Fall 2005
(updated: 8/26/05)
Biol
2101: Evolution of Biodiversity
Instructor: Dr. Peter H. Wyckoff
Office: Science 2200
Phone: x6347
E-Mail: wyckoffp@mrs.umn.edu
Web Page: http://cda.mrs.umn.edu/~wyckoffp/
Class: MW 11:45-12:50, Th Labs: 8:00-10:00, 10:30-12:30, 2:00-4:00
Office hours: T 9:00-10:00, 2:00-4:00, W 1:00-2:00
Description
This course is part of the introductory sequence for biology majors. We will study the evolutionary mechanisms that explain how life diversified from one original “species” to the myriad of species on Earth today. We will survey the major groups of organisms on the planet. It will be a good time.
Required Texts
Purves, W., D. Sadava, G. Orians
and H. C. Heller. 2004. Life (7th ed). Sinauer,
Van De Graaff, K and J. Crawley. 2005. A photographic atlas for the biology laboratory. Morton, Englewood, CO.
You also will need a dissecting kit.
You probably already have the word root book and a guide to writing (Pechenik 2004 or an earlier version) from Biol 1101. If so, no need to replace them. If not, then you should consider Knisely (2005), which we are using to replace Pechenik (2004).
Bryson, B. 2003a. The mysterious
biped. From: A short history of
nearly everything. Broadway books,
Bryson, B.
2003b. The mysterious biped.
From: A short history of nearly
everything. Broadway books,
Kerr, Richard. 2005. The story of O2. Science 308: 1730-1732.
Orr, H. 2005. Devolution. The New Yorker 81 (15)—15 May 2005.
Stringer, C. 2003.
Out of
Due Dates
Sept 21 Lecture Exam 1
Sept 26 Paper 1 Due
Sept 29 Lab Quiz 1
Oct 24 Lecture Exam 2
Oct 27 Lab Quiz 2
Nov 9 Paper 2 Due
Nov 17 Lab Quiz 3
Nov 21 Lecture Exam 3
Dec 15 Lab Quiz 3
Dec 15 Paper 3 Due
Dec 21 Final Exam (11:00-1:00)
Lecture schedule
# Date Topic
1. Aug 29 History of Life Chpt. 22, Kerr 2005
Pre-test (ungraded)
2. Aug 31 History of Life (continued) Chpt. 22
Sept 5 Labor
Day—No class
3. Sept 7 Mechanisms of Evolution Chpt. 23
4. Sept 12 Mechanisms of Evolution Chpt. 23, Orr 2005
5. Sept 14 Speciation Chpt. 24
6. Sept 19 Phylogeny and cladistics Chpt 25
7. Sept 21 EXAM
1
8. Sept 26 Molecular Evolution Chpt 26
Short Paper 1 Due
9. Sept 28 Prokaryotes Chpt
27
10. Oct 3 More fun with Prokaryptes Chpt 27
11. Oct 5 Origin of Eukaryotes Chpt 28
12. Oct 10 Protists Chpt 28
13. Oct 12 Protists Chpt 28
14. Oct 19 Plants invade the land Chpt 29
15. Oct 24 EXAM
2
16. Oct 26 Seed plants Chpt 30
17. Oct 31 Flowering Plants Chpt 30
18. Nov 2 Fun with fungi Chpt 31
19. Nov 7 More fungal fun Chpt 31
20. Nov 9 Animals—the basic plan Chpt 32
Short Paper 2 Due
21. Nov 14 Animals: Lophotrochozoans Chpt 32
22. Nov 16 Animals: Fun with coral Chpt 32
23. Nov 21 EXAM
3
24. Nov 23 Animals: Ecdysozoans Chpt 33
25. Nov 28 Animals: Deuterostomes Chpt. 34
26. Nov 30 Animals: Vertebrate Evolution Chpt 34
27. Dec 5 Animals: Fun with Vertebrates
28. Dec 7 Animals:Hominid Evolution Bryson 2003 (a and b), Stringer 2003
29. Dec 12 Wrap-up and review
30. Dec 14 Post-test (ungraded), review
Short Paper 3 Due
in lab on Dec 15
Lab Schedule
1. Sept 1 Studying life in the past
2. Sept 8 Microscopes, cell types, prokaryotes
3. Sept 15 Prokaryotes
4. Sept 22 Protists
5. Sept 29 Quiz 1, Seedless plants
6. Oct 6 Seed plants
7. Oct 13 Flowering plants
8. Oct 20 Fungi
9. Oct 27 Quiz 2, Animals 1
10. Nov 3 Animals 2
11. Nov 10 Animals 3
12. Nov 17 Quiz 3, Animals 4
Nov 24 Thanksgiving—No Lab
13. Dec 1 Animals 5
14. Dec 8 Animals 6
15. Dec 15 Quiz 4, human evolution video
Lab attendance
You cannot make-up labs without an excused absence. My first choice if you miss your lab is for you to attend another section during the same week’s activity. If you absolutely cannot attend a week’s lab activity, alternate assignments will be arranged.
