Biological Concepts: Ecology, Evolution, Genetics, Diversity
BOT/MBI/ZOO 115 (Section E) Fall 2009
Professors:
Dr. Michelle D. BooneZoology; 178 Pearson Hall. 529-4901
Office Hours: 10-12 T, 10-12 Th,or by appointment.
Dr. Iddo FriedbergMicrobiology; 164 Pearson Hall. 529-3182
ffice Hours: 10-12 T, 10-12 Th, or by appointment.
Dr. Richard C. MooreBotany; 394 Pearson Hall. 529-4278
ffice Hours: 3-5 M, 2-4 W, or by appointment.
Text:
- Biology, 1st edition. Brooker, Widmaier, Graham, & Stiling.
- Laboratory Experiences for Biological Concepts.
Technology:
- TurningPoint Clicker
COURSE OVERVIEW
This semester will provide an introduction to basic biological concepts and will introduce you to the remarkable diversity of organisms inhabiting our planet. After an introduction to the scientific method as a way in which scientists ask questions about testable biological phenomena, we will discuss the inter-relatedness of living things and interactions between organisms and the environment. We will present evolution as the unifying paradigm in biology and discuss evolutionary theory in detail. We will then cover the principles of genetics and cell division so that you may readily understand the role these mechanisms play in evolution. We continue with issues concerning the causes and consequences of population growth and with lectures on community and ecosystem ecology. Through studying these biological concepts, we can focus on interactions among different organisms as well as between the abiotic and biotic environments.
The second half of the class is an introduction to classification of organisms, which prefaces the section of the course dealing with biological diversity. Diversity begins with the microbial world, continues through the protists, fungi, and plants, and concludes with animal diversity. In all these areas of diversity, we will stress the phylogenetic relationships and the evolutionary adaptations that have allowed organisms to be successful. Interactions between organisms in different taxa will also be discussed.
When it is appropriate, we will present basic biological concepts in their historical context and help students become aware of major biological achievements and the scientist(s) responsible for these achievements. Whenever possible, current issues such as the environment will be tied to basic biological concepts to make these concepts more meaningful to students.
Laboratory exercises are coordinated with lecture material so students will gain handson experience with some of the concepts and organisms covered in lecture. Our approach includes labs in which students engage in cooperative learning through group effort and others that employ the inquiry approach to learning. We have incorporated an introduction to data analysis using computer programs as well as audiovisual aids in our laboratory exercises.
Grading System
The course grade will be based on the combined scores from three lecture exams (100 points each, total 300), weekly quizzes (250 points), the laboratory grade (250 points), and the final examination (200 points). Note that the laboratory accounts for 25% of the final grade, quizzes count for 25% of the final grade, and exams count for 50% of the final grade. Finally, you must pass the laboratory (with at least 60%) to pass the course. The final grade will be defined by the following scale (plus/minus grades will not be given):
90 – 100%A
80– 89%B
70–79% C
60– 69% D
59 and belowF
Exams (500 points total):
Three 100 point exams and one 200 point final exam will be given on the dates noted in the schedule that follows. Exams will consist of 45 multiple choice questions that must be finished in 50 minutes. The final exam will consist of 90 questions with 45 questions from the new material and 45 comprehensive questions. NO make-up exams will be given unless the student has a valid documented excuse (see the Laboratory section below for definitions of “valid excuse”) for the absence. Make-up exams need to be scheduled before the exam if possible or, in the case of unexpected illness, within 2 days following the scheduled exam. Only in extreme cases will make-up exams be given more than 2 days following the scheduled exam.
If you need additional time for examinations, please see the instructors. The Learning Center at Miami University ( will evaluate students and, when warranted, will give permission for exams to be taken at alternative locations so that students can have more time to finish the exams. The Office of Disabilities can also accommodate students who need more time for exams.
