Ernst Haekel’s Decapoda, from Kunstformen der Natur (1904) FISH 310: Biology of Shellfishes Instructor: Dr. Jacqueline L. Padilla-Gamiño office: 206-543-7878 [email protected] Invert Wrangler: Dr. Greg Jensen ([email protected]) TAs: Lindsay Alma ([email protected]) Laura Spencer ([email protected]) 1 Course Outline Lectures: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 11:30am-12:20pm in FSH 107 Labs: Section AA meets Tu and Th, 1:30pm-4:20pm in FTR 124 Section AB meets M and W, 1:30pm-4:20pm in FTR 124 Office hours: JPG – 2:00-3:00 pm on Fridays in FSH 204A and by appointment Lindsay – 12:00-1:00 pm on Thursdays in FSH 264 and by appointment Laura – 12:30-1:30 pm on Wednesdays in FTR 124 and by appointment Pre-requisites: None Credits: 5 credits + this course counts toward the UW Additional Writing (W) requirement Required readings: Most readings come from the required textbook, Biology of the Invertebrates, Jan Pechenik, 7th edition (available to buy from $40 or to rent for the quarter from $20 on Amazon); additional reading material (including chapters of Karban and Huntzinger’s book, see below) available as pdfs through Canvas Optional readings: Richard Karban and Mikaela Huntzinger’s book, How to Do Ecology: A Concise Handbook, will be an indispensable resource as you develop your term-project research proposal. You are required to read Chapters 1, 2, and 6, and these will be provided as pdfs on Canvas. But I encourage you to read the entire book, available on Amazon for ~$5 used. 2 Course Goals This is a laboratory course on aquatic invertebrates, with emphasis placed on those of economic, ecological, and socio-cultural importance (i.e., the “shellfishes”). Inverts are dazzling in their diversity, and we will examine the sometimes surprising ways in which these organisms feed, reproduce, and persist in a changing environment. Focus will be on the morphology, physiology, ecology, and life history of arthropods and molluscs. Because this is a biology course, we will survey invertebrate diversity in light of evolutionary diversification and phylogenetic relationships. The unique characters of each group will be emphasized, and we will compare how different groups carry out basic functions, such as feeding, dispersal, and reproduction. Phylogenetic relationships within and among groups will provide the framework for all of the specific biological details. By the end of the semester, I expect you will be able to: 1. recognize each of the major groups of invertebrates, 2. recognize several important (mostly local, economically important) species within each of these groups, 3. know the basic anatomy, physiological and behavioral adaptations, and ecological role of each of these groups, 4. know the phylogenetic relationships among these groups, 5. read, interpret, evaluate, and synthesize primary literature in invertebrate biology, 6. communicate ideas about the biology of invertebrates effectively, 7. have an appreciation for the dazzling diversity of invertebrate life. 3 Evaluation Assessment Due Proportion of your final grade Exams Exam 1 6 May 20% Exam 2 (cumulative) 12 Jun, 2:30-4:20pm 20% Lab reflections Structured observations, At the end of each 15% – We will have 17 labs over the course creative thinking, and lab session of the quarter (18 labs total minus the 1 lab research skills in which you present your elevator pitches). assignments Each carefully completed and correct lab reflection will earn 1 point. The lowest two lab reflection grades (e.g., if you miss a lab and therefore get a 0 on that lab reflection) are dropped. Research You choose a general In lab on 0% – We will discuss these briefly in lab. proposal topic for your research Monday, 15 Apr or Please bear in mind that no two students can proposal Tuesday, 16 Apr work on the same topic. You pitch your ideas for In lab on 0% – This is to encourage you to be as your research proposal Monday, 22 Apr or creative as possible! No ideas are too far- Tuesday, 23 Apr fetched. In our in-lab discussion, your colleagues will give feedback to improve your idea. You submit a first draft of Via Canvas by n/a your 10-page research 11:59pm on proposal, which will be Wednesday, 1 May forwarded to a classmate or Thursday, 2 May Classmate provides peer Via Canvas on n/a review of your draft Wednesday, 8 May or Thursday, 9 May You provide peer review Via Canvas by 10% – Peer review makes the science world of classmate’s draft 11:59pm on go ‘round. Here, you get to practice