Grades
Participation (including mic assignments) 120 pts
Exams 1-3 (100 pts each) 300 pts
Final Exam 200 pts
Short Papers (3 x 60 pts) 180
Lab Quiz 1-4 (50 pts each) 200 pts
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Total 1000 pts
At worst: A = 90-100%; B = 80-90%; C = 70-80%; D = 60-70%; F
< 60%.
I may curve up, but I will not curve down.
Grade expectations
Satisfactory work demonstrating a simple, but largely complete, grasp of the course material will receive a “C.” An “A” or a “B” requires you to demonstrate more thought and sensitivity to nuance.
Partial credit on problems and calculations will only be given if you show your work. If I explicitly ask you to show your work on a homework or exam problem, then a mere answer is not enough (even a correct answer)—you must show me how you reached your answer.
On average, this course should require 12 hours a week of work (4 credits* 3 hours a week per credit). That means that you should expect to work an average of 8 hours a week outside of class. If the work associated with this class appears to be either too light or excessive, please let me know.
Policy on incomplete grades
In accordance with University policy, incomplete grades will only be awarded under extraordinary circumstances. Normally, I will only consider awarding an incomplete in cases where illness or family emergency prevent a student from completing the last assignments in a course (end of the semester projects, final exams, etc.). You can only be eligible for an incomplete if your average on all graded, completed work is greater than an F.
Attendance policy
Lecture attendance is not mandatory, but I will take attendance and deduct 5 participation points for each unexcused absence. Tests will be based primarily on material covered in class. Fifteen points will be deducted for each unexcused lab absence.
Excused absences will be granted for family emergencies,
illness, varsity athletic events, and other official university functions. Written documentation for excused absences
must be submitted and can be obtained from health services or chancellor’s
office.
Late work policy
Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due (though they will not be counted as late if in by 5:00). Late assignments lose 20% of their value for each day or portion of a day they are late (not counting weekends). For example, if an assignment is due on a Friday, and you turn it in Tuesday, the assignment is 2 days late and thus only worth 60% of its original value.
Policy on Academic Honesty
I have no tolerance for cheating or plagiarism. Any paper, assignment or examination showing signs of academic dishonesty will be investigated. If I suspect dishonesty, I will notify the student that we must meet to discuss the matter. Failure to respond to a request for such a meeting will be taken as an admission of guilt. The standard penalty for dishonesty will be a grade of “0” on the assignment in question. In egregious cases, I will give an “F” for the course grade. In accordance with University policy, I will report any penalties levied to the vice chancellor for student affairs. Penalized students then have the right to appeal.
Any work submitted by a student must be written in his or her own words (i.e. you cannot simply copy or paraphrase textbooks, other written sources, or work submitted by other students). In the case of group work submitted with multiple names, I will assume that all have contributed equally. For homework and problem sets, I encourage students to work together, but that cannot mean that one student simply copies from another.
I encourage you to save paper by printing typed assignments on the back of previously used paper. If you do this, I ask that you draw an “X” through the side I don’t need to read. Alternatively, print your assignments on both sides of fresh paper. Spreadsheets and graphs can be sent to me via e-mail, and if possible, I will refrain from printing them at all.
Extra credit policy
I may periodically offer extra credit as an incentive to participate in activities that are related to class, but not otherwise required—public lectures, service projects, etc. Extra credit cannot be used to raise your final course grade more than one step—i.e. a C- to a C or a B+ to an A-. Thus, any extra credit earned beyond 40-50 points will enrich your soul, but cannot enrich your grade.
Disability Accommodations
I will make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities or special needs upon request.