DEPARTMENT OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA RENR 327 The of Alberta: Conservation and Identification 2018 Syllabus

Instructor Dr René J. Belland Faculty Service Officer IV, Conservation Biology Office: General Services Bldg (GSB) 775 Telephone: 780-492-0801 Email Address: [email protected] Office Hours: By Appointment

Assistants Lukas Frost Office: General Services Bldg (GSB) 730 Telephone: Email Address: [email protected] Office Hours: By Appointment

Term Winter 2018 Classes Days Mon/Wed/Fri 511 GSB Labs Days Fri 1-10 AgFor Credits 3 credits

Course Description This is an introduction to identification and conservation of the mosses of Alberta, with a strong emphasis on field identification. Students are introduced to the morphological characters used to identify Alberta mosses, with supplementary information about individual ' habitat affinities and distribution within Alberta. Lecture topics include basic morphology, conservation and management of species diversity, and rare/endangered species found within Alberta. Students learn to identify more than 130 species from the province's six major natural regions.

Course Pre-Requisites and Co-Requisites PLSC 221 or BIOL 208, or consent of instructor. Students are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary pre-requisites and co-requisites. Students may be dropped before or after the course drop date if pre-requisites and co-requisites are not met. If the instructor agrees to waive a pre-requisite or co-requisite, students must fill out a form in the office of Student Services and get a signature from the instructor.

Course Format This course consists of lectures and a weekly lab. The Monday and Wednesday lectures deal with topics regarding the morphology, ecology, and management of mosses. The Friday lecture is a preparatory lecture for the lab that immediately follows. Students work independently in

1 labs, learning and studying the species assigned for the week.

Starting with lab #2, each student is required to submit a dichotomous key for the species studied each week. The keys will be graded and returned at next lab, or earlier.

Starting at lab #4, there will be lab quizzes every 2 weeks that include any mosses presented in the two previous labs plus a few additional species from earlier labs – you will be alerted as to which labs the additional species are from. The quizzes are partially cumulative and the number of specimens to learn grows as the course progresses. See the schedule for the dates of the quizzes.

It is strongly recommended that students set aside time to study and review specimens during the week between labs. The lab quizzes are worth 40% of the final mark, and regular review of material will ensure development of effective and successful identification skills. Regular review of the lab material is especially important since the quizzes are somewhat cumulative. The location of the specimens for review will be announced early in the term.

Dr Belland will be available in the review lab every Friday morning, beginning on the day of lab #3, to assist students with the study of the moss specimens.

Student Learning Outcomes and Competencies

When you have completed this course you will:  be able to identify at least 130 Alberta moss species representing all the major Alberta moss families and genera  learn about the ecology, management, and distribution of mosses in Alberta  learn about patterns of moss diversity in the flora of Alberta  learn how to recognize many rare mosses of Alberta and where to find them  learn about moss conservation, endangered species, and legal assessment  have tools to help you identify mosses that were not taught in class (i.e., new to you)

References and Readings  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Texts:

 Crum, Howard. “Mosses of the Great Lakes Forest”, 4th edition. A limited number are available from R. Belland at cost ($55)  Shaw, Goffinet et al. “ Biology”, ca. $65 from Amazon.ca online  Crum, H. “Structural Diversity of ”, Univ. of Michigan Herbarium. US $35.00 (http://herbarium.lsa.umich.edu/herb/publications/bookDetail.asp?ID=13)

E-Class All lecture notes and labs will be posted on eClass in the afternoon before the lecture/lab day. Supplementary readings are also posted on eClass.

Laboratory Materials

You will need to have: 1) a notebook for notes and drawings

2 2) a 10-14x hand lens/loupe, available at some rock and gem stores (e.g., Rock and Gem, Bedrock Supply). Excellent quality lens with light (!) are available on Amazon.ca for about $30 (incl. shipping). It is highly recommended that you order this before the term begins. Dr Belland will have some lenses for sale at cost of about $30.00.