Wednesday, 8 May providing constructive suggestions to or Thursday, 9 May colleagues. You revise and submit the Via Canvas by 5% – You will submit another draft, revised second draft 11:59pm on after feedback from your peers, for more Wednesday, 15 May feedback from instructors. This should give or Thurdsay, 16 May you the opportunity to put together a stellar final proposal, and lets you experience the iterative process of scientific writing. I return second draft to Via Canvas by n/a you with feedback Wednesday, 22 May or Thursday, 23 May You give a 5-minute oral In lab on 5% presentation describing Wednesday, 29 May your research idea (an or Thursday, 30 May “Elevator Pitch”) You submit your final Via Canvas by 15% draft (≥10 pages double- 11:59pm on Friday, spaced) 7 June Participation In-class and in-lab n/a 10% participation 4 Grading Scale* LETTER PERCENT GPA NOTES A ≥95 4.0 A 94 3.9 A– 93 3.8 A– 92 3.7 A– 91 3.6 A– 90 3.5 B+ 89 3.4 B+ 88 3.3 B+ 87 3.2 B 86 3.1 B 85 3.0 B 84 2.9 B– 83 2.8 B– 82 2.7 B– 81 2.6 B– 80 2.5 C+ 79 2.4 C+ 78 2.3 C+ 77 2.2 C 76 2.1 C 75 2.0 C 74 1.9 C– 73 1.8 C– 72 1.7 C– 71 1.6 C– 70 1.5 D+ 69 1.4 D+ 68 1.3 D+ 67 1.2 D 66 1.1 D 65 1.0 D 64 0.9 D– 63 0.8 D– 62 0.7 Lowest passing grade E <62 0.0 Academic failure, no credit earned *Note that there will be no curve. 5 Exam Policy There are no alternative exam times. Make-ups for exams will be available only for emergency situations that can be verified. If you miss an exam due to illness or other emergency, make sure that you or a friend contacts the instructor, Dr. Padilla-Gamiño, by email at [email protected] within 24 hours of the exam. Documentation of illness will be required for any missed exam. To preserve the academic integrity of the course, the instructor reserves the right to alter the content and/or format of the original test in creating a make-up exam. Extra Credit There will be bonus questions on exams that will require you to think hard, synthesize your knowledge across invertebrate taxa, and creatively generate hypotheses for patterns in invertebrate biology. These questions will draw heavily from the textbook and pdf readings and from content presented by Guest Speakers. Regrade Policy If you believe that an exam or assignment has been graded incorrectly, or that the grade entered is incorrect, you must contact me within one week of when the assignment was returned to you. Such a request must be submitted in writing (e-mail is fine) and must be accompanied by the original, unaltered assignment. Academic Integrity Students at the University of Washington are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic conduct, professional honesty, and personal integrity. Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of the University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-120). I expect you to know and follow the university's policies on cheating and plagiarism. Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according to University of Washington regulations. For more information, see the University of Washington Community Standards and Student Conduct website. I don’t expect anyone in this class to engage in academic misconduct – invertebrate biology is a window into a new and exciting world, and cheating robs the cheater of the opportunity to explore and know that world. But university regulations require me to state up front my policy for addressing academic misconduct, so here it is: if you are caught cheating, falsifying data, plagiarizing, collaborating on assignments in a manner that is prohibited, or committing any other kind of academic misconduct as defined in the Student Conduct Code, you will receive an automatic zero on the assignment and the case will be referred to Community Standards and Student Conduct for a Student Conduct Process hearing. If you are caught twice, you will receive a zero in the course and the case will be referred for an additional hearing. Posting of Grades You will be able to access your grades via Canvas. All graded material (exams and essays) will be returned promptly during scheduled class or lab times. If you find that there is a clerical 6 error in a posted score, please contact me as soon as you notice the error. Exam scores will be posted no more than 10 days after the exam date. Labs Lab exercises are a key part of learning about invertebrates. You will work with a variety of living representatives of the groups discussed in lecture. We will also look at preserved specimens and slides.