BIOL1150-005
GeneralBiologyII
Evolution,Diversity,andEcology
CSUStanislaus,Spring2016
I.GeneralInformation
Time:TR12:30-1:45
Location:C102
Instructor:Dr.MatthewR.Cover,AssociateProfessor,DepartmentofBiologicalSciences
OfficeHours:Tuesday11:00-12:00,Thursday9:00-10:30;inmyoffice(roomN273)
Email:[email protected]
Thebestwaytocommunicatewithmeistocometomyofficehours.Thesecondbestwayisemail;I
usuallyrespondtosimplequestionswithin48hours.Important:Pleasewrite“BIOL1150”inthesubject
line,andincludeyourfullnameandstudentIDintheemail;otherwiseImightmissyouremail.Also,note
thatverycomplicatedquestionsarebestansweredinperson-Imayreplytoyouremailandaskyouto
speakwithmeinperson.
PersonalWebsite:http://www.matthewrcover.com(learnabitaboutmyresearch)
Twitter:https://twitter.com/matthewrcover(biology,environmentalscience,climate,andteaching)
Abouttheinstructor:IhavespentmywholelifeinNorthernCalifornia.IncollegeIdecidedtomajorin
EarthScience,probablybecauseIenjoyedrunningandbikingupanddownhillsandwasfascinatedby
mountainlandscapes.Iworkedforseveralyearsatastategovernmentagencydoingwaterquality
monitoringinstreamsandrivers,whichgotmeinterestedinaquaticbiology.Idecidedthattoadvancein
mycareerIneededtolearnbiology,soIwentbacktogradschoolatU.C.BerkeleyandgotmyPhDin
EnvironmentalScience.AlongthewayIrealizedIreallyenjoyedteaching,soafterfinishinggradschoolI
wasluckytogetajobteachingbiologyhereatCSUStanislausin2008.ForfunIenjoyspendingtimewith
myfamilyandfriends(especiallywhenthereisfoodanddrinkinvolved),listeningtomusic,andwalking
mydog.Luckilyoneofmyfavoriteactivitiesisalsopartofmyjob:Ireallyenjoyexploringriverand
streamecosystemsandstudyingthespeciesthatlivethere.
II.CourseDescription
Introductiontothefundamentalaspectsoforganismalbiology:evolution,diversity,andecology.
BIOL1150isthesecondsemesterofthetwo-semestergeneralbiologysequenceatCSUStanislaus.The
lectureandlaboratoryportionsofthecoursemustbetakenatthesametime-itisnotpossibletotakethe
laborlectureseparately,evenifyouhavepassedoneortheotheraprevioussemester.Whichlabsection
areyouenrolledin?
BIOL1150-00____ Day_________ Time___________________
Instructor___________________________
Enrollmentchanges(i.e.,addingthecourse)willbedonebythelabinstructor.Inotherwords,ifyoucan
addalabsectionthenyouwillbeenrolledinthelecturesectionaswell.Therearenolabsthefirstweek
ofclasses;labsbeginonFebruary1.Makesureyouattendthefirstlabsectionoryouwillbedropped!
Thiscourseisdesignedspecificallyforbiologymajors,aswellasothersciencemajorswhowanta
comprehensiveintroductiontobiology.AllstudentsenrolledinBIOL1150musthavereceivedaC-or
betterin1050;studentswithoutaC-orbettergradewillbedis-enrolled.Toreceivecreditfortheone
1
yearbiologysequence,youmusttakebothBiology1050andBiology1150atCSUStanislaus,ortransfer
thecomplete,equivalentoneyearmajorsseriesfromanotherinstitution.
TheGeneralBiologyIIcourseisdesignedtoprovidestudentswithknowledgeaboutorganismalbiology.
Wedividethelectureandlabcourseintothreemaincomponents:
1. Evolution:bywhatprocessesdolineageschangeintheirgenotypeandphenotypeovertime?
2. Diversity:whatarethemajorgroupsoflifeonearth?Howdoweclassifyanddescribethese
groups?