You are responsible for bringing to each lab: pencils, eraser, 15 cm ruler, your hand lens Use of Audio or Video Recording in Labs and Lectures Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s). Plagiarism and Cheating

The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance.ualberta. ca) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.

Code of Student Behaviour

All students at the University of Alberta are subject to the Code of Student Behaviour, as outlined at: http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/en/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStandards/Co deofStudentBehaviour.aspx.

Please familiarize yourself with it and ensure that you do not participate in any inappropriate behavior as defined by the Code. Key components of the code include the following statements

“30.3.2(1) No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study.

30.3.2(2)c. No Student shall represent another’s substantial editorial or compositional assistance on an assignment as the Student’s own work.”

Students should speak with the course instructor about any questions or concerns about the code. Students should be particularly aware of the code as it pertains to internet and library research, use of previous class notes, reclamation plans of former students and interviews or discussions with others.

Professionalism and Classroom Rules of Engagement Students are expected to attend all, be present at all examinations, and to turn in all assignments on time. Cell phones and pagers are not to be used during class, and no electronic

3 devices of any kind (except calculators) are permitted during examinations. Students are expected to show respect for, and engage in a positive and professional manner with their classmates at all times.

Marking and Grading

Mark Allocation

Mid-term Exam (Feb 14) 20% Laboratory exams - 5 quizzes 40% Dichotomous keys 10% Final Exam (Thur April 19, 2PM, Rm 30% TBA)

There will be identification quizzes every second week at the start of all labs starting at Lab #4. The quizzes will focus on identification of species from the previous lab but may include species from the previous labs. Students can bring notes, photos, keys, and a flora to assist them during the quiz. They cannot, however, bring any of the lab notes that I provide.

The Mid-term exam will cover all the material given prior to the mid-term.

The Final exam will cover material presented after the mid-term exam. The final exam will take place on Thur April 19 @2PM, room TBA.

Raw marks will be assigned to reflect performance on each component of the course. Letter grades will be assigned only to the final distribution of mark totals. The following table will be used to assign final grades, although the final marks may be adjusted according to circumstance:

Final Mark Letter Grade Grade Point Value Percentage 90-100 A+ 4.0 85-89 A 4.0 80-84 A- 3.7 75-79 B+ 3.3 70-74 B 3.0 66-69 B- 2.7 63-65 C+ 2.3 60-62 C 2.0 57-59 C- 1.7 53-56 D+ 1.3 50-52 D 1.0 0-49 F 0.0

There will be no make-up exam should a mid-term be missed. In cases where students have missed the midterm, the weight of the mid-term will be deferred onto the final. For 2018, this means that the final exam would be worth 50% of the final grade.

4 If the final exam is missed due to incapacitating illness, please follow the process outlined at: http://www.ombudservice.ualberta.ca/en/StudentResources/ExamDeferral.aspx

