5 point team activities). Please learn your team mate’s names. It is with this team that you will work on the team-based Content Quizzes and Team Activities. You are expected to participate in choosing answers and problem solving. In addition to the team-based quizzes, and blue book answers for activities, at the end of the semester the team will anonymously grade each members participation/contributions and this will be worth 30 pts as indicated above.
· Attend lectures and take notes. Attendance in lecture is expected, even if I don’t take attendance (you’ve paid for this course, after all). The 15-20 minute mini-lectures will include some material from reading assignments, as well as material that is not found in the textbook PowerPoint Lectures will be available on WebCT. Content Quiz questions will be derived from concept topics that we have discussed, conducted problem-solving activities about and that I have covered during lecture. Attending lectures, participating in your groups, taking notes, reviewing your notes, will go a long way to helping you succeed in the course. If you miss a class, I suggest you borrow notes from another student in the course—I will not provide detailed notes for you.
· Attend all labs and examine ALL the material that’s available. I realize that there may often seem to be a lot of material, but this material emphasizes topics covered in lecture and in readings. If you haven’t spent time examining material in lab, it’s very hard to do well on the online lab quizzes. My advice to you is to read lab exercises before coming to lab, bring your lab notebook to lab (so that you know what to expect), take notes, and draw lots of pictures. Your textbook can also be a wonderful reference during the laboratory. You should always bring your textbook with you to lab. Taking photos of laboratory material using a digital camera can be a great study guide, but only if you know what you’re looking for!! If you aren’t sure what you should be looking for, please ask. That’s why there’s an instructor in lab.
· Attend Activities every week. The activity period is a chance to reinforce some of the difficult material from this course. Some weeks, we will have small or large group discussions, other weeks will be videos, and others will be hands-on activities. These exercises are meant to reinforce lecture and laboratory material. While we will not have quizzes or exams on activity material during the semester, this material will be covered on the final exam.
· Spend enough time studying. We are covering a lot of material in this course. In order to receive an A or B in this course, expect to spend about two hours studying for every hour you spend in class (10-12 hours per week, MINIMUM!!). This includes completing reading assignments (and understanding them); reviewing your notes from class, and completing assignments. It is very easy to fall behind in a course like this. If you stay on top of readings and assignments, you are likely to do much better on exams. Also, take advantage of weekly review questions and the review questions in your text. These will help you to guide your efforts.
· Ask questions. Please let me know if you don’t understand something. Don’t be shy about asking questions during lectures/activities/discussion because if you don’t understand something, chances are there are other students that don’t understand. Also, please take advantage of my office hours to come by and ask questions.
Miscellaneous Notes:
Cheating: I urge everyone to review the University policy on academic dishonesty (http://www.csus.edu/schedule/fall2006spring2007/acadishnsty.stm). In addition to the actions listed in this document, receiving phone calls or pages during an individual content quiz, having papers other than exam forms on your desk, and talking to another student during individual quizzes will be considered cheating. Any student caught cheating on a quiz will receive a score of zero on that assignment. Any student suspected of cheating will be reported to the Dean of Students. Keep in mind that cheating can result in complete dismissal from Sacramento State.
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Week / Date / Lecture Topic / Reading / Lab Topic / Tentative Discussion/Activity Topic/Reading1 / 29 Jan. / Introduction (Instructor, Syallabus) / Lab 1: Variation in natural populations
Mini Lab Report 1 / Intro to Discussion/Activity
31 Jan. / Properties of life, levels of organization. / Ch 1
2 / 5 Feb. / Natural selection. / Ch 22 / Lab 2: Using Excel to make basic calculations Assignment; McM 3 / Introduction to the scientific method. CampCh. 1 (19-26) McM Ch 2, 4 (assign.)
7 Feb. / The Evolution of Populations. / Ch 23
3 / 12 Feb. / The mystery of mysteries – origin of spp. / Ch 24 / Lab 3: Field trip: Vegetation sampling on the American River
Mini Lab Report 2 / How to succeed in biology McM: Contents, Intro, Ch 9 (att.)
14 Feb. / Phylogeny, systematics, and the tree of life. / Ch 25, 26
4 / 19 Feb. / Content Quiz 1 / Lab 4: Human Population Demography
Assignment / Reconciling science and religion. (att.)
21 Feb. / Introduction to Ecology / Ch 50, 51
5 / 26 Feb. / Intro to population biology. / Ch 52 / Lab 5: Microscope use; Ecosystem Ecology experiment set-up / Intro to Scientific Literature **Complete tutorial and reading (McM Ch 1, 6) before coming to class** (assign.)
28 Feb. / Intro to population biology continued.
6 / 4 March / Intro to community ecology. / Ch 53 / Lab 6: Ecosystem Sampling
Assignment (Biological Illustration) / “An Inconvenient Truth” (assign.)
6 March / Intro to ecosystems. / Ch 54
7 / 11 March / Content Quiz 2 / Lab 7: Prokaryotes; Sow c-fern spores
Mini Lab Report 3
Lab Quiz 1 / Environmental issues discussion;
Mitosis and Meiosis
(assign.)
13 March / Back to basics: The cell Mitosis and Meiosis / Ch 6 Ch 12 (218-223)
Ch. 13 (238-245)
8 / 18 March / Prokaryotes / Ch 27 / Lab 8: Kingdom Protista
Lab Quiz 2 / Phylogenetics, systematics, building a phylogenetic tree. Camp.Ch. 25 (491-507) (assign.)
20 March / Protista / Ch 28
9 / 25 March / Ecology of Protista / Lab 9: Fern biology and plant life cycles; Finish Ecosystem Sampling / Life cycle variations (att.)
27 March / Content Quiz 3 / Ch. 35 (712-728)
Ch. 36 (738-753), Ch 29
March 31-April 6: Spring Break; No Classes
10 / 8 Apr. / Leaving water: mosses and ferns. / Lab 10: Gymnosperm tour; flowering plants; Lab Quiz 3 / Library introduction: conducting a literature search Library (in Library instructional lab); (assign.)
10 Apr. / Gymnosperms. / Ch. 30 (591-597)
11 / 15 Apr. / Angiosperm diversity and evolution / Ch. 30 (598-606), 38 (771-6) / Lab 11: Fungal Diversity / Structure of scientific papers; peer review due, presentations(assign.) McM Ch 10 (215-225)
17 Apr. / Fungi and coevolution. / Ch 31, Ch. 53 (1164-5)
12 / 22 Apr. / Introduction to animals:
Porifera and Cnidaria / Ch. 32 ; Ch. 40 (823-827), Ch. 33 (638-645) / Lab 12: Sponges and Cnidarians
Lab Quiz 4 / Coevolution video “Queen of Trees” (assign.)
24 Apr. / Content Quiz 4
13 / 29 Apr. / Lophotrochozoa: worms and relatives. / Ch. 33 (646-655) / Lab 13: Platyhelminthes, Molluscs, and Annelids / Open activity time
Work on presentations.
1 May / Ecdysozoa: bugs and relatives / Ch. 33 (655-665)
14 / 6 May / Deuterostomes: echinoderms, chordates. / Ch. 33 (665-670); Ch. 34 / Lab 14: Arthropods and Nematodes / A global perspective on biodiversity – Presentations.
8 May / Content Quiz 5
15 / 13 May / Back to the biosphere. / Review Ch 52, 53, Ch 54 (1200-) / Lab 15: Chordates
Lab Quiz 5 / Open discussion/Review (att.)
15 May / Global ecology and conservation / Ch 55
22 May / FINAL EXAM Thursday 8:00-10:00 AM
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