Greene, Erick

English

University of Montana

University of MontanaScholarWorks at University of MontanaSyllabi Course SyllabiSpring 2-1-2019BIOB 170N.01: Principles of Biological DiversityErick GreeneUniversity of Montana - Missoula, erick.greene@umontana.eduLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabiThis Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted forinclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contactscholarworks@mso.umt.edu.Recommended CitationGreene, Erick, "BIOB 170N.01: Principles of Biological Diversity" (2019). Syllabi. 9260.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/9260 © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.  PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY BIOB 170, Spring Semester 2018 Instructors                                           Dr. John McCutcheon            Dr. Erick Greene                  Victoria Dahlhoff – TA            ISB 309   Health Sciences 203a      BioResearch Building  john.mccutcheon@mso.umt.edu     erick.greene@mso.umt.edu victoria.dahlhoff@umconnect.umt.edu   Office hours:  T Th 3-4     Office Hours:  MF 2-3      or by appointment      or by appointment Overview and Objectives Molecular Tree of Life, showing genetic diversity of the major groups of organisms. We share this planet with an astounding variety of living organisms.  Life arose on Earth about 3.8 billion years ago, and so there has been a LOT of time for species to evolve into a breath-taking diversity of forms.  Living creatures are found virtually everywhere on Earth, from the stratosphere to the deepest parts of the oceansand land, from the hottest places (boiling hot springs and boiling deep sea thermal vents) to the coldest places (inside glaciers and frozen rocks in the Antarctic) on Earth, and everywherein between. Living organisms range in size frommicroscopic bacteria to gigantic redwood trees and blue whales.    With a new array of genetic tools, biologists aremaking astounding discoveries about how all living organisms are related to each other, and how and when major groups arose and diversified.  This class is a broad survey that wilintroduce you to the fellow creatures with whomwe share the Earth, and on whom we depend. The class will be organized around the  conceptual framework generated from researchinto the Tree of Life (shown on the right).  You are here!     l    © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.   Numerated List of Learning Outcomes:       1) Have fun! We don’t need space travel to discover amazing forms of life – we share a planet with an astounding diversity of living creatures, most of which have not been “discovered.” Most organisms on Earth have not been described or given names! 2) Understand the major groups of organisms in the Tree of Life.  3) Understand how biologists construct phylogenies.  How do we interpret them and what do they tell us about life on Earth? 4) Have a sense of the history of life on Earth.  How long ago did life arise?  For how long has life existed as single-celled organisms?  When did multicellular life arise? 5) To have a sense of how we (try to) characterize biological diversity. 6) To understand the role that endosymbiosis has played in the evolution of major groups of organisms.  7) To know a few key organisms in each of the main groups we will be talking about.  Textbook and LaunchPad We will be using the textbook Principles of Life (2nd edition) by Hillis, Sadava, Hill and Price. We will also use the associated on-line “LaunchPad” site for quizzes, and you will have access to lots of resources.  We have negotiated with the publisher and you will have FREE access to the eBook and LaunchPad.  That’s right folks – FREE! We did not want you to have to buy another expensive textbook halfway through the school year.  (You can buy a loose-leaf version of the textbook at the bookstore for a really low price if you also like to have a hard copy).  Detailed instructions about how to register for LaunchPad and the eBook are on our class Moodle site. Moodle Site We will post important information on the course Moodle site.  Make sure that you check it regularly and know how to navigate the site for information. The syllabus that we will give you on the first day of class is a rough road map to where we are going, but we will change some of the details as the class progresses. These changes will be on Moodle. We will not change the grading scheme outlined in this syllabus.  Clickers We will be using iClickers a lot in class - probably every day, or nearly so.  Please make sure that you have one before class starts.  It can be either an iClicker 2 (which has a little screen on it) or iClicker Plus (no screen).  You might already have one from previous classes, or you can buy one from the bookstore.  iClickers are easy to buy second hand, too.  But just beware that the ones you buy second hand may not work without paying an additional registration fee to the iClicker company.  The cost is about $10 or so, but second-hand iClickers might require you to do additional stuff to make them work.  Instructions about how to register your iClicker with our course are on our class Moodle site.              © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.   Grading Scheme Pre-week quizzes 15  Post-week quizzes 20 In-class activities 15  Test 1  15   Test 2  15  Final Test  20       Total     100   We have structured the class so there are many low-stakes ways to learn and generate “points” that will contribute to your final grade. You cannot get a good grade in this class without regularly coming to class.  Pre-week quizzes – on Moodle You will have assigned readings and short videos to watch before each week’s classes.  You will have short quizzes on this material to complete before class. There will be about 13 pre-week quizzes, and we will drop the lowest three grades to calculate your final grade (i.e. you can miss up to three of these and it will not bring down your grade). The purpose of these pre-week quizzes is to encourage you to do the required readings and come prepared for the material in the week ahead. These quizzes will be on the easier side.  They will be posted on the Moodle and will be due before the class every Monday.    Post-week quizzes – on LaunchPad These quizzes will test you on the material we have covered the previous week.  These quizzes will be more detailed than the Pre-week quizzes, and will be similar to the questions we will ask on the tests.  These post-week quizzes will also before the class every Monday.  In-class Activities A large portion of your grade will come from in-class activities.  These will be a mix of individual and team activities.  The individual points will be from iClicker activities that you generate yourself. You will also be working in a team, and your team will generate team points that you will all accrue. You will be assigned to a team of five students, and you will be working together throughout the semester. We will use team-based activities to emphasize problem-solving, to allow you to discuss concepts in class with your fellow students, and to allow you to apply and integrate the material and concepts. You will need to be a good team member, which means that you need to come to class prepared, and participate in team activities.  Your teammates will also periodically evaluate your contributions.      © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.   Tests There will be two tests during the semester, and a final exam.  We will provide detailed information and study guides before the tests.  Course Outline and Assigned Readings and Activities (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)  Week Date Class # Topic Important Due Dates 1 Jan 11 1 Introduction to class  2 Jan 14 2 What is phylogenetics and why is it important? Pre-week quiz for week 2 (Moodle) Jan 16 3 Why and how do we classify things, and how can we measure “diversity?”  Jan 18 4 How old is life?  3 Jan 21 MLK Day No classes  Jan 23 5 What is the shape of the tree of life? Post-week quiz for week 2 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 3 (Moodle) Jan 25 6 What is the nature of prokaryotic biology & diversity?   4 Jan 28 7 Case study:  Thermus aquaticus, YNP and PCR Post-week quiz for week 3 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 4 (Moodle) Jan 30 8 Microbes in the sea (Church)  Feb 1 9 Archeal case studies: Lokiarchaeota and ANME  5 Feb 4 10 Endosymbiosis and the origin of eukaryotes.  Who were the players? Why did it happen?  Post-week quiz for week 4 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 5 (Moodle) Feb 6 11 Eukaryotic cