Last updated 2/9/2014
Biol25b - General Zoology
Spring 2014
Instructor: Teaching and Laboratory Assistants:
Daniela Nicastro; Raquel Kallas
Rosenstiel 449
office hours: please send me an email to make an appointment
Course Description:
Animals comprise most of the species on our planet. Thisfour-credit experiential learningcourseis designed to provide an overviewof the vast diversity and evolution of the animal kingdom, and to teach a fundamental understanding of the form and function of organisms. “Climbing” the tree of life (from the most ancient invertebratesto vertebrates), students will be introduced to the basics of the functionalmorphology, physiology, development, behavior, systematics, and ecological and evolutionary relationships among the major animal groups. To provide a broad perspective and multi-layered experience, the course integrates three teaching/learning formats: lectures by the instructor covering key material, followed by weekly student presentations and group discussions on fascinating topics chosen by students from a list of suggestions, and experiential learning by laboratory exercises.
Course Goals:
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Recognize and name major animal groups, and describe distinguishing characteristics of each group.
- Explain how organisms are classified, and describe the basic evolutionary relationships of major animal groups.
- Appreciate the diversity of life on earth, and relate animals to their particular role in an ecosystem.
- Understand and use zoological vocabulary in scientific activities.
- Generate and deliver a well-constructed,informative, scientific presentation.
- Participate in discussionsin an atmosphere of academic respect and cooperation.
- Apply common laboratories techniquesand write scientific lab reports (including drawings for documentation).
Student Presentations (starts Feb 13th):
Friday 1/20/2014: Please send your top 3 priorities for your seminar topic via email to the instructor
Part of the course will follow a seminar-style format with weekly student presentations and group discussions on fascinating zoological topics chosen by students from a list of suggestions. Students can also propose additional zoological topics that may be approved by the instructor.
Each student will generate and presentone scientificpresentation about his/her assigned topic.To promote timely completion and high achievement, the student will submit an early draft of the presentation (with brief written explanations for each power-point slide) no later than one week before the in-class presentation. Feedback for the draft will be provided by the instructor within 3 days. The student presentation should be well-constructed, well-delivered, and provide a wealth of both broad and detailed scientific information related to the topic of interest.
To foster lively interactions, all students will be encouraged to participate in the discussions following the student presentations and the instructor will act as a facilitator to that end.
Topics for student presentations include (but are not limited to):
- Poisonous creatures I: predators (snakes, blue-ringed octopus, Conus…);
- Poisonous creatures II: defensive (snail (nudibrancha); Fugu, sting ray…)
- Fascinating strategies of predators (snapping shrimp, …);
- The invisibles I: the principles of different camouflage methods with focus on camouflage by mimesis (mimicking another (non-dangerous) object or organism, e.g. orchid mantis, Phyllium giganteum);
- Other fascinating defense mechanisms, e.g. distraction (lizard tail, blood-squirting Phrynosoma), mimicry (mimicking another well-fortified organism), prickly critters (e.g. sea urchins, Daphnia spine), …;
- Comparative overview over visual systems in the animal kingdom;
- Bio-luminescence;
- … (more).
Animal of the day:
One student introduces for a few minutes a “fascinating animal” at the beginning of the class (the instructor starts Thursday 1/16/, then it rotates between students). Please select animals NOT covered by the student presentation topics.
Nicastro, Paul, Rachel, Jen, Aaron, Steph, …
Lab Exercises (starts Feb 14th):
Lab Fee:
there is no lab fee;
Lab Activity:
Laboratory exercises include microscope observations, dissections of selected (fixed) animal specimens(e.g. squid, crab, starfish), and demonstrations to reinforce topics covered and discussed in previous lectures. Some of these exercises might be performed by groups of two students.
Lab Topics and Manuals:
The availability of live/fixed animal specimens can vary and change at short notice; therefore lab topics are subject to change, but include some of the following: sea urchin fertilization & development, hydra & jelly fish, planaria & tapeworm, earthworm & leech, snail, clam & squid, Ascaris & nematode, crab & grasshopper, starfish, marine plankton or freshwater sample, fish. Lab manuals(for each exercise) are distributed the week before the exercise and reading of the lab manual should be completed BEFORE the labthat it was assigned for.
Student Responsibility:
- Appropriate laboratory gowns are to be worn when doing lab exercises. No open-toed shoes, open mid-drift shirts, food, drink, gum, cell phones/iPods/laptops will be permitted in lab under any circumstances. Students violating these rules will be asked to leave, which may be reflected in the student’s grade.
- You must purchase and use a laboratory notebook for recording pre-lab and post-lab questions, and for any recording (data, notes, drawings) during the lab period. The notebook is subject to collection at random throughout the semester.
- You are expected to complete all labs in their entirety, and maximize your participation throughout the lab period.
- After use of the laboratory room, you are expected to clean your area.
Animal Specimen:
Please be responsible in dealing with live specimens and never inflict unnecessary pain on subjects. Be respectful by utilizing the provided fixed specimen well to achieve the course goals. Lab handouts willinclude basic techniques on how to handle the provided specimen.
Lab Assignments and Reports (including Drawings):
Lab assignments and reports will be collected as previously specified (either at the beginning or the end of class/lab).Even in cases where you are working in groups, reports and assignments are to be doneindividually.
Requirementsand Policies:
Prerequisites:
Biol 14a or 15b or 16a or Biol 22a or Biol22b, or permission of the instructor.
