Course Syllabus
Topics in Biology: Plant Evolution
Biology 404 01
Fall Semester, 2009
Time: TTR, 2:00-3:20 pm
Place: Wren Building, Room 200.
Instructor: Eric Engstrom
Reconstruction of a carboniferous era swamp.
Integrated Science Center, Room 3049
Phone: 221-1994
E-mail: [email protected]
From Biology of Plants, 7th ed.
Enrollment: Limited to 16 students.
Prerequisites: BIO 205 and BIO 206
Course Overview: This is a primary literature/discussion based seminar course, focusing on advances
in understanding plant evolution using the toolkits of developmental biology, paleontology, systematics,
comparative anatomy, and comparative genomics. Plants currently constitute greater than 90% of terrestrial biomass, and constitute the energetic basis of terrestrial ecosystems, but the transition of photosynthetic eukaryotes to terrestrial environments is a relatively recent event in the history of the earth. This
course will focus upon both contemporary advances in our understanding of the history of terrestrial
plants, as well as consideration of significant historical papers. Specific topics may include identifying
the closest algal relatives of land plants, generating the land plant family tree, the evolution of leaves, the
evolution of the seed, the evolution of hormone signaling pathways, the origin of angiosperms, the evolution of C4 photosynthesis, and domestication.
Course Objectives:
Students will be familiar with the major terrestrial plant lineages and evidence for our current understanding of their phylogenetic relationships.
Students will be familiar with many of the significant biochemical, cellular and morphological innovations of terrestrial plants along with major models for their evolution.
Students will develop proficiency in reading and evaluating the primary scientific literature.
Students will develop proficiency in presenting scientific findings.
Students will continue to develop skills in writing in biology.
Students will continue to develop skills in formulating testable scientific hypotheses.
Reading and Texts: Although this is a primary literature driven course, we will make use of Paleobotanty: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants 2nd Ed. (2009, Academic Press), and The Origin and
Early Diversification of Land Plants: A Cladistic Study (1997, Smithsonian). Purchase of either book is
not required.
The course also focuses on development of writing and presentation skills. You may wish to purchase a
copy of A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology 3rd Ed., by Karin Kinsely (2009, Sinauer), or Writing
for Science by Robert Goldbort (2006, Yale University Press). These are not available at the bookstore
but can be purchased from Amazon. Both provide a reference for scientific English usage, preparing
grant proposals, delivering presentations, preparing posters, and other useful things that you might find
yourself doing a bit of in the present and future. Writing for Science is the more weighty and rigorous of
the two, while A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology gives specific information on using Microsoft
software.
Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on the basis of:
Review Paper--30% of final grade. Students will prepare an original review paper focusing on a specific
outstanding question in plant evolution. 5,000 word limit, excluding references and figures. Students
should submit a paper topic for approval no later than September 24th. An outline of the paper, including
a minimum of five references, is due on October 29th. Final draft of the paper is due on December 3rd.
Late papers will not be accepted for credit. I will be happy to read and comment on drafts submitted in
advance of the deadline. If you plan to use this assignment to fulfill the Biology 300 writing requirement,
please notify me when you submit your paper topic for approval.
Class Presentation(s)--30% of final grade. Students will lead a class discussion on a selected topic in
plant evolution, presenting a paper(s) of their own selection from the primary literature. Review papers
are not suitable for student-led presentations. Selected paper(s) must be approved by myself and posted
on the course Blackboard site no later than one week before the presentation is delivered. Presentations
should utilize PowerPoint™ Keynote™, or equivalent presentation software. Sign-ups for a specific topic
and date will take place on the door to my office following the first class session. Guidelines for paper
presentations and leading discussions will be handed out on the first day of class and posted on the
Blackboard site. All students must have a hard copy of the paper being presented with them in class on
the day of the presentation. On the day of your presentation, plan to spend 10 min after class and I will
give you feedback on your presentation then. If you can’t stay late after class, please let me know and we
will arrange an alternative meeting time in my office.
Paper Synopses--10% of final grade. For each individual-led paper presentation, each student will prepare a brief outline of the major question(s) addressed, the key experiments performed, the principle research conclusions, strengths and limitations of the paper, and future directions. A template for paper
synopses will be posted on the BlackBoard site. This exercise is intended to develop student’s skills in
evaluating the biological literature.
Paper Abstracts--15% of final grade. For each group discussion, students will compose an abstract
summarizing the background, experimental strategy, results, and conclusions from the paper(s) we will be
discussing. Abstracts should not exceed 150 words per paper described. This exercise is intended to develop student’s skills in scientific writing.
Class Participation--15% of final grade. Class participation is principally weighted on the basis of your
contribution to class discussions. All students are expected to regularly participate in discussions and ask
questions during presentations at a level that reflects careful reading of assigned papers. Regular attendance is also required for full class participation credit. The final component of the class participation
grade will be written critiques of at least four presentations. Critiques are informal, consisting of notes
taken during the presentation, highlighting your impression of the strengths and weaknesses of the presentation, with specific suggestions where appropriate. A legible copy should be turned in to myself and I
will forward critiques to the presenter.
Schedule:
August 27th--Course overview/Why study plant evolution?/Bowman et al review
September 1st--The KNOX/ARP Pathway-Lecture/Paper writing guidelines.
September 3rd--Early plant fossils -Group discussion//How to read a scientific paper.
September 8th--Life-cycle regulation in Chlamydomonas-Engstrom presents.
September 10th--Moss Knox orthologs-Group discussion/Presentation guidelines.
September 15th--Knox orthologs-David Reed.
September 17th--The lycophyte meristem-Group discussion.
September 22nd--The Moss and Selaginella genomes-Group discussion.
September 24th--Class III HD-Zip Genes-Lecture and group discussion/Paper topics due.
September 29th--Class III HD-Zip Gene Orthologs-Maggie Spriggs.
October 1st--Auxin-Lecture and group discussion.
October 6th--Evolution of auxin signaling-Bryan Neva.
October 8th--Evolution of auxin signaling-Carolyn Ayers.
October 13th--Fall break.
October 15th--Gibberellin signaling-Lecture and group discussion.
October 20th--Evolution of gibberellin signaling-Jeff Hollomon.
October 22nd--Evolution of roots-Sarah Cannon.
October 27th--The closest algal relatives of land plants-Darlin Kulla.
October 29th--The ancestor of flowering plants-Roger Hsu/Paper outlines due.
November 3rd--The evolution of the female gametophyte-Gabe Guzman.
November 5th--Building a gene tree-Group exercise.
November 10th--Fossil flowers-Group discussion and video.
November 12th--MADS gene orthologs-Carl Andersen.
November 17th--Field excursion-Diversity in the College Woods.
November 19th--Evolution of C4 photosynthesis-Group discussion.
November 24th--Evolution of C4 photosynthesis-Group discussion.
November 26th--Thanksgiving holiday.
December 1st--Crop domestication-Brynn Hollingsworth.
December 3rd--How to write a grant proposal-Lecture and group discussion/Papers due.
Last Updated 9/11/09