Syllabus for Biodiversity and Ecology (BI 215 and BI 215L), Fall 2011
Course Description: Five hours of combined lecture and laboratory weekly. This course is designed to familiarize students with the classification of organisms within their respective kingdoms, as well as fundamental principles of ecology. This course is not recommended for non-science majors. Prerequisite: Biology 213
General Education Learning Goals: This course addresses the following learning goals included in the Wagner College 2006-2008 Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin:
• an appreciation of different modes of inquiry that aid in the continuing search for knowledge,
understanding, and truth
• competence in scientific reasoning and quantitative analysis.
• knowledge in depth and skill in a scholarly discipline
Course Learning Goals: By the end of this course, successful student should possess or demonstrate:
• knowledge of organismal biology and biodiversity, especially characteristics of higher taxa
• a clear conceptual knowledge of ecological and evolutionary principles.
Meeting Times and Locations: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:40–4:10
Megerle Science Hall Room 402
Instructor: Brian Palestis, Megerle Science Hall, Room 413
Office Hours: MF 11:20-12:20, Tues 2:00-4:00
Required Texts:
Freeman, Scott. 2008. Biological Science. 3rd or 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
van de Graaf, K.M. and J.L. Crawley. 2009. A Photographic Atlas for the Biology Laboratory. 6th ed. Englewood, CO: Morton.
Thain, M. and M. Hickman. 2000. The Penguin Dictionary of Biology. 11th ed. New York: Penguin.
Whitworth, B.T. 1995. Building Your Life Science Vocabulary. Belmont, California: Wadsworth.
Grading:
Exams 60% (20% each)
Quizzes 10%
Homework assignments 10%
Active participation 10%
Lab report 10%
Exams: The final exam is, in part, comprehensive as per departmental policy regarding core courses for the biology major. The two in-class exams include both written and practical components, which will be graded separately. There will be no graded make-up exams except for reasons confirmed by a professional’s note.
Active Participation: Includes attendance, laboratory activity, and participation in class. Prior to leaving the lab, students will be required to check their labeled drawings with the instructor.
Lab report: There is only one formal lab report, which will combine the results of two experiments on intraspecific competition in plants carried out over several weeks. It must follow standard scientific paper format (Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Literature Cited).
Homework assignments: The homework assignments are vocabulary exercises intended to help both with the understanding of terms encountered in the course and with commonly used roots, prefixes and suffixes. Late submission of homework will result in a grade reduction. In no case will homework assignments be accepted after they have been returned. Grading will be as minus (–), check (√), or plus (+). Do not copy from others. This constitutes plagiarism.
Incomplete Grade: A grade of Incomplete will not be given to a student who has not completed at least 70% of the course grade. College policy requires that a grade of Incomplete may not be given unless the work submitted to date is passing for the course. Also, an incomplete grade will be given only for a case where a terminal piece of the course (final examination or laboratory exam) is missing.
Wagner College Honor Code:As a member of the Wagner College Community, you are expected to adhere to the terms of the Wagner College Honor Code. The Honor Code was created and passed by the Student Government Association (SGA) in the spring semester of 2007. Its institution benefits the college in a number of ways including an increased level of trust between students and faculty, the fostering of an environment where we hold each other accountable both inside and outside the classroom, and ultimately, an increase in the value of a Wagner College degree.
A copy of the Wagner College Honor Code can be found in your Student Handbook as well as on the SGA Web Page. It is your responsibility to be aware of and follow the terms of the Honor Code. You will also be expected to sign the Honesty Statement and attach it to every test and paper handed in for this class. If you have any questions regarding the Honor Code, please feel free to contact a member of SGA either by phone (718.390.3276) or by email (sga@wagner.edu).
Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Dina Assante in the Academic Advisement Center, 390-3278, as early as possible in the term. See the Wagner College 2006-2008
Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin or the College web page concerning disability accommodations at:
http://www.wagner.edu/prosstud/ugradstud/dpolicy.html
Freeman Chapters: 3rd ed.