3. Ecology:howdospeciesinteractwitheachotherandwiththeenvironment?Whatfactorsaffect
whetherornotaspecieswillsurviveinacertainregion?Howdoecosystemschangeovertime?
Themajorgoalsofthiscourseareforyoutodevelopanappreciationofthediversityoflifeonearth,and
understandhowthesegroupscameaboutandarerelatedtoeachother(evolution)andhowtheypersist
andinteractintheirenvironment(ecology).
“Thebeginningofwisdomiscallingthingsbytheirrightnames.”
ChineseProverb
“Nothinginbiologymakessenseexceptinthelightofevolution.”
TheodosiusDobzhansky
III.StudentLearningObjectives
Ourgoalinthisclassisnottocovereverytopicinbiology.Thisisanimpossibletaskinalifetime,let
aloneaone-semesterclass!Instead,wewillfocusonthemostimportantconceptsinorganismalbiology
andonimprovingourskillstothinkandactlikescientists.Iwouldbesupremelyhappyifallofyouleave
thisclasswithanincreasedlevelofwonderaboutthenaturalworldandanincreasedpassionforasking
questionsandfindinganswersusingthescientificprocess.
Ifwesucceedinourobjectives,whatwillyougainfromthisclass?
1. Youwillbeabletointerpretandcreatephylogentictreesandunderstandhowtheydescribe
hypothesesabouttheevolutionaryrelationships(evolution).
2. Youwillbeabletodescribethebasicbiology(lifecycles,morphology,ecology,andevolutionary
history)ofthemajorgroupsoflifeonearth(diversity).
3. Youwillbeabletoidentifyecologicalprocessesacrossarangeofscales(organism,population,
community,ecosystem,landscape,global)(ecology).
4. Youwillcultivatescientifichabitatsofmind,applythesewaysofthinkingtoyourownbiological
investigations,andeffectivelycommunicateusingtheseapproaces(U-ABC-IT):UseEvidence,Ask
Questions,BeSkeptical,CultivateWonder,IdentifyConfusions,ThinkLikeaBiologist.
IV.LearningEnvironmentandResponsibilities
MyTeachingPhilosophyandResponsibilities
• Istrivetofostera“student-centeredclassroom.”Whatdoesthismean?Itmeansthenumberone
reasonIamhereistohelpeachandeveryoneofyoubecomeoutstandingscientistsandto
developasfullyactualizedhumanbeings.Iamconcernedaboutthesuccessofeverystudentinmy
class.
• Astudent-centeredclassroomis:
• Interactive:ineveryclasssessionIwillaskyoutodiscussideaswithyourneighborsand
writedownyourownideas;
• Inquiry-driven:oncewe’velearnedconceptswewillapplyourknowledgetotrytoanswer
questionsusingthescientificmethod;
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Cooperative:youwillworkcloselywithyourpeerstoinsurewearelearningandgrowing;
Relevant:wewillidentifyhoweverytopicweexamineinthisclassisconnectedwiththe
everydayworldallaroundus
Istrivetogiveyoufrequentandhelpfulfeedbackonyourprogress,andgiveyouadviceabouthow
toimproveyourknowledgeandskillsasascientist.
Iwillstrivetomakeourclassasinterestingaspossible,maybeevenfunorhumorous.
Iwillhelpyouprepareforexamsbygivingyou‘signposts’alongthewaytofocusyourstudy.
Iwillanswerquestionsrespectfullyandwillbeginandendclassontime.
Iwillbefairtoallstudents.
Iwillseekfeedbackfromstudentsaboutthecourseandmyteaching,andalwaystrytoimprove
thelearningenvironment.
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YourResponsibilitiesasaStudent
• Activelyparticipateinclassdiscussions,groupactivities,andpeer-peerteaching.
• Helpmakeourclassroomawelcomingenvironment:sayhello,formstudygroups,sharenotes,
offerassistance,etc.Someofusmaybeverycomfortablewiththesesocialaspectsoflearning.
Someofusmaybeoutsideofourcomfortzonewhenweinteract.
