Terrestrial Arthropod Biology
Biol 526, 4 units
Fall 2010 - Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Marshal Hedin
Motivation - Terrestrial arthropods are ecologically important, evolutionarily successful
animals with considerable economic impact, medicinal potential, and conservation relevance.
Students will learn about these animals through a combination of lecture, group activities, indepth laboratory observations, and field experience.
Course Prerequisites - The course is open to undergraduate and graduate students having
successfully completed coursework in Organismal Diversity (BIOL 204) and Genetics &
Evolution (BIOL 352).
Meeting Time & Place - We meet twice per week, most days including about an hour of
lecture, with 3 hours of lab activities following. I expect students to make use of all lab time.
Also, students will be required to go into the field several times during the semester, including
a few weekends.
Webpage – http://www.bio.sdsu.edu/pub/spiders/terrarthro.html *Includes links to sites that
may be useful in learning about arthropods.
Instructor - Dr. Hedin is an evolutionary biologist interested in the diversity, evolution and
conservation of arachnids.
Office Hours - Tues 11am - 1pm (LS 204F), or by appointment; e-mail communication is
encouraged (mailto:[email protected]).
Required Materials - All students must purchase the following books &
supplies for this course:
Borror and White. 2nd Edition. 1998. A Field Guide to Insects: America North
of Mexico. Peterson Field Guide. **cheap ( less than $10) at Amazon, etc.
Lab Manual - available at KB books (~ $10)
Pigma Pens (for labeling, ~$5) - ask me about these....
Optional Materials - The following books might help you in this course, but are not
required:
The Insects. An Outline of Entomology. Gullan & Cranston. 2004. Third Edition. Used at
Amazon.com for ~ $20!!
California Insects. Powell & Hogue. 1981. ~ $15 at Amazon.com
Insects of the Los Angeles Basin. Hogue. 1994. Used at Amazon.com for ~ $25
Spiders of North America: an identification manual. Ubick, Paquin, Cushing & Roth (eds).
2005. Used at Amazon.com for ~ $30
Field Trips - Students are expected to assemble a collection of terrestrial arthropods for this
class, requiring that we travel to local field sites to collect specimens. We will travel to four
different sites during the course of the semester, representing many habitat types found in San
Diego county. All trips will occur on either Saturday or Sunday (see Course Schedule); one trip
will involve an overnight stay. All students are required to attend the Sept 4 day trip, and at least
one other trip. Of course, everyone is welcome to attend all trips, as your schedule allows.
1) Trip Information - Detailed information on locations and directions to field sites will be
provided in class.
2) Purpose of trips – The field trips are designed to a) expose students to the variety of habitats
found in San Diego county, b) provide hands-on learning of collecting techniques, and c)
provide a foundation of specimens for personal arthropod collections, a required component of
this course.
3) Health and Safety Instructions – Health and safety considerations will be discussed in class
prior to trips, and reiterated while in the field. Appropriate clothing and footware will be
discussed in class.
4) Emergency Contact Information – The SDSU public safety number is 619-594-1991. While in
the field, Dr Hedin’s cell number is 619-521-8674.
Course Content & Learning Objectives:
This course stresses the following material and principles:
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Evolutionary history and relationships of terrestrial arthropod taxa
Ecological diversity and roles of terrestrial arthropod taxa
Relevance of terrestrial arthropods to human welfare
Arthropod morphology, particularly as this relates to taxonomy and identification
Southern California arthropod diversity and natural history
Methods of specimen collection, preparation and curation
Principles of Biodiversity conservation
Student learning objectives include the following:
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students will gain a general understanding of the evolution, ecology, and overall
importance of terrestrial arthropod animals
students completing this course will have experience in the research, design, and
delivery of a professional oral presentation
students will gain local field experience, thus increasing appreciation for the natural
history and diversity of southern California landscapes
students will learn principles of specimen collection, care and identification that are
applicable to all sub-disciplines of organismal Biology
through essay assignments and exposure to primary literature, students will strengthen
their writing and critical thinking skills
students will gain an appreciation for the use of modern library resources in Biological
research
students will learn to interact and work as a team to solve common problems
Fall 2010 Grades
Grading Policy: Course grades will be based on (1) lecture exams, (2) lab practicals, (3)
personal collections, (4) homework/reading assignments, and (5) group projects. Points
breakdown and percentage of total grade for each is as follows:
Points Possible
Mid-term Lecture Exam
100 points
Final Lecture Exam
100 points
Lab Practical # 1
50 points
Lab Practical # 2
50 points
Personal Collection*
100 points
Homework**
50 points
Group Projects***
50 points
500 points total
Students earning more that 90% of available points will receive an A, more than 80% a B, more
than 70% a C, etc. You must earn at least 50% of the highest score earned in the class to pass
this course. Depending upon overall class performance, these percentage cutoffs may be
curved slightly (e.g., 88% equals an A).
