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Biology 3404F Evolution of Plants Fall 2018 Description: This Course Provides an Introduction to the Major Groups of Photosynthe

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Biology 3404F Evolution of Plants Fall 2018 Description: This Course Provides an Introduction to the Major Groups of Photosynthe Biology 3404F Evolution of Plants Fall 2018 Description: This course provides an introduction to the major groups of photosynthetic organisms – formerly all called “plants” (Kingdom Plantae) but now classified in three Domains and numerous Kingdoms. These organisms feed the world, produce many of today's medicines, and provide numerous ecosystem functions. Lectures emphasize diversity, evolutionary relationships and importance, and labs emphasize morphology and recognition. There is no text, but key references will be supplied online or on reserve in Taylor Library. 2 lecture hours, 3 laboratory hours, 0.5 course. Note: This is a lab and essay course, so under Senate rules you must pass both the lab (30%) and essay (15%) components to pass the course. Instructor: Dr. R. Greg Thorn, Department of Biology 3047 Biological & Geological Sciences Building <[email protected]> 661-2111 ext. 88647 http://publish.uwo.ca/~rgthorn Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30-10:30 a.m., BGS 0165 NOTE: First Lecture is Thursday September 6 Labs: Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., BGS 3000 NOTE: First Lab is Wednesday September 12 [Lab coats/safety glasses not required] Office Hours: Tuesdays 12:00-1:00 p.m. (or by appointment) Laboratory Teaching Assistant: Karina Kaberi <[email protected]> Learning Outcomes At the end of this course, successful students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of phylogenetic analysis (estimation of evolutionary relationships) by recognizing monophyletic and nonmonophyletic groups and interpreting the relationships shown in exemplar phylogenetic trees. 2. Demonstrate a working knowledge of phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequence by selecting and obtaining taxon and data sets from online sources, constructing sequence alignments, creating phylogenetic trees from these data using a variety of suitable algorithms, and interpreting and evaluating the trees produced. 3. Create and be able to use dichotomous keys to identify plants based on morphological features. 4. Demonstrate familiarity with the major groups (phyla) of photosynthetic organisms by recognizing, describing, and illustrating their characteristic morphological features. 5. Describe the major ecological roles and economic value, including food and industrial uses, of different plant groups. 6. Describe and differentiate various types of symbioses between plants and other organisms, including fungi, microbes, and animals. 7. Identify characteristic reproductive parts of different plant groups using a dissecting microscope. Bio 3404F Fall 2018 PseudoText (NOT Required): Evert & Eichhorn, 2013, Biology of Plants, 8th edition, W.H. Freeman, New York. We will refer to Chapters 1 and 12-21, plus Chapter 32 (online). One copy will be on reserve in Taylor Science Library. Also available to “rent” from https://store.macmillanlearning.com/ca/product/Raven-Biology-of- Plants/p/1429219610?searchText=Raven Also useful: Judd, Campbell, Kellogg, Stevens & Donoghue. 2008, Plant Systematics: a phylogenetic approach, 3rd edition, Sinauer, Sunderland MA. This text has more than enough content for a full year graduate course. Lab Manual: Provided weekly through OWL in or before lab. Evaluation: Midterm Exam: 20% 1 hour, in lecture slot Thu Oct 25 Lab Assignments 1-3: 5% each (for dates, see Course Calendar, below) Essay: 15% Turn in Tuesday Nov 27 by 5 pm through OWL / TurnItIn site Lab books: 15% Wednesday Nov 28 (hand in at end of lab) Final Exam: 35% Semi-comprehensive, 3 hours, final exam period (TBA) Course Website: Accessible through OWL - http://owl.uwo.ca Students should check OWL on a regular basis for news and updates. This is the primary method by which information will be disseminated to all students in the class. The missing of critical information due to your failure to check OWL cannot be used as a basis for appeal. Accessibility: Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 661-2111 x 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation. Support Services: Learning-skills counsellors at the Student Development Centre (http://www.sdc.uwo.ca) are ready to help you improve your learning skills. They offer presentations on strategies for improving time management, multiple-choice exam preparation/writing, textbook reading, and more. Individual support is offered throughout the Fall/Winter terms in the drop-in Learning Help Centre, and year-round through individual counselling. Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help. Additional student-run support services are offered by the USC, http://westernusc.ca/services. The website for Registrarial Services is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca. Antirequisite(s): None Prerequisite(s): A minimum mark of 60% in either Biology 1001A or 1201A and a minimum mark of 60% in either Biology 1002B or 1202B, or a minimum mark of 60% in either of the former Biology 1222 or 1223. Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites. 2 Bio 3404F Fall 2018 A Note on Academic Integrity from the UWO Senate: Plagiarism is a serious Scholastic Offence. Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea, or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic offence. Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf. All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com). Statement on Use of Electronic Devices: No electronic devices will be allowed during tests and examinations. Statement on Use of Personal Response Systems ("Clickers"): Personal Response Systems ("Clickers") are not used in this course. Statement on Use of Laptops in Class: You are welcome to use your laptop to follow lectures, but inappropriate use of laptop or other electronic devices (e.g., facebook, instant messaging, facetime, online shopping) that is distracting to you or to students around you will result in confiscation of that device for the class period. Statement on Recording Lectures: With a valid reason and prior written permission you are welcome to record my lectures - but don’t leave your recording device in class and expect to get it back! If you wish to record lectures, please send me an email. Missed Course Components: If you are unable to meet a course requirement due to illness or other serious circumstances, you must provide valid medical or supporting documentation to the Academic Counselling Office of your home faculty as soon as possible. If you are a science student, the Academic Counselling Office of the Faculty of Science is now located in NCB 280, and can be contacted at 519-661-3040 or [email protected] / https://www.uwo.ca/sci/counselling/ A student requiring academic accommodation due to illness must use the Student Medical Certificate (https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/medicalform.pdf) when visiting an off-campus medical facility. For further information, please consult the university’s medical illness policy at https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_illness.pdf . The make-up for the Midterm will be on Monday 29 Oct at 6:00-7:00 p.m. If your faculty’s Academic Counselling Office approves your circumstances for missing both the original midterm and the make-up midterm, you will write a special, comprehensive final exam that includes the midterm material. If you miss the Final Exam, contact your faculty’s Academic 3 Bio 3404F Fall 2018 Counselling Office as soon as possible. They will assess your eligibility to write the Special Exam (the name given by the university to a makeup Final Exam) in January of 2019. It is Faculty of Science policy that a student who chooses to write a test or exam deems themselves fit enough to do so, and the student must accept the mark obtained. Claims of medical, physical, or emotional distress after the fact will not be considered. This course is supported by the Science Student Donation Fund. If you are a BSc or BMSc student registered in the Faculty of Science or Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, you pay the Science Student Donation Fee. This fee contributes to the Science Student Donation Fund, which is administered by the Science Students’ Council (SSC). One or more grants from the Fund have allowed for the purchase of equipment integral to teaching this course. You may opt out of the Fee by the end of September of each academic year by completing paperwork in the Faculty of Science’s Academic Counselling Office. For further information on the process of awarding grants from the Fund or how these grants have benefitted undergraduate education in this course, consult the chair of the department or email the Science Students’ Council at [email protected].
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