• Cometoclasshavingcompletedthereadingsandassignments.
• Engageinbiologytopicsoutsideofclassbyexploringthewideworldofbiologyintherealworld
andthroughmedia;discussingbiologyconceptswithyourclassmates,otherstudents,andfriends;
andthinkingdeeplyaboutwhatevolution,diversity,andecologymeanforhowwe,ashumans,
liveintheworld.
• Communicateyourconcernsandquestionsaboutthecoursetotheinstructor.Iamheretohelp
you.Therearenosillyquestionsorworries.Anyissuesthatarepreventingyoufromsucceeding
areimportant;Iwilltakethemseriouslyanddomybesttohelp.
• Seekoutotherresourcestohelpyousucceedandstayhealthy.Manyservicesareofferedbythe
university,includingone-on-onetutoringatthelibrary[http://www.csustan.edu/tutoring]andin
theCVMSAcommonsonthefirstfloorofNaraghiHall.Additionally,theuniversityoffersexcellent
counselingservices[http://www.csustan.edu/counseling]inMSR210andhealthservices
[http://www.csustan.edu/health-center].
• Maintainyouracademicintegrity.Yourintegrityisyourmostvaluableassetinyouracademicand
professionalcareer.Itismorevaluablethananygrade.Yourintegrityreflectsyourownmoral
characterandsenseofself.Please,resistanytemptationto“borrow”theworkandideasof
someoneelse.Allofuscanbenefittoreviewhowwedefineplagiarisminanacademicsetting
[https://www.csustan.edu/grow/academic-integrity-plagiarism].Theconsequencesofplagiarism
areserious,andincludereceivinganautomaticFgradeinthecourse.Inordertoupholdstandards
ofhighacademicintegrity,IreservetherighttoaskastudentIsuspectofcheatingtotakea
second,differentexamonthematerial.
• Takeexamsandturninassignmentsonthescheduleddaysandtimes.Ifyouhavealegitimate
excuse,youneedtocontactmepriortotheduedateorexamdateinordertoarrangeanalternate
scenarioforcompletingthework.Ifanemergencypreventsyoufromattendingclass,youneedto
contactmeassoonaspossibleandprovideevidenceoftheemergency.
• Respecttherightsandhumanityofeveryoneintheclass.Itisimportantthatweareconscientious
ofourownactionsandthepotentialtodisturbotherswhoaretryingtolearn.Let’sdiscusssome
groundrules:
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V.RequiredCourseMaterials
1.CampbellBiology10thedition
• YoushouldhavethisbookfromtakingBIOL1050.Ifyouhavethe9theditionitwillbefinetoo,
althoughafewminorthingswillbedifferent.
• Itisavailableinmanyformats,butIhighlyrecommendtheloose-leafthree-hole-punchedversion
soyoucanbringjustthechaptersyouarereadingwithyoutoclass.
• Thisbookisthestandardbiologytextbookusedincollegesaroundthecountry.Itiseasytoread,
hasgreatfigures,andhasgoodonlineresources.
2.i>clicker
• Wewillusethei>clickersystemasawaytotakepollsandpracticemultiplechoicequestions
duringlecture.Thereareseveraltypesofi<clickersavailable(originali<clicker,i<clicker+,
i<clicker2).Anytypeofi<clickerwillworkfine.Youwillneedtoregisteryouri<clickeratthis
website:https://www1.iclicker.com/register-clicker/
3.3x5indexcardsandpen/pencil.
• Purchaseandbringtoclassapackofwhite3x5indexcards.DuringmanyclassperiodsIwillask
youtowritedownyourresponsestoquestionsandturninyourcardattheendofclass.
• PutyournameandSIDatthetoprighthandcornerofthecard.
• Ifyourhandwritingisdifficulttoread,pleasemakeaspecialefforttowriteasclearlyasyoucan.
4.Blackboardcoursewebsite
• YouwillneedtohavereliableaccesstotheinternetinordertoaccesstheBlackboardcourse
website.
• Wewillmakeuseofblackboardfordiscussionboards,weblinkstovideosandotherextra
information,andannouncements.