*Personal Collections - All students will be personally responsible for a collection of terrestrial
arthropods. A full collection with correct identification will be worth 100 points. Collection
organization, mounting, preservation, labeling, etc. will also count towards the point total. More
specific information is provided in the Lab Manual.
**Readings - Students will be required to read papers from the primary literature. Short
homework assignments will be used to assess your comprehension of these readings.
***Group Projects – Students will work in groups to co-author and publish Wikipedia pages for
a specific group of arthropods (e.g., a genus of spiders, etc). Details of this project will be
provided in class.
Fall 2010 Course Schedule (*subject to revision)
DATE
M: Aug 30
LECTURE/LAB TOPICS
Intro to Terrestrial Arthropods
FIELDTRIPS
W: Sep 1
Deep Earth History & Arthropods
Lab: Hexapod Morphology
Collecting trip – Sat
(Sept 4), 10 am to 5 pm
M: Sep 6
W: Sep 8
No Class – Labor Day
The Beautiful Exoskeleton
Lab: Specimen Prep & Curation
M: Sep 13
An Introduction to Hexapods
Lab: Insect Diversity I
Insect Development
Lab: Insect Diversity II
W: Sep 15
M: Sep 20
W: Sep 22
M: Sep 27
W: Sep 29
M: Oct 4
W: Oct 6
M: Oct 11
W: Oct 13
M: Oct 18
W: Oct 20
M: Oct 25
W: Oct 27
Insect Acoustics - Production
Lab: Insect Diversity III
Insect Acoustics - Perception
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
Collecting trip – Sat
(Sept 25), noon to 5 pm
Insects & Chemicals I
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
Insects & Chemicals II
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
Insect Flight
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
LAB PRACTICAL #1: HEXAPODS
Insect Reproduction
Lab: Personal Collections
Plant-Insect Interactions I
Lab: Personal Collections
Plant-Insect Interactions II / Mutualism
Lab: Personal Collections
LECTURE EXAM I (Lectures thru Oct 13)
Pollination Biology
Lab: Personal Collections
Predators & Parasites I
Lab: Personal Collections
Desert overnight trip –
Sat (Oct 16th) 3pm to
Sun (Oct 17th) 10 am
M: Nov 1
W: Nov 3
M: Nov 8
W: Nov 10
M: Nov 15
W: Nov 17
M: Nov 22
W: Nov 24
M: Nov 29
W: Dec 1
M: Dec 6
W: Dec 8
Finals Week
Predators & Parasites II
Lab: Myriapod & Arachnid Diversity
Myriapods
Lab: Spider Diversity I
Arachnids
Lab: Spider Diversity II
Guest Lecture - Opiliones
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
Introduction to Spiders
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
Spider Reproductive Biology
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
Imperial Beach trip –
SAT (20th), noon to 5 pm
Spider Silks & Webs
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
OPEN
Spider Venoms
Lab: Review/ Personal Collections
PRAC #2: MYRIAPODS & ARACHNIDS
Apods as Bioindicators
Lab: Personal Collections
Conserving BioDiversity
Lab: Overview of Group Projects
FINAL EXAM (Lectures from Oct 18)
Collections Due - Tues
Dec 14 @ 5 PM