Quizzes (250 points total):
Twelve weekly quizzes (25 pts each) will be administered as indicated on the syllabus (i.e., every Tuesday). These quizzes may be in class or online according to the professor’s preference. Questions can cover any lecture from the most recent exam to that day’s lecture.
Online quizzes will be closed-book; students are not to access any notes, the textbook, or internet resources while taking the quiz. Students are not to work on online questions together. Furthermore, students are not to discuss the content of the quiz with other students prior to the due date. A breach of these policies is considered cheating and is not only a case of Academic Dishonesty, but is also a poor reflection on your personal integrity.
Your two lowest quiz scores will be dropped, but this includes 0’s for missing quizzes due to absence or failure to submit your on-line quiz on time. There is absolutely NO make-up for quizzes—even if you have an excused absence(this is why we have some built in points to drop).
TurningPoint Clickers:
You are required to purchase a TurningPoint clicker to be used in class. This is a one-time purchase and the clickers can be used in other classes as well. Participating in class via clickers will provide you the opportunity to reflect upon the material in class and will allow the professors a means to gauge your level of understanding during the lecture. Clickers will encourage you to review your notes throughout the semester and well before the night of the exam. We usually have a minimum of 4-5 TurningPoint clicker questions each class. Questions will be based on questions from study guides (see below), from previously covered material, or from material covered during class. In addition, clicker questions also allow us to assess attendance.
We will use attendance to consider grades that fall at the borderline.
A note on attendance: "Every student is expected to attend every class session for which the student is duly registered." (Student Handbook, sec. 701). You are responsible for attending lecture. Oversleeping, studying for other classes, or ice cream socials are not acceptable excuses for missing class. Also see the statements following the above in the student handbook, particularly those concerning academic dishonesty.
Study Guides:
You will have daily reading assignments accompanied by study guides. Study guides are designed to aide you in your comprehension of the reading and to give you a chance to think about the content. They offer you a chance to familiarize yourself with the material before coming to class and, because they highlight key concepts of the class, study guides have the added benefit of helping you prepare for quizzes and exams. We encourage you to discuss study guide questions with others. Study guides will not be graded directly, but questions from study guides could appear in class as a “clicker” question and on quizzes.
Laboratory Grade (250 points total):
You will each attend a lab section and will get further information about the grading assignments during your first meeting. This represents 25% of your grade. The lab may have fewer or greater points, but will be converted to the same percentage points on a 250 point scale. The laboratory grade consists of a midterm exam, a final exam, field and lab reports, pre-lab assignments, and quizzes. Additionally, 5 points are deducted from your laboratory grade for each unexcused absence.
You must pass the laboratory with at least 60% in order to pass the course. Failure to do so will result in a grade assignment of “F” even if you have an “A” in the lecture portion of class.
Academic Dishonesty
We will NOT tolerate cheating on exams, quizzes, or any other work. Any written work that is handed in with your name on it must be your own original work. Plagiarism, submitting work purported to be your own where the ideas or wording are from another person or a published work (including the World Wide Web), will not be tolerated. Moreover, if another student allows you to use his or her work, that student will also be guilty of academic dishonesty. While it is fine to discuss things with your class mates, you should go into another room and write out your assignments or lab reports by yourself. Note that using more than one clicker during class (i.e. one for an absent classmate) is considered cheating.
If we suspect you have turned in non-independent work, have cheated on in-class or online quizzes, or have cheated on exams, then all students involved will be reported to the appropriate Departmental Chairperson. Students will be given a hearing before the Chair and if it is determined that academic misconduct has occurred, the students will at a minimum receive a zero on the assignment (that cannot be dropped) and their misconduct will be filed with the University (assuming a first offense). See the statements in the Student Handbook concerning academic dishonesty for more information (Section 1, part IV).
Cell phones and laptops:
A note on cell phones: Turn off your cell phones during class and exams or quizzes. During an exam, we will consider it a case of Academic Misconduct if we find that you have a cell phone in your line of vision and will impose the standard penalties (see above).
