Biology 447 – Advanced Topics in Biology Field Botany Summer 2018 Instructor Dr. Ross A. McCauley Office: 447 Berndt Hall Office phone: 970-247-7338 E-mail: [email protected] No!!!! This might look cute but you must Webpage: http://faculty.fortlewis.edu/mccauley_r/index.html always have the plant parts within the Office hours: T Th 10:00 am-12:10 pm and by appointment press. Outside of office hours the best way to contact me is via email. I will respond to your email within 24 hours. I do not carry around a smart phone or remain in constant email contact so do not expect an immediate response. Course information Meeting time and place: Field MW 8:00 am – 2:30 pm, Lecture/Lab T Th 8:00–10:00 am. Berndt 440. Field days may extend past the official time. I recommend you do not schedule work for immediately after class. The lab and herbarium will be open and available for independent work until at least noon on all class days. You will need to invest time after class to complete your required assignments. Course Description Field Botany is a fun, and hands-on study of plant biodiversity with the specific goal of teaching students the skills necessary to identify vascular plants in the field. We will do this by focusing principally on plant taxonomy and secondarily on natural communities and the ecological determinants of plant distribution. Students will be expected to demonstrate understanding of topics including basic nomenclature, descriptive botanical terminology, recognition of plant families, ability to use plant keys, plant species habitats and distribution, and plant collections and voucher preparation. Prerequisites: BIO 245 (Issues in Ecology), BIO 260 (Genetics), and BIO 208 (Molecular Microbiology) or BIO 270 (Foundations of Molecular Biology) (Minimum grade of C-). Recommended: BIO 325 (Plant Form and Function) and/or Bio 302 (Systematic Botany) Specific Objectives (in no particular order) 1. Be able to use the proper terminology for vegetative and reproductive features used in the identification of vascular plants. 2. Become proficient at using technical keys for the identification of flowering plants. 3. Learn to recognize approximately 35 different plant families of SW Colorado. 4. Learn to use proper scientific names. 5. Be able to prepare high quality voucher specimens for ecological and biodiversity research. 6. Gain an understanding of the relationships between evolutionary history and plant classifications. 7. Demonstrate basic knowledge and skill in using biodiversity data. 8. Learn basic procedures for vegetation sampling a census work. 9. Demonstrate proper use of herbarium-derived data. 10. Understand the importance of precise systematic data for use in management, conservation and research activities. Biology Program Learning Outcomes 1. Biology graduates will be able to explain key principles, assumptions, and criticisms of evolutionary theory and natural selection. 2. Biology graduates will be able to explain the relationship between form, function, and organization across biological systems. 3. Biology graduates will be able to effectively use laboratory and field techniques relevant to their area of specialization. 4. Biology graduates will be able to manage, explore, and analyze biological data. Bio 447 Syllabus 2 5. Biology graduates will be able to read and interpret primary literature in the biological sciences in their area of specialization. 6. Biology graduates will be able to design, implement, and communicate an original research project in the biological sciences under the supervision of a faculty member. Credit Hour Statement One credit hour is equivalent to one hour of guided instruction (50 minute class) and a minimum of two hours of out-of- class student work each week for a standard semester of approximately 15 weeks. The typical student in this 4 credit, 5 week summer course should expect to spend approximately 24 hours per week of concentrated attention on course-related work, including but not limited to time attending class, as well as out-of-class time spent reading, reviewing, organizing notes, preparing for upcoming quizzes/ exams, problem solving, developing and completing projects, and other activities that enhance learning. Required texts: Ackerfield, J. 2015. Flora of Colorado. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, TX. ISBN: 978-1- 889878-45-4. Harris, J. G. and M. W. Harris. 