Biodiversity and Ecology
Brian Palestis, Ph.D. and Donald Stearns, Ph.D.
Spring 2008
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:
• a general knowledge of organismal biology and biodiversity.
• a clear conceptual knowledge of ecological and evolutionary principles.
Meeting Times and Locations: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:20–6:50 pm
Spiro Hall Room 27 and Megerle Science Building Room 405
Instructor: Brian Palestis, Ph.D., Megerle Science Building, Room 413
Office Hours: Mon, Wed 2:30-3:30; Tues 2:00-4:00
Office Phone: (718) 390-3237; on campus dial 3237
E-mail: bpalesti@wagner.edu
Donald E. Stearns, Ph.D., Megerle Science Building, Room 410
Office Hours: Mon 2:00-4:00, Thurs 9:00-11:00 and by appointment
Office Phone: (718) 390-3197; on campus dial 3197
Home Phone: (856) 667-0486 E-mail: dstearns@wagner.edu
Faculty Secretary (Ms. Stephanie Rollizo): (718) 390-3103; on campus dial 3103
Required Texts:
Freeman, Scott. 2005. Biological Science. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
van de Graaf, K.M. and J.L. Crawley. 2005. A Photographic Atlas for the Biology Laboratory. 5th 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 and Participation:
Exams I and II (written + lab practical): 20% each
Final exam (oral): 20%
Quizzes 10%
Homework assignments 10%
Active participation 10%
Lab report 10%
Exams and Quizzes: The final lecture exam will be oral, and the other two will be written and will be given with lab practical exams. The final exam is, in part, comprehensive as per departmental policy regarding core courses for the biology major. Quizzes will generally be announced, but we reserve the right to give surprise quizzes, if deemed necessary.
There will be no graded make-up exams except for reasons confirmed by a professional’s note, including address and phone number to allow verification by the instructor. An absence remains unexcused until verified. An unexcused absence from an exam will earn a grade of zero.
Active Participation: Includes attendance, laboratory assignments, and participation in discussions. Participation points will be lost for poor attendance, meager discussion, late arrivals, and missed appointments without giving timely notice to the instructor. Students are expected to attend all classes and are responsible for all announcements made in class. Student attendance will be taken at the end of each class. Prior to leaving the lab, students will be required to check their completed lab assignment with the instructor.
Lab report: There is only one formal lab report, which will combine the results of two experiments carried out over several weeks (Chlorella population dynamics and intraspecific plant competition). It must follow standard scientific paper format (Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Literature Cited).
Homework assignments: 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. Students are expected to contact an instructor within 24 hours if an exam is missed and discuss the time period for making up the exam.
General Information Regarding Each Student’s Active Involvement in His/Her Education: True understanding comes from discussion, questioning, and seeking of clarification whenever and wherever the confusion occurs. It is not a process of blind memorization of information presented in a text or classroom lecture. For this reason, you are encouraged to discuss any relevant issue with others, including the instructors, parents, other students and faculty – anyone who can offer you insight. Do not forget to use the library and internet sources in this regard. You are expected to take personal responsibility and an active role in clearing up any confusion that limits your understanding. This includes revisiting material from previous course work that may not have been mastered or which may have been forgotten.
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
Electronic Devices: All cell phones and beepers must be turned off during lectures and laboratory exercises.
If a Student Has Concerns Regarding Any Aspect of This Course: If you have any concerns regarding any aspect of this course, please take those concerns directly to one of the instructors in a timely fashion in a private conversation, so that we can consider your concerns and address them in a manner that is consistent with college and course policies. If you feel uncomfortable dealing with us directly, please bring the issue to the Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, along with documentation supporting your concerns. If the instructor for your course is the department chair (Dr. Palestis is the chair), please bring the issue to the Dean of the College, along with documentation supporting your concerns.
Freeman Chapters: 2nd ed.
Week 1 (1/22 – 1/25; drop/add period through January 28)
Introduction
Review of natural selection 1.2, 23.2, pp. 510-511, 521-523
Intro to species interactions pp. 1214-1215
Week 2 (1/28 - 2/1)
Classical Taxonomy & Cladistics 1.3, pp. 540-541, 556-559, Box 28.1
Lab Dichotomous key
Viruses, prokaryotes 27 (skim), pp. 128-131, 780-781
Lab Begin bacteria
Week 3 (2/4 – 2/8)
Endosymbiosis, protists 28, pp. 661-663
Lab Continue bacteria, Begin protists
Week 4 (2/11 - 2/15)
Continue protists
Lab Continue protists
Week 5 (2/18 – 2/22)
Life cycles p. 263
Plants, Plant reproduction 29, 40
Lab Plants
Week 6 (2/25 – 2/29; Monday last day to declare pass/fail option)
Exam I (lecture and lab) Monday 2/25
Fungi 30
Lab Fungi
Week 7 (3/3 – 3/7)
Origins of multicellularity in animals, intro to development
Invertebrates 31, 32
Lab Begin invertebrates
Week 8 (3/10 – 3/14)
Invertebrates (cont)
Lab Continue invertebrates
Week 9 (3/17 – 3/21; Spring Break, no classes)
Week 10 (3/24 – 3/28; Easter Monday, no classes; Monday class schedule for Tuesday)
Vertebrates 33
Lab Chordates, Set up long-term experiments
Week 11 (3/31 – 4/4)
Exam II (lecture and lab) Monday 3/31
History of life 26, pp. 15, 20-23, 46-49, 74-75, 586
Lab Fossils, geologic time
Week 12 (4/7 – 4/11; Tuesday deadline to withdraw from a course)
Animal behavior 51, pp. 523-527
Introduction to ecology 50
Week 13 (4/14 – 4/18)
Population ecology 52
Community ecology, conservation biology 53, 55 (skim)
Lab Mark-recapture
Week 14 (4/21 – 4/25; Monday Passover, no classes; Monday class schedule for Wednesday)
Lab Campus ecology tour, Species-area curves
Week 15 (4/28 –5/2, Last day of classes Wednesday, April 30)
Ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles 54, pp. 675-677, 586-588
Lab Primary productivity
Lab report due Wednesday 4/30
Field trip to American Museum of Natural History, Friday 5/2 (2nd reading day)
Oral final exam during finals week (May 5-9), times by appointment