A note on laptops: Laptops may only be used to take notes for this class. Using your laptop for any reason other than taking notes (email, instant messaging, web-surfing, etc) is a serious distraction not only to yourself but to those around you. If we find you of using your laptop for such reasons we will ask you to close laptop for the remainder of the class.
Supplemental Instructor (SI):
We will have a supplemental instructor, Derek Voss (), who will be available weekly to meet with students. Derek will attend all of our classes and will have class materials so that he can help answer your questions. The Supplemental Instructor helps improve student performance by teaching students how to integrate course content with reasoning and study skills. Sessions with the SI are not substitute lectures and will not present new material. These sessions focus on what to learn and how to learn it, and do not necessarily take the form of question-answer sessions. Nationally, it has been shown that average grades of students who attend sessions with the SI are higher than grades of those who do not.
Laboratory
The labs are designed to illustrate some of the main concepts of the course, and provide you with first-hand experience with experimental design and manipulation of laboratory material and equipment.
You must attend your assigned laboratory section. Attendance will be taken in laboratory sections during the first five minutes of the class and each unexcused absence will result in a 5 point deduction from the cumulative score. We expect that you will be on time for lab sections; excessive tardiness will result in being marked absent. Credit for make-up labs will only be given to those with a written medical excuse (doctor’s note on letterhead stationery) or a family emergency such as the death of a family member (letter from a parent with daytime phone number is required) and the excuse must be turned into Dr. Bruce Steinly within two weeks of your absence for you to get credit. If you are unable to attend lab on a particular week, you must contact Dr. Bruce Steinly () immediately to schedule a makeup lab. Labs must be made up during the week they are scheduled. It is your responsibility to make sure you contact Dr. Steinly. Speaking to the TA in charge of your laboratory section is not sufficient; s/he cannot schedule the make-up for you.
A number of the laboratory exercises will be followed by written assignments. Turning in an assignment after the due date will result in loss of credit for each day that the assignment is late. Weekends are not exempt from this rule. Except where otherwise noted, each student will write his or her assignments independently. You must use your own results in laboratory writeups unless instructed to use class data. In order to use your own data, you must be present when the data are collected. The TAs will not accept written work from students who were absent from the lab in which the experiment was conducted. Unexcused absences or failure to contact Dr. Steinly and make up the lab will result in a zero for the assignment for the missed lab.
Course Drop Policy
The last day to drop this course without a grade is Sept 14. A student may withdraw from a full-semester course through the ninth calendar week of the semester (Oct 30). After the end of the ninth week, a student may not withdraw from a course unless a petition is approved by the interdivisional committee of advisers. A copy of this policy is available online at FOR ALL SECTION CHANGES, COURSE ADDS or DROPS see Joni Robinson () in Pearson 212. For any LAB MAKE-UPS, SEE DR. BRUCE STEINLY (; 529-5732; Pearson 108).
“Best practices” guide for BMZ115
In the time that we have been teaching BMZ, we have observed the study habits and work ethics of many students. The following are suggestions that can lead to a successful BMZ experience. You should also use this as a guide to self-evaluate your performance as the semester progresses.
What to do in class:
- Take detailed notes! Do not rely solely on the online handouts. Topics we discuss in class WILL appear on the exam and the better your notes, the better prepared you will be when you study for your exams.
- Be attentive! Listen, think and ask questions if you are confused…it’s most likely others have the same question.
- Use in-class clicker questions as an opportunity to think about the material during class.
What to do out of class:
- Devote a minimum of 9 hours per week (3 hrs/credit) outside of class for BMZ lecture (this does not include time spent on lab), of which approximately half of the time is spent reviewing and studying.
- Complete study guides and reading BEFORE coming to class. Identify concepts you are confused about and come to lecture with questions.
- Review class notes and study guides after each class. Correct any mistakes or missing information on your study guides. Identify concepts you are having trouble with and ask your classmates or professors for help.
