Biol 111 – Comparative & Human Anatomy Lab 1: Introduction & Evolution of Vertebrates Spring 2014 Philip J. Bergmann Lab Objectives The laboratory portion of the course is designed to coincide as much as possible with the lecture. It aims to give you a hands-on, practical, and interactive experience, allowing you to better learn anatomy and to hone your dissecting skills. While the lecture emphasizes the evolution of anatomy, the lab emphasizes the anatomy itself (but still in an evolutionary context). The laboratory is an integral component of the course, needed to properly learn anatomy. The major objectives of the lab are: 1. To learn the basic anatomy of vertebrates in general. 2. To appreciate how the various anatomical systems are functionally integrated with one another. 3. To learn to do detailed, beautiful dissections. 4. To learn how to approach the dissection of anatomy so that you are able to study any part of the anatomy of any vertebrate. Lab Schedule The lab for Biol 111 is scheduled for three hours a week for 14 weeks. You will find that it is often necessary to spend more time during the week than three hours doing the dissections and studying the anatomy. To help you with this, there will be an open lab policy (see below) during weekdays. The lab schedule is as follows: Week of Topic January 14 Introduction, Evolution of Vertebrates: Protochordates & Agnathans January 21 Cranial Osteology January 28 Postcranial Osteology, Shark External Anatomy & Fin Musculature February 4 Myology: Shark Demo & Cat 1 February 11 Myology: Cat 1 February 18 Myology: Cat 3, Review February 25 Lab Exam 1 March 4-8 No lab – Semester Break March 11 Shark Digestive, Respiratory & Urogenital Systems March 18 Cat Digestive, Respiratory & Urogenital Systems March 25 Shark Nervous System: Graded Dissection April 1 Circulatory System: Shark 1 April 8 Circulatory System: Shark 2, Cat 1 April 15 Circulatory System: Cat 2 April 22 Lab Exam 2 1 Biol 111 – Lab 1: Evolution of Vertebrates Lab Components The lab will be evaluated based on several components, worth 50% of the course grade: Lab Exam 1 120 points 12% of total course grade February 26, 28 Lab Exam 2 120 points 12% April 23, 25 Graded Dissection 100 points 10% March 26, 28 Lab Quizzes 60 points 6% Ongoing Course Participation 100 points 10% Ongoing Below is information about each component, also found in the course syllabus. Laboratory Exams There will be two lab exams during the semester. These lab exams will test your knowledge of material presented and available in lab. Because this is an anatomy lab, you will be expected to be able to identify anatomical structures and to know their functions and relationships to other structures. The lab exam format will consist of fill-in-the-blank questions, and some short answer (couple of sentences) questions. The exams will be in the form of stations with demo material about which you will be asked questions. The stations will be timed so that all students have a chance to see all of the material, and time will be available to return to stations you want to revisit at the end of each exam. Lab exams will not be cumulative. A term list will be provided with each exam that lists all terms that students are responsible for in alphabetical order (not by lab). Due to the nature of these exams, making up a missed exam is extremely difficult. Graded Dissection An important skill gained during this course is the ability to dissect vertebrates. You will spend a lot of time honing your dissection skills, and so it is only fair that part of the grade be determined by how well you learn to dissect. Students will have one week to dissect the shark brain and origins of the cranial nerves in late March and early April and will be graded on the quality of their dissections. A good quality dissection is one that has all structures undamaged, clearly visible and identifiable. Lab Quizzes During some labs, you will be given short (5-10 minute) quizzes on material either covered during the previous lab or during that week’s lab. The primary purpose of these quizzes is to give students a gauge of how they are doing in the lab in terms of learning the material. There will be six quizzes, three before each of the lab exams. Course Participation Attending all labs is mandatory and contributes to the lab participation grade. This 10% of the course is also based on participation, completion of dissections and worksheets, and a good attitude during labs. At the beginning of each lab, students should show the TA their worksheet from the previous lab to get a check mark. The TA will also lead a discussion of the previous lab’s questions at the beginning of lab. It is expected that students take part in the discussion by answering questions and contributing ideas. During the last lab before each lab exam, the instructors will also note the degree of completeness of the dissection up to that point of the course. This should be an easy 10% of the course, but really depends on you being engaged. Part of this grade is also for participation during lecture. 2 Biol 111 – Lab 1: Evolution of Vertebrates Using the Lab Handouts There is a handout associated with each lab session, available on the course website as a PDF. Each handout will help to guide you through each lab and is particularly important because it contains information about the material you should learn for each lab. Before studying from the purchased lab manual, refer to the lab handout to determine what you need to know. Each lab is presented in the same format. The Lab Objectives is a short section outlining what you should be doing and learning during each lab. The Material to Learn section contains information on which aspects of the anatomy you need to learn and those that you do not, and this is summarized as concisely as possible with a listing of figures and tables to learn and omit, all referenced to the lab manual, The Dissection of Vertebrates by De Iuliis and Pulera. This section also contains a list of terms that you need to learn. This is the definitive list that you can use as a study guide for each lab. There are a lot of terms and this list should help you manage learning them. Note that there are terms that appear in the lab manual figures that you do not need to know. A useful strategy is to go through the term list for each lab and put a small "x" beside the terms in the figures of the lab manual that you do not need to know. The Background & Instructions section tells you what you should be doing during each lab, and includes specific directions for doing the dissection for each lab. These instructions are crucial to getting started and completing each lab efficiently. Your TA and Dr. Bergmann will be available to further help in case of uncertainty – ask them many questions. This section also contains key background information to learn. Finally, it contains questions for you to complete during and after the lab. These questions appear in bold and italics. Some time will be spent at the beginning of each lab discussing questions from the previous lab, so come prepared to participate in the discussion (participation points!). These questions will help put the anatomical material into a broader context, relate it to the lecture, and prepare you for exams. You will quickly realize that there is a lot of text to go through in the lab manual and you are expected to read each lab before coming to lab. Do not wait until lab to read the lab handouts and manual because there will not be enough time to complete the dissections. Please come prepared to each lab: read the entire lab before coming, and bring a print out of the lab handout and your lab manual. It is a good idea to bring past lab handouts as well, so that you can review material from previous weeks. Supplies Gloves, lab aprons, specimens and dissecting tools are available in the lab. If you wish, you may purchase your own dissecting kit– this is the best way to ensure that your tools are in good condition. Bringing the lab manual and lab handout to each lab is critical to doing the lab. Specimen Preservation and Safety You will be handling preserved lamprey, shark and cat specimens extensively during each lab of the course. These specimens are fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution, called formalin, and stored in a less toxic holding solution. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen and quite pungent. It is the major health hazard in the lab. To mediate this hazard, when not in use, specimens are stored in a sealed refrigerator. The lab is also equipped with ventilation fans that easily maintain fumes at non-toxic levels. Despite these precautions, the fumes can be quite strong and protecting yourself is important: 1. Wear gloves whenever handling specimens. 2. Do not eat or drink in the lab (this is prohibited). 3. Step out of the lab for a couple minutes a few times a lab session to get some fresh air. 3 Biol 111 – Lab 1: Evolution of Vertebrates 4. If you feel ill from the fumes, excuse yourself and step out of the lab. 5. If you are or may be pregnant, inform Dr. Bergmann and consult your physician. Another hazard in the lab is the use of sharp implements, including scalpels and scissors.