Week 1 (8/29 – 9/2)
Review of natural selection 1.2, 24.3, 24.5
Intro to species interactions Table 53.1
Classical Taxonomy & Cladistics 1.3, 26.1, 27.1, pp. B3-5, Fig 34.40
Lab Dichotomous key, Campus ecology tour
Week 2 (9/5 - 9/9)
September 5, Monday – Labor Day – No Classes
Viruses pp. 769-770
Prokaryotes 28, pp. 120-122, 230, 256
Lab Begin bacteria
Week 3 (9/12 – 9/16)
Endosymbiosis, protists 29, p. 146
Lab Continue bacteria, Begin protists
Week 4 (9/19 - 9/23)
Continue protists
Lab Continue protists
Life cycles pp. 222-223, 248
Week 5 (9/26 – 9/30)
Plants, Plant reproduction 30, 40, pp. 467-470
Lab Plants
Week 6 (10/3 – 10/7)
Exam I (written and practical) Monday 10/3
Lab Species-area curves, Set up long-term experiments pp. 1255-1256
Week 7 (10/10 – 10/14)
October 10-11 (Mon, Tues) Fall Break, no classes
Fungi 31
Lab Fungi
Week 8 (10/17 – 10/21)
Intro to animal development
Invertebrates 32, 33
Lab Begin invertebrates
Week 9 (10/24 – 10/28)
Invertebrates (cont)
Lab Continue invertebrates
Week 10 (10/31 – 11/4)
Vertebrates 34
Lab Chordates
Exam II (written and practical) Wednesday 11/2
Week 11 (11/7 – 11/11)
History of life 27, 34.6, pp. 43-46, 67-68
Lab Fossils, geologic time
Animal behavior 51, pp. 497-498, 520-523
Week 12 (11/14 – 11/18)
Partial lab report due Wednesday 11/16 (Methods, Results)
Introduction to ecology 50
Population ecology 52, p. B10
Lab Mark-recapture
Week 13 (11/21 – 11/25)
Community ecology, conservation biology 53, 55 (skim)
November 23-25 (Wed-Fri) Thanksgiving break, no classes
Week 14 (11/28 – 12/2)
Ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles 54, pp. 627-628, Fig 28.16
Lab Primary productivity
Week 15 (12/5)
Last day of classes, Monday December 5, Lab report due
Review
Field trip to American Museum of Natural History, Tuesday 12/6 (1st reading day)
Final Examination Monday, December 12, 1:40-4:40
Freeman Chapters, 4th ed.
Week 1 (8/29 – 9/2)
Review of natural selection 1.3, 24.3, 24.5
Intro to species interactions pp. 1058-1059, Table 53.2
Classical Taxonomy & Cladistics 1.4, 27.1, pp. 459-460, B4-6
Lab Dichotomous key, Campus ecology tour
Week 2 (9/5 - 9/9)
September 5, Monday – Labor Day – No Classes
Viruses pp. 675-676, 679
Prokaryotes 28 (skim), 7.1, Fig 11.7
Lab Begin bacteria
Week 3 (9/12 – 9/16)
Endosymbiosis, protists 29, p. 127
Lab Continue bacteria, Begin protists
Week 4 (9/19 - 9/23)
Continue protists
Lab Continue protists
Life cycles pp. 215-216
Week 5 (9/26 – 9/30)
Plants, Plant reproduction 30, 40, 23.1
Lab Plants
Week 6 (10/3 – 10/7)
Exam I (written and practical) Monday 10/3
Lab Species-area curves, Set up long-term experiments pp. 1116
Week 7 (10/10 – 10/14)
October 10-11 (Mon, Tues) Fall Break, no classes
Fungi 31
Lab Fungi
Week 8 (10/17 – 10/21)
Intro to animal development
Invertebrates 32, 33
Lab Begin invertebrates
Week 9 (10/24 – 10/28)
Invertebrates (cont)
Lab Continue invertebrates
Week 10 (10/31 – 11/4)
Vertebrates 34
Lab Chordates
Exam II (written and practical) Wednesday 11/2
Week 11 (11/7 – 11/11)
History of life 27 (skim), 3.1, 34.4, pp. 59, 68, 509-510
Lab Fossils, geologic time
Animal behavior 51, pp. 430-431, 452-455
Week 12 (11/14 – 11/18)
Partial lab report due Wednesday 11/16 (Methods, Results)
Introduction to ecology 50
Population ecology 52, p. B9
Lab Mark-recapture
Week 13 (11/21 – 11/25)
Community ecology, conservation biology 53, 55 (skim)
November 23-25 (Wed-Fri) Thanksgiving break, no classes
Week 14 (11/28 – 12/2)
Ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles 54, pp. 510-512, 547
Lab Primary productivity
Week 15 (12/5)
Last day of classes, Monday December 5, Lab report due
Review
Field trip to American Museum of Natural History, Tuesday 12/6 (1st reading day)
Final Examination Monday, December 12, 1:40-4:40