- Discuss the material with your classmates and friends. Familiarity with the material is essential for performing well on exams. Be prepared to apply your knowledge on the exam and not just repeat “facts”.
- Contact your professors if you have unanswered questions-either in person or on the Blackboard Blog boards. We want to see you succeed and will help you with any questions you have or if you need advice about how best to study for the exams. Don’t be intimidated by us (we are very nice people)!
Course Schedule
Date / Day / Topic / Chapter Reading(See Study Guides for exact page #) / Instructor
Aug 25 / Tu / Class Intro
Aug 27 / Th / Biology and the Process of Science / Ch 1 / Friedberg
Sept 1 / Tu / We’re Talking about a Revolution: / Ch 23 / Boone
Darwin, Evolution, & Natural Selection
QUIZ
Sept 3 / Th / I’ve Just Gotta Be Me: Origin of Species / Ch 25 / Boone
Sept 8 / Tu / The Joy of Sex: Meiosis & Sexual Life Cycles / Ch 15 / Moore
QUIZ
Sept 10 / Th / The Monk’s Garden: Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance / Ch 16 / Moore
Sept 15 / Tu / Beyond Mendel: Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance / Ch 17 / Moore
QUIZ
Sept 17 / Th / Gametes in Action: Population Genetics / Ch 24 / Boone
Sept 22 / Tu / Exam 1:Scientific Method toPop Genetic
Sept 24 / Th / Study of the House: Intro to Ecology / Ch 54 / Boone
Sept 29 / Tu / It Takes a Village: Population Ecology / Ch 56 / Boone
QUIZ
Oct1 / Th / Getting Together: Community Ecology / Ch 58 / Boone
Oct 6 / Tu / Energy in Action: Ecosystem Ecology / Ch 59 / Boone
QUIZ
Oct 8 / Th / Green Science: Conservation Biology / Ch 60 / Boone
Oct 13 / Tu / The Origin of Life and Its Classification / Ch 22 & 26 / Friedberg
QUIZ
Oct 15 / Th / Bacteria: The Bad Guys / Ch 27 / Friedberg
Oct 20 / Tu / Exam 2: Ecology through Origin of Life
Oct 22 / Th / Bacteria: The Good Guys / Ch 27 / Friedberg
Oct 27 / Tu / What is Archaea? / Ch 27 / Friedberg
QUIZ
Oct 29 / Th / Viruses: Get a Life / Ch 18 / Friedberg
Nov 3 / Tu / Endosymbiosis and The Origin of Eukaryotes / Ch 22 & 28 / Moore
QUIZ
Nov 5 / Th / Protista: The Multi-Faceted Organisms / Ch 28 / Friedberg
Nov 10 / Tu / Fungi: Diversity, Biology, and Importance / Ch 29 / Friedberg
QUIZ
Nov 12 / Th / The Invasion of Land: The Origins of Land Plants / Ch 30 / Moore
Nov 17 / Tu / Exam 3: Bacteria to Origin of Land Plants
Nov 19 / Th / From Spores to Seeds: / Ch 31 / Moore
Mosses, Ferns, and Gymnosperms
Nov 24 / Tu / A Rose by Any Other Name: / Ch 31 & 35 / Moore
Reproduction and Adaptations of Flowering Plants
QUIZ
Nov 26 / Th / No Class Thanksgiving Break
Dec 1 / Tu / Spineless: Multicellularity & Invertebrate Diversity / Ch 32 & 33 / Boone
QUIZ
Dec 3 / Th / Spineless, cont. / Ch 33 / Boone
Dec 8 / Tu / Spinal Tap: Evolution of Chordates / Ch 34 / Boone
QUIZ
Dec 10 / Th / Final Frontier: Major Adaptations in Vertebrates / Ch 34 / Boone
Dec 15 / Final Exam: Spores through Vertebrates & Comprehensive Exam
Exam begins at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, Dec 15.
Note: This syllabus is subject to change. We may assign additional readings throughout the course.