BIOLOGY 150A – MODERN BIOLOGY
Fall 2011
Department of Biology, University of Victoria
Course Description
We welcome you to this interesting introduction to biological science, emphasizing the
diversity of living organisms and the evolutionary and ecological principles underlying
this diversity. Topics include the history of life on earth, genetics, mechanisms of
evolution, biological diversity of living organisms and the ecology of populations,
communities and ecosystems, including human ecology.
Biology can be more challenging than you might think at first, but for sure it is very
fascinating and the more you know and understand the more interesting biology gets! We
put all our efforts and experience in this class to explain basic principles of life to you!
Instructors
 Dr. Donna Ogden (Evolution and Genetics),
Office: Biology Reading Room, Second floor Cunningham Bldg.
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: Tuesday & Wednesday 12-1 pm or by appointment.

Dr.Barbara Ehlting (Diversity and Ecology),
Office: 005 Petch, phone: 250 472 4066
Email: [email protected].
Office hours: Mondays & Thursdays 10-11 am, or by appointment. If you cannot
make these times, or if you have an urgent matter to discuss, you can arrange an
appointment by phone or email, or just drop by my office. I have an open-door office
policy.
Dr. Ehlting will also serve as the course coordinator, so you should come to her if you
have a matter to discuss that is not directly related to the material being covered in
class.
Emails: If you send an email, please put "Biology 150A" in the message line, and
include in the text your first and last name, and your student ID. We are also please
ask you to consult this outline and UVic calendar first to find answers for your
questions.
Lectures
 Section A01: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM, Engineering
Comp Science Bldg 123
 Section A02: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM, Fraser 159
Required Text
Biology 150A
Course Outline
Page 2
The text is Biology – Concepts and Connections, Seventh Edition, by Campbell, Reece,
Taylor, Simon and Dickey. It is available in the bookstore. We do not recommend that
you use a previous edition of the text for this course.
This text will also be used in Biology 150B.
Class Conduct
We would like to remind students that talking in class is disruptive to students sitting
nearby and to the flow of the class as a whole. We ask that you be mindful of this and
treat the people around you with respect by keeping in-class noise to a minimum.
We also request that you turn off your cell phone during class, do not text message during
class, and do not surf on your laptop during class. All of these are annoying and
discourteous to people around you and to the instructor of the class.
Online Material
This course has a Moodle website.
Dr. Ehlting will upload the lecture slides before each lecture. Please bring them to the
class and fill in the gaps and add comments during the lecture.
In order to access the moodle website, you will need a UVic NetLink-ID. If you do not
have one already, you can apply for one at http://netlink.uvic.ca/. In order to log in to
moodle, go to http://moodle.uvic.ca/
Evaluation
Term Test 1 (Tuesday, October 4)
Term Test 2 (Friday, October 28)
Final Exam (exam period)
25%
25% (not cumulative)
50% (cumulative)
The term tests and the final exam will be multiple choice.
Term Tests and Final Exam
Students are required to write the term tests in the course section in which they are
formally registered. Exceptions to this rule can be made, however, if you have a good
reason; please see the instructor before the test if you wish to write in another section.
You must be able to produce your UVic student identification card during the term tests
and final exam.
No electronic devices will be permitted during the term tests and final exam.
During the term tests and the final exam, we cannot answer any clarification questions.
Use your own knowledge, judgment and common sense to get through questions with
which you have difficulty. Bear in mind that you will be asked to choose the best answer
for any given question; there might be more than one correct answer, but only one will be
the best. However, if you believe that a test question or exam question is defective (no
Biology 150A
Course Outline
Page 3
correct answer, more than one equally correct answer), please bring your concerns to the
attention of the instructor as soon as possible after the test or exam. We will consider
dropping the question if we agree with your opinion.
The term tests cannot be written early, deferred or re-written. If you must miss a term test
for a valid reason – illness, accident, family crisis, or commitments as a UVic athlete –
you must notify the course coordinator (BE) as soon as possible and provide suitable
documentation, such as a doctor’s note or counselor’s note. If you are excused from a
missed term test, the course coordinator will inform you as to how your final course mark
will be calculated; you will not incur any penalty.