2001. Plant Identification Terminology, 2nd edition, Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, UT. ISBN: 978-0-96402-216-4 Required Supplies: (available at FLC bookstore – probably not shelved with textbooks – ask clerk for assistance) 10x handlens 1 Rite-in-the-Rain, Horizontal Line All-Weather Notebook, No. 391 Recommended supplemental Text: While not required, a text reviewing plant family characteristics can be very useful for learning plant families. Below are suggested books. I have copies of these if you want to look them over. Many of these are inexpensive on the used market. Basic: Elpel, T. J. 2010. Botany in a Day. (there are multiple editions of this which gives basic family descriptions) A little technical: Murrell , Z. E. 2010. Vascular Plant Taxonomy, 6th edition. (Older editions ok too. Older editions were authored by Walters and Kiel but the title is the same) Very technical: Judd, W. S. et al. 2016. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. (Other older editions can work too) Simpson, M. G. 2010. Plant Systematics, 2nd Edition. Zomlefer, W. B. 1993. Guide to Flowering Plant Families (Nice but uses older classification system for some families.) Course Websites: Canvas: I will use Canvas as a repository for any lecture material and plant lists. This will also provide links to pertinent botanical resources. SEINet (Southwest Environmental Information Network) (http://swbiodiversity.org): This is a tremendous resource for plant systematic data. I will be uploading interactive checklists following our various outings which will help with your review of required taxa. To access select the “Flora Projects” tab followed by the “Teaching Checklists” selection and look for those associated with FLC. The “Flash Card Quiz” under the “Games” option is a great way to study plant recognition. Bio 447 Syllabus 3 Course Evaluation Quizzes (both family id and keying) (10 pts. each) 70 pts. (lowest quiz score will be dropped) Nomenclature and Herbarium Homework 10 pts. Graminoid Worksheet 20 pts. Group field survey project 50 pts. Plant Collection 100 pts Final exam 100 pts Total: 380 pts Your grade will be a sum of the earned points you have accrued throughout the term and follow a typical grade distribution. Due to the short time frame and practical nature of this course I will NOT accept any late work and there will be NO make-up quizzes or exams. Course Organization Lecture/Lab: This class will have a minimal level of traditional lecture. Much of our time will be spent in “lab” working with plants collected in the field. Plant identification takes lots of practice to learn the morphological patterns corresponding to individual families, genera, and species. Thus most of our time will be used toward your learning how to identify these suites of characters. Field trips: We will be in the field on Monday and Wednesday. Field trips are scheduled to run from 8 am to 2:30 pm. I will try to stick to this schedule but some days a late return may be possible due to the distance covered in the field, so plan accordingly. Your personal gear should include sturdy, closed-in shoes, long pants, sun protection, food and plenty of water for the entire day. If you are particularly sensitive to insects, insect repellent may be useful. You should bring your field book, your Flora of Colorado, handlens, and your Plant Identification Terminology book with you on field trips. On most field trips you may bring a plant press as I will allow you to make collections – I’ll let you know if this is not the case. You will need to take notes in the field as I will spend time discussing plant identification traits, plant natural history, etc. Some of the material I discuss in the field will be required and not repeated in a lecture setting. All trips will result in a list of observed and required families and/or species. Following the field trip I will provide a list of all required families and/or genera and species. These lists will also be uploaded to the SEINET site as a checklist. I will expect all students to be prompt and we will leave at 8AM. I will not wait for late students and you will not be able to make up material missed by your absence. Field safety rules and procedures: Since a significant amount of our class time will be in the field, there are safety hazards we need to be aware of. In order to insure the safety of yourself and your classmates we should all anticipate these hazards and work to mitigate them. As your trip leader I have extensive experience in biological fieldwork and have wilderness first aid training and hold a Wilderness First Responder certification. I will do my best to keep the class from what I deem to be hazardous conditions; however, some things we cannot plan for. If you have any preexisting health concerns please make me aware of these ASAP and we can find a way to work with these. If at any time you feel unsafe in a field-setting let me know and we can amend the situation. If a student is found to be willfully endangering the safety of him/herself or others you will be required to leave the course immediately or at the earliest time possible. Following FLC policy there will be NO usage of alcohol or drugs at any time during the course.