Required Textbook:
Integrated Principles of Zoology, 16th edition; Cleveland Hickman, Jr., et al.;
ISBN: 9780073524214; McGraw-Hill Publishing Company
It is recommended to complete thetextbook reading BEFORE the class that it was assigned for.
Course Information:
You are expected to check the courseWeb site on LATTE regularly and often!This course is constantly evolving. Important announcements, course materials and syllabus updates will be posted on a semi-regular basis and you are responsible for this information.
Attendance:
In an experiential learning course, there is simply no substitute for being there. Much of the benefit of the course is derived from your active participation and interaction with the instructor and your peers. Therefore attendance of all classes, student presentations and laboratory sessions is required. Students who have become ill or have an emergency are expected to inform the instructor through email (in advance where applicable). Lack of attendance may be reflectedinthe student’s grade.
Laptop Policy:
If you wish, you can use your laptops for taking notes during class. However, any use for tasks unrelated to the class (including but not limited to emailing, surfing the internet or watching movies) distracts you and your peers, and is therefore not permitted. If you use a laptop during class, please sit in the front row.Laptops are not allowed in the lab!
Academic Honesty:
Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at BrandeisUniversity.You are expected to be familiar with and to follow the University’s policies on academic integrity (see Faculty may refer any suspected instances of alleged dishonesty to the Office of Student Development and Conduct. Instances of academic dishonesty may result failure in the course or on the assignment, and could end in suspension from the University.
Students must take all quizzes and exams independently without the assistance of other individuals, course notes, or internet resources. The use of any electronic devices during exams is strictly forbidden. There will be zero tolerance for cheating.
In your assignments(incl. presentations), you mustproperly citeany sources that you consult (e.g., journal article, book, interview, Web page). Please note: you may not simply lift text from a Web page and incorporate it into your own work, nor can you just change a few words here and there and claim it as your own. If you have any question about this issue, please contact me to discuss it. This is serious.
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Evaluation:
Grades will be determined based upon the following:
- Participation:
- In class participation: students will be evaluated on their preparedness for class and their contribution to group discussions;
- Peer evaluation of student presentations: students will receive credit for thoughtful and complete evaluations of their peers’ presentations;
- Appropriate conduct in lab and completion of lab sessions;
- Student presentation: submitted PowerPoint file and in-class presentation;
- Laboratory exercises: notebook and lab reports (graded for quality and completeness);each student is expected to turn in work completed independently and no later than the specified due time*;
- Mini quizzes: Periodically during the semester, you will be given unannounced mini quizzes about assigned readingor material presented in lectures, lab manuals and student presentations. The quizzes will be given promptly at the beginning of class/lab and there will be no make-ups given (students arriving late or missing class/lab will receive a zero for that day’s quiz). At the end of the semester the worst quiz result of each student will be deleted.
- Cumulative oral exam at the end of the semester.**
* Late assignments (lab reports, PPT, or others) will losepoints for each day past due date.
** Make-up exam will only be given in case of a documented medical or family emergency.
Disabilities:
If you are a student with a documented disability at BrandeisUniversity and if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation for this class, please see Ms. Nicastro immediately. Please keep in mind that reasonable accommodations are not provided retroactively
Course Schedule
Tuesday and Thursday lectures:3:30- 4:50pm;roomVolen 119
LAB: starts Feb 14th; Fridaylab:9:30 - 11:50am; roomSSC 00-11
Week of / Tuesday lecture / Thursday lecture / Friday Lab / Recommended textbook chaptersJan 13 / Course Introduction / Evolution of Metazoa, germ layers and development / ch.8 p.155-168,
ch.11 p.216-246
Jan 20 / Porifera (Sponges) / George Bell: Adaptive Camouflage Cephalopods / ch.12 p.247-260,
Jan 27 / Ctenophora / Cnidaria I / ch.13 p.247-289
Feb 3 / Cnidaria II / Quiz
Platyhelminthes (Flatworms) / ch.13 p.247-289,
ch.14 p.290-313
Feb 10 / Platyhelminthes,
Rotifera and others / Annelida / sponge, jellyfish, hydra, coral, planaria, fluke, tapeworm, rotifera / ch.14 p.290-313,
ch.15 p.364-386
Feb 17 / Midterm Recess: No classes
Feb 24 / Mollusca I / Steph / earthworm, sand worm, leech, Nereis, / ch.16 p.333-348
Mar 3 / Mollusca II / Aaron / mussel, squid, chiton / ch.16 p.333-348
Mar 10 / Quiz
Nematoda (Roundworms) / Jen / Ascaris, hookworm / ch.18 p.387-404
Mar 17 / Arthropoda I (Crustacea)
(guest lecture by Dr. Kuzirian – room TBA) / Paul / crayfish, limulus / ch.19 p.405-409,
ch.20 p.423-443
Mar 24 / Arthropoda II (Hexapoda) / Raquel (Parasites) / grasshopper, scorpion / ch.21 p.444-471
Mar 31 / Quiz
Echinodermata I / Echinodermata II / starfish, sea urchin,
sea cucumber / ch.22 p.472-499
April 7 / TBA / TBA / TBA
April 14 / Tues. 15-22 Passover and spring recess: No classes
April 21 / No classes / Chaetognatha, Hemichordata, Chordata / sea squirt,lancelet,perch, dog fish, skate / ch.23 p.500-518,
ch.24 p.519-546
April 28 / Final Exam