The final exam will be cumulative in content, with emphasis on material covered since
the second term test.
If you fall ill during a term test or the final exam and are not able to continue, please turn
in your paper to the invigilator. If you do continue to write while you feel unwell, the
mark you get on the test or exam will stand.
Travel plans are not a valid reason for missing a test or the final exam, even if the
plans have been made and tickets purchased for you without your knowledge. The date
for the Biology 150A final exam will not be known until the final exam schedule is
posted in October. The last day for final exams this term is Monday, December 20. You
are safe to make travel arrangements for after that date.
The final exam cannot be written early under any circumstances. However, it can be
deferred in cases of illness, accident, family crisis, or commitments as a UVic athlete. If
you miss or expect to miss the final exam for any of these reasons, please notify the
course coordinator (BE) as soon as possible. When you are able to do so, you must also
go to the Records office with your supporting documentation and fill out a Request for
Deferred Exam form.
Deferred final exams will be written on Saturday January 7th 2012 at 10 am in ECS 123.
You will be eligible to write at this time only if you have a valid reason for missing the
final exam in December.
No supplemental final exam will be given in this course. In other words, you cannot
rewrite the final exam in order to improve your grade.
Grading Policy
In determining final letter grades for the course, percentages will be converted to letter
grades as follows, in accordance with Faculty of Science policy:
90.0-100 = A+,
75.0-79.9 = B+,
60.0-64.9 = C+,
85.0-89.9 = A,
70.0-74.9 = B,
55.0-59.9 = C,
80.0-84.9 = A–
65.0-69.9 = B–
50.0-54.9 = D,
0-49.9 = F
Biology 150A
Course Outline
Page 4
We will stick to these ranges exactly when assigning final letter grades.
We will not entertain requests to increase a student’s course grade for any reason, except
in cases of recording or calculation errors by the course coordinator.
We will not weigh the components of a student’s final grade differently from the
weighting given on p. 2 of this outline.
You will not be able to do any extra-credit work in this course, such as a term paper, in
order to improve your grade.
Academic Regulations
 Please read the appropriate section of the current UVic Academic Calendar
regarding your rights and obligations.
 It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of ADD/DROP dates published in
the Calendar and posted on the Undergraduate Records website.
 Students must not assume they will be dropped automatically from any course
they do not attend. If you intend to drop this course, please do so officially
and give up a space for students who might be on a waitlist.
 It is the students’ responsibility to check their records and registration status.
 In addition, students need to check the Calendar course descriptions for all
currently registered courses and transfer credit to check for duplicate or
mutually exclusive (DUP or M/X) courses that would result in denial of
course credit and/or influence eligibility for student loans.
Dr. Ogden’s Lecture Topics – Evolution and Genetics (September)
TOPIC
TEXT READING
Introduction to evolution and the history
Chapter 1
of life
Chapter 4, p. 64 (section 4.16)
Chapter 13, pp. 255-263
Chapter 15, pp. 294-299
Chapter 16, pp. 331, 337
Chapter 17, p. 342-343
Chapter 18, p. 367
Genetics
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Mechanisms of Evolution
Chapter 13, pp. 264-273
Chapter 14
Chapter 15, pp. 304-307
Evolution and Systematics
Chapter 15, pp. 308-314
Dr. Ehlting’s Lecture Topics – Diversity and Ecology (October to December)
Topic
Diversity of life:
Prokaryotes
Text Reading
Chapter 16, pp.320-330
Biology 150A
Course Outline
Protists
Plants
Fungi
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Ecology:
Ecology Introduction
Climate & Biomes
Behavioral Ecology
Population Ecology
Communities
Ecosystems
Conservation
Page 5
Chapter 16, pp. 330- 338
Chapter 17, pp. 340-355
Chapter 17, pp. 355- 362
Chapter 18, pp. 364-386
Chapter 19, pp. 388-399
Chapter 34, pp. 678-686
Chapter 34, pp. 686-696
Chapter 35, pp. 698-720
Chapter 36, pp. 722-736
Chapter 37, pp. 738-749
Chapter 37, pp. 750-758
Chapter 38, pp. 760-778
We wish you a successful and exciting term!!!