5.Email
• Iwillperiodicallysendoutupdatesandremindersviaemail.Itisimportantthatyouregularly
checkyourcsustanemailaddress,atleastonceperday,orsetupautomaticemailforwardingto
anotheremailaccountyoucheckmorefrequently.Thisiseasytodobysigningintoyourcsustan
emailat:https://www.csustan.edu/StudentEmail/andclickingon“Settings.”
VI.AssessmentofLearningOutcomes
Gradeswillbebasedonexams,in-classassignments(indexcardsandi<clickerquestions),an
independentresearchproject,andafinalcoursereflectionpaper.Yourlecturegradewillmakeup2/3of
youroverallgradefortheBIOL1150course,whileyourlabgrademakesuptheoriginal1/3ofyourtotal
grade.Note:Pointsfromlabmaynotbe1:1equivalenttopointsforthelectureportionofthecourse;
nevertheless,yourlabgradewillstillbeworth33.33%ofthetotal.
Exams(4x100pts) 400pts
In-classAssignments(~5pts/day)
150pts
IndependentResearchProject
100pts
FinalCourseReflection
50pts
TOTAL
700pts.
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Exams
Themostpracticalwaytoassessyourunderstandingoftheconceptscoveredinthecourseisthrough
objectiveexams.Therewillbe4examsatregularintervalscoveringspecifictopics.Theseexamswill
includeamixofshortanswerandmultiple-choicequestions.Youdonotneedascantronorbluebook.
In-ClassAssignments
EverydayduringclassIwillaskyoutorespondtoi>clickerquestionsand/orwriteyourthoughtsonan
indexcard,whichyouwillturninattheendofclass.i>clickerquestionswillbegradedbasedon1point
foracorrectanswerand0.75pointforanincorrectanswer.InmostcasesIwillencouragediscussionof
thequestionwithyourneighborsbeforesubmittingyourresponse.
Theprocessofwritingdownyourthoughtsandideasandansweringquestionswillhelpyoulearnthe
materialmuchbetterthanlistening.Inadditiontoreadingyourresponsesandgivingcreditfor
participation,Imayalsoassignscores.Itismostimportanttomethatyoutakeadvantageofthese
opportunitiestothinkandwrite,andthatyoumakeuseofclasstimetodoyourbestwork.Short,poorly
thought-out,orpoorlypreparedresponseswillnotreceivefullcredit.
IndependentProject
Itisimportantthatwegainpracticeinbothlearningscienceaswellaslearningtodoscience.Overthe
courseofthesemesterIwantyoutoperformyourownindependentproject,whichyouwillpresent
duringthelastweekofthesemester.Theprojectwillinvolveobservationsandstudyofoneormore
naturalecosystems.Youwillthenmakeaposterthatdetailsyourobservationsanddescribeshowyour
observationsarerelatedtotheconceptswecoverinthisclass(evolution,diversity,ecology).
FinalCourseReflectionPaper
Yourfinalassignmentinthiscoursewillbeashortessayinwhichyoureflectuponwhatyouhave
learnedandyourexperienceinthecourse.
Onefinalquote:
“Mankindhasgoneveryfarintoanartificialworldofhisowncreation.Hehassoughttoinsulatehimself,in
hiscitiesofsteelandconcrete,fromtherealitiesofearthandwaterandthegrowingseed.Intoxicatedwitha
senseofhisownpower,heseemstobegoingfartherandfartherintomoreexperimentsforthedestruction
ofhimselfandhisworld.ThereiscertainlynosingleremedyforthisconditionandIamofferingnopanacea.
Butitseemsreasonabletobelieve—andIdobelieve—thatthemoreclearlywecanfocusourattentionon
thewondersandrealitiesoftheuniverseaboutusthelesstasteweshallhaveforthedestructionofourrace.
Wonderandhumilityarewholesomeemotions,andtheydonotexistsidebysidewithalustfordestruction.
-RachelCarson,speechacceptingtheJohnBurroughsMedal(April1952)
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