Teaching (Most Excellent!) Assistants: Joseph Yip & Ioana Popescu
COURSE PURPOSE AND GOALS
Biology 481 is a course designed to cover those groups of organisms which traditionally have been treated as lower nonvascular plants. These typically include all of the algae (which in modern texts are broken up into the Kingdoms Protista and Planta), the fungi (which now form their own kingdom), and the bryophytes (which remain in the kingdom Planta, but now consist of three divisions, the mosses, the liverworts and the hornworts). The rationale for offering this course is that the organisms covered during this quarter are not covered in our freshman biology majors sequence nor in most of our upper level courses. Consequently, the organisms covered in this course are obviously heterogeneous in nature.
This course is about the morphology and reproductive biology of certain groups of organisms, i.e. it is an organismal biology course. You will learn a lot of new terminology in this course-in essence you will be learning a new language. I offer no excuses. It is not about DNA, RNA, molecular biology, or cell biology, as fascinating as those areas are. In this course you will be asked to observe, smell, taste, and feel organisms. It is my hope that once you have observed just how fascinating some of these organisms are, it might tweak your curiosity enough to cause you to consider doing further research on a particular group. Whether this is at the level of field studies, ecological studies, experimental lab studies, or molecular studies will be your decision-and all of them are equally fascinating! You simply can't go wrong!!
TEXTBOOK REQUIREMENTS
There are two textbooks used in this course: the lecture text, Bold, et al., Morpholgy of Plants and Fungi (5th edition), and the lab manual/study guide, Snider, Diversity of Algae, Fungi and Bryophytes. Both texts are absolutely required for this course. If you don't want to purchase the two texts, please drop the course. You must have both texts for the first laboratory, i.e. the second class meeting. (The lecture text, Bold, et al., is also used for my spring quarter course, Bio. 480, Vascular Plant Diversity.)
EXAMINATION/GRADING POLICIES
Two lecture exams and two lab practicals will be given during the quarter. The lecture exams will consist mostly of short essay questions, matching questions, and true/false questions where, if the question is false, you must underline the word/phrase that makes the question false.
The lab practicals usually involve viewing organisms/structures through the microscope and determining the organism and/or structure, and indicating whether it is haploid or diploid, stating its function, and providing a generic and/or higher level scientific name. By their very nature, lab practicals are difficult and unpleasant. They also help you learn the organisms. To do well, simply become intimate with the organisms we are studying! There are no opportunities for extra credit in this course, don't ask.
NOTICE: it takes from three to four hours to set up a lab practical, therefore no make-up lab practicals will be given for any reason.
GRADING SCALE:
| Lecture Exam 1 | 100 pts | A = 360-400 pts | ||
| Lab Practical 1 | 100 pts | B = 320-359 pts. |
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| Final Lecture Exam | 100 pts | C = 280-319 pts. | ||
| Final Lab Practical | 100 pts | D = 240-279 pts. | ||
| Total | 400 pts | F = < 240 pts. |
Occasionally a curve is given on the final grade. If so, it usually is only a slight one, so don't count on it.
What kind of performance is required to earn an A grade? You should have a conversational knowledge of the materials covered. You should know the terms presented and the concepts discussed. This requires exceptional ability. An A grade IS for exceptional work. Study groups are most helpful, and I encourage you to arrange such a group if at all possible.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY WILL BE DEALT WITH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MOST CURRENT PUBLISHED VERSION OF THE STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT.
PLEASE NOTE: Lecture begins at 2:00 P.M. sharp! Any announcements to be made regarding changes in class policy, emergency changes regarding exam dates, or changes in the course syllabus will be made during the first five minutes of each class period!!
OFFICE HOURS
During the quarter I attempt to have open office hours for your use. Please feel free to come in and see me at any time. If you want to insure that I will be in my office to meet with you please make an appointment with me. You may do this either before or immediately after lecture. The teaching assistants will post their individual office hours and policies.
LECTURE TEXT (REQUIRED!!): BOLD, ET AL., MORPHOLOGY OF
PLANTS AND FUNGI (5TH EDITION)
LAB MANUAL/STUDY GUIDE (REQUIRED!!): SNIDER, DIVERSITY
OF ALGAE, FUNGI AND BRYOPHYTES
Materials required for the laboratory are: lecture text, lab. manual, drawing pencils (colored, or 4H black)
DATE LECTURE/LABORATORY TOPICS TEXT/LAB READINGS
24 Sept W Introduction, Prokaryonta (Cyanochloronta) lecture Chapters 1, 2
26 Sept F Cyanochloronta lab Lab Exercise 1
1 Oct W Cyanochloronta lab (cont'd) Lab Exercise 1 (cont'd)
3 Oct F Mycetae (Fungi) Gymnomycota (slime molds) lecture Chapters 28-29, video
8 Oct W Gymnomycota (slime molds) lab, Mastigomycota lecture Lab. Exercise 2, Chapters
30-31
10 Oct F Mastigomycota lecture, con't., Mastigomycota lab Chapters 30-31, Lab
Exercise 3
15 Oct W Amastigomycota I, II (Zygomycotina. Ascomycotina) Chapters 32-33
lecture
17 Oct F Amastigomycota lab Lab Exercise 4
22 Oct W Lichenized Fungi lecture, Lichenized Fungi lab Chapter 36, Lab Exercise 5
24 Oct F Amastigomycota III, IV Chapters 34-35
(Basidiomycotina, Deuteromycotina) lecture
29 Oct W Amastigomycota lab Lab Exercise 6
31 Oct F MIDTERM LECTURE EXAM/LAB PRACTICAL --through fungi
5 Nov W Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta, Charophyta lecture Chapter 4, 5, 6
7 Nov F Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta, Charophyta lab Lab Exercises 7, 8, 9
12 Nov W Phaeophyta, Chrysophyta, Pyrrhophyta lecture Chapters 7 8
14 Nov F Phaeophyta, Chrysophyta lab Lab Exercises 10, 11
19 Nov W Rhodophyta lecture, Rhodophyta lab Chapter 9, Lab Exercise 12
21 Nov F Hepatophyta, Anthocerotophyta lecture Chapter 11
26 Nov W Hepatophyta, Anthocerotophyta lab Lab Exercises 13, 14
28 Nov F THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY ENJOY!!
3 Dec W Bryophyta lecture Chapter 12
5 Dec F Bryophyta lab Lab Exercise 15
The Laboratory Examination for the algae, Hepatophyta, Anthocerotophyta, and Bryophyta will be held during the final lecture exam period-one to one and one-half hours for lecture exam, the balance for the laboratory practical.