Tentative Lecture Schedule Date Subject Jan 8 M Course Intro: Purpose, goals, course format and varia Jan 10 W Life cycle review: basic gametophyte & sporophyte morphology and characters Jan 12 F Basic gametophyte & sporophyte morphology and characters LAB 1 - Jan 12 Intro to lab techniques, moss characters Jan 15 M Basic gametophyte & sporophyte morphology and characters - continued Jan 17 W Diversity in the Andreaeidae and Sphagnidae Jan 19 F Sphagnaceae, Andreaeacea – lab prep LAB 2 - Jan 19 Sphagnaceae, Andreaeacea Jan 22 M Diversity in the Bryiidae Jan 24 W The ecology of water – water, water, I need water (or do I?) Jan 26 F Dicranaceae, Ditrichaceae – lab prep LAB 3 - Jan 26 Dicranaceae, Ditrichaceae Jan 29 M Morphological diversity in contrasting environments Jan 31 W The ecology of dispersal – the basis for distribution (so mosses disperse by spores? Then rare ones must be poorly sampled, eh?) Feb 2 F Fissidentaceae, Seligeriaceae, Encalyptaceae, Pottiaceae, Scouleriaceae – lab prep LAB 4 – Feb 2 Fissidentaceae, Seligeriaceae, Encalyptaceae, Pottiaceae, Scouleriaceae (Lab quiz 1) Feb 5 M Forest ecology: diaspore banks – importance to forestry and R. Caners forest regeneration Feb 7 W Ecology – importance of microhabitats, adaptations to… influence on sampling, substrate ecology Feb 9 F Grimmiaceae, Funariaceae, Splachnaceae – lab prep LAB 5 - Feb 9 Grimmiaceae, Funariaceae, Splachnaceae Feb 12 M Ecology – importance of microhabitats, adaptations to… influence on sampling, substrate ecology Feb 14 W Mid-Term EXAM Feb 16 F Bryaceae, Mniaceae – lab prep LAB 6 - Feb 16 Bryaceae, Mniaceae (Lab quiz 2) Feb 19 M Holiday (Family Day) – No classes Feb 21 W Reading Week – No classes Feb 23 F Reading Week – No classes LAB – Feb 23 NO LAB THIS WEEK – READING WEEK Feb 26 M Peatland muscology – indicators of peatland types, diversity, rare species Feb 28 W Peatland muscology – problems in restoration/reclamation ecology Mar 2 F Aulacomniaceae, Meesiaceae, Catoscopiaceae, Bartramiaceae,

5 Timmiaceae, Orthotrichaceae – lab prep LAB 7- Mar 2 Aulacomniaceae, Meesiaceae, Catoscopiaceae, Bartramiaceae, Timmiaceae, Orthotrichaceae Mar 5 M Mountain bryology Mar 7 W Mosses as Indicators R. Caners Mar 9 F Fontinalaceae, Climaciaceae, Hedwigiaceae,Pterigynandraceae, Neckeraceae, Leskeaceae, Thuidiaceae, Helodiaceae – lab prep LAB 8 – Mar 9 Fontinalaceae, Climaciaceae, Hedwigiaceae, Pterigynandraceae, Neckeraceae, Leskeaceae, Thuidiaceae, Helodiaceae (Lab quiz 3) Mar 12 M Phytogeography: basic concepts, distribution patterns with special ref to Alberta- part 1 Mar 14 W Phytogeography: basic concepts, distribution patterns with special ref to Alberta- part 2 Mar 16 F Amblystegiaceae, Brachytheciaceae – lab prep LAB 9 – Mar 16 Amblystegiaceae, Brachytheciaceae Mar 19 M Phytogeography: effects of glaciation and long range dispersal; a key to understanding rare species distribution in AB/Can Mar 21 W What is a rare moss? Conservation Status Assessment (IUCN, COSEWIC) Mar 23 F Hypnaceae, Pleuroziaceae, Hylocomiaceae, Rhytidiaceae – lab prep LAB 10 - Mar 23 Hypnaceae, Pleuroziaceae, Hylocomiaceae, Rhytidiaceae (Lab quiz 4) Mar 26 M Rare mosses of Alberta and Canada – patterns and diversity: an overview Mar 28 W Polytrichum, Buxbaumidae – major groups Mar 30 F Good Friday – No Classes Apr 2 M Easter Monday – No Classes Apr 4 W Mosses versus liverworts, what the difference? Apr 6 F Buxbaumiaceae, Tetraphidaceae, – lab prep LAB 11- Apr 6 Buxbaumiaceae, Tetraphidaceae, Polytrichaceae Apr 5 W TBA Apr 11 M Character patterns and trends in the Alberta moss flora; tips for successful collection, sampling and identification Apr 13 W No Class LAB 12 - Apr 13 Final Lab Quiz (Lab quiz 5) Apr 19 Th FINAL EXAM

Policy about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar.

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