Biology 204 – Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity
Fall 2012
Instructor: David Hooper
Contact info: Office: Biology 307
Phone: 650-3649
Email: hooper@biol.wwu.edu
Lecture meets: 10-10:50 MWF, Biology 234
Labs meet: Biology 249, T 8-11 (40653); T 11-2 (40654); F 11-2 (40655); F 2-5 (40744)
Office Hours: M 3-4, W 11-12, or by appointment
Web site: see Blackboard for posting of all class materials
Texts. 1) Freeman, Biological Science, 4th or Custom Edition (REQUIRED). 2) Biology 204 Lab Manual
(REQUIRED). 3) Knisely, K. (2005) A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology, 3rd Edition (REQUIRED), 4) Van
De Graaf, K.M. and J.L. Crawley, A Photographic Atlas for the Biology Laboratory, 5th or 6th Edition (optional).
Keeping up with the reading assignments will be critical to your success in this class. You are expected to read the
assigned chapters
prior to lecture. I highly recommend that you do the Web/CD activities scattered throughout the book
and study the relevant parts of the "Summary of key concepts" and "Questions" sections at the ends of chapters.
COURSE GOALS
1. Content: Introduce the diversity of life, ecology, and evolutionary biology in an integrated way;
2. Content and Skills: Introduce and practice the scientific method (by doing);
3. Skills: Introduce some basic tools of biology (lab);
4. Skills: Communicating science in written and oral forms (writing scientific papers, giving presentations; lab)
5. Skills: Quantitative reasoning (i.e., using math to answer biological questions).
COURSE GRADE
1. Your grade will be based on a total of approximately 510 possible points, of which the lab is 1/3:
Lecture (340 points)
3 midterms - 60 points each
180 points
6 quizzes – 10 points each
60 points
Final exam (comprehensive, required)
100 points
Lab (170 points)
Lab assignments and quizzes
80 points
Excel Tutorial
10 points
Scientific Paper Reading Assignment
10 points
Lab reports (Sehome Hill, mycorrhizae)
40 points
Lab practical
30 points
510 points total
2.
Exams.
Midterm I – F, 10/12; Midterm II – F, 11/2 ; Midterm III – W, 11/28; Final – T, 12/11, 10:30-12:30 a.m.
Exams will be multiple choice. The final exam is comprehensive. Make-up exams are allowed only with a valid,
pre-approved excuse and will have different questions from the original exam. Regrades: If you feel I have made
an error in grading your test, please bring it to my attention. Regrades must be brought to me no later than one
week after the test is returned.
3.
Late Assignments will lose 10% of the possible points per day late.
4.
Extra credit: You can earn a MAXIMUM 10 POINTS that will be added to your raw point total. I want to
encourage you to attend activities or read articles related to this course outside of class. You can earn up to 10
points by writing a summary (two typed, double-spaced pages) of a course-related seminar, journal article, or article
written for the popular press. The summary must use relevant biological concepts from class to explain the
talk/article summarized. The number of points you earn will depend on the quality and thoughtfulness of your
written summary. You will need to do a very good job to get all ten points. See the BlackBoard site for details on
write-up format and questions.
- Unless it is an assignment I give, you must check with me about suitability prior to undertaking the extra
credit. Potential extra credit topics include field trips, guest lectures, and articles.
- Extra credits are due no later than one week after the activity.
- You can write only one extra credit assignment. If you decide to do one, do a good job and make it count!
Ecology and Evolution, BI 204
2
5.
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Assignments with plagiarism problems can result in no credit, failing
the class, or expulsion from Western. Remember - it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to know about the issues involved.
Questions about plagiarism? Ask me, your TA, and/or see the following excellent resources:
http://www.libguides.wwu.edu/plagiarism and http://www.wwu.edu/soc/docs/plagiarism.pdf.
6.
Backwards days. Extensive education research shows that students learn best when they learn actively. Backwards
Days will be “backwards” because, rather than me standing up and lecturing, then giving take-home exercises, you will
be responsible for going over the reading and lecture material before class, then spending part of the class working
actively together on in-class homework. The goal is to make sure that, in addition to knowing terms and understanding
concepts, you are comfortable applying these ideas to new situations, using them to analyze problems, synthesizing
multiple ideas, and critically evaluating a variety of scientific evidence. That’s what science is really all about! See
“Bloom’s taxonomy of learning” in Lecture 1.
7.
How to succeed in this class: Suggestions a-e are a MINIMUM. If you don’t do them, it’s unlikely that you will
get a good grade in Biology 204. Suggestions f-h are strategies that have helped many students in the past.
a) Come to lecture. Powerpoint files are to provide figures in a format in which it’s easy to take notes, not to replace
lecture. If you have to miss a class, make sure you have someone who can take good notes for you.
b) Take notes: If I say it in class, or draw it on the board, I expect you to understand that material (unless I explicitly
state otherwise);
c) Keep up with the reading. The textbook is very good and serves as an important resource. Some required material
is ONLY presented in the textbook. Read the assigned chapters before lecture and lab, then reread them
afterwards.
d) Ask questions: If you don’t understand something, others may not either.
e) Start early on the study guides, so you don’t have to cram. These will be updated ~1 week before the tests, but you
can start working on them immediately, as I expect only minor changes.
f) Do the review questions at the back of the chapter and other activities (e.g., online exercises) to help you solidify
your learning.
g) If you really don’t understand something, come to office hours (preferably BEFORE you get your test back).
Office hours are a good time to explore questions for which there may not be time in class. If you can’t make the
regular times, drop me an email to schedule a time that will work for both of us.
h) Study in groups: work with people who have similar high standards to your own, and force each other to give
clear, complete, and concise answers to study guide and text book questions. The best way to show that you know
something well is being able to explain it to someone else.
8.
Your final grade will be determined as a percentage of the point total:
B+
87-89.9 C+
77-79.9 D+
67-69.9
F
0-59.9
A
93-100
B
83-86.9
C
73-76.9
D
63-66.9
A-
90-92.9
B-
80-82.9 C-
70-72.9 D-
60-62.9
Ecology and Evolution, BI 204
3
Lecture schedule
Readings listed are chapters in the 4th edition of the textbook, with selected pages following the colon; pages in the
custom edition are the same. Other editions will vary. Lab exercises are numbered as in the 204 Lab Manual. NOTE:
labs are due to your TA on your assigned lab day. Some assignments are done in class and others outside of class.
Dates
Lecture Topics
Reading
Lab exercises
Week 1
9/26
Introduction to the course: eco/evo overview
No lab
9/28
The process of science
1
Week 2
10/1
Evolution vs. “intelligent design”; Evolution by natural selection 24
Lab 1 – PoS
Due: Excel, 1.1
10/3
Evolution by natural selection
(Backwards)
24
10/5
The basis for evolution: the cell cycle, meiosis;
Quiz 1
11: 194-200
12: 211-220
Week 3
10/8
Meiosis, continued; Mendel and the gene
12: 220-227
13: 230-236
Lab 2 – Sehome I
Due 2.1
10/10
Mendel and the gene
(Backwards)
13: 236-250
10/12
Midterm #1 (Intro – Mendel)
Week 4
10/15
Evolutionary processes
25
Lab 3 – Sehome II
10/17
Evolutionary processes
(Backwards)
25
Due: 2.2, 3.1
10/19
Speciation;
Quiz 2
26
Week 5
10/22
Speciation, Phylogenies and the history of life
26, 27
Lab 4 - NatSel
10/24
Phylogenies
(Backwards)
27
Due: 3.2, 4.1
10/26
Diversity of life: Bacteria and Archaea;
Quiz 3
28
Week 6
10/29
Diversity of life: Bacteria and Archaea; Protists
28, 29
Lab 5 - BAP
10/31
Diversity of life: Protists
(Backwards)
29
Due: 5.1, 5.2
11/2
Midterm #2 (Evol. processes – Protists)
Week 7
11/5
Diversity of life: Plants 1
30
Lab 6
- Plants
11/7
Diversity of life: Plants 2
(Backwards)
30
Due: 6.1, 6.2
11/9
Diversity of life: Fungi 1;
Quiz 4
31
Week 8
11/12
VETERAN’S DAY – NO CLASS
11/14
Diversity of life: Fungi 2
31
Lab 7 - Fungi
11/16
Diversity of life: Animals 1;
Quiz 5
32
Due: 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
Week 9
11/19
Diversity of life: Animals 2
32
No lab
11/21
Introduction to Ecology
50
11/23
THANKSGIVING – NO CLASS
Week 10
11/26
Introduction to Ecology, Population ecology
50, 52
Lab 8 - Animals
11/28
Midterm #3 (Plants – Ecol. Intro)
Due: 8.1, 8.2
11/30
Population ecology 1
52
Week 11
12/3
Population ecology 2
(Backwards)
52
Lab practical
12/5
Ecosystem ecology 1
54
Due: 7.4
12/7
Ecosystem ecology 2;
Quiz 6
54
Week 12
T 12/13 Final Exam, 10:30-12:30 a.m.
Ecology and Evolution, BI 204
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Laboratory Schedule
The laboratory section of this course complements the lecture and is intended to give you hands on experience
learning about organismal diversity, evolutionary trends, and ecological concepts. You are expected to have reviewed
the material in the lab manual and textbook
before lab, as well as doing pre-lab assignments where applicable. This is
critical for you to both understand the lab material and to get through the labs in an efficient manner. Bring your lab
manual to every lab; bring the lab photo atlas (if you have it) and textbook to all biodiversity labs. Readings listed are
related chapters in the Freeman textbook and are in addition to the Exercise sections listed from the lab manual.
Dates
Laboratory Topics
Reading
Week of Sept. 24 (1) No Lab the first week of classes; Excel Tutorial assigned in lecture
Week of Oct. 1 (2)
Ex. 1.1: Process of Science
Ex. 1.2: Mycorrhizae Experiment setup
Due: Excel Tutorial; Due in class: Assignment 1.1
1
31
Week of Oct. 8 (3)
Ex. 2: Sehome Hill Forest Study – gather data
54
Due in class: 2.1
Week of Oct. 15 (4)
Ex. 3: Sehome Hill Forest Study – analyze data
54, Knisely,
Due: 2.2-Scientific Paper Reading; Due in class: 3.1
Journal article
Week of Oct. 22 (5)
Ex. 4: Natural Selection and Genetic Drift
25
Due: 3.2-Sehome Hill Results Section; Due in class: 4.1
Week of Oct. 29 (6)
Ex. 5: Biodiversity I – Bacteria, Archaea, & Protists
12, 28, 29
Due: 5.1; Due in class: 5.2
Week of Nov. 5 (7)
Ex. 6: Biodiversity II – Plants
30
Due: 6.1; Due in class: 6.2
Week of Nov. 12 (8) Ex. 7: Biodiversity III - Fungi
31
Due: 7.1; Due in class: 7.2, 7.3
Week of Nov. 19 (9) THANKSGIVING WEEK – NO LAB
Week of Nov. 26 (10) Exercise 8: Biodiversity IV - Animals
32-34
Due 8.1; Due in class: 8.2
Week of Dec. 3 (11)
Lab practical
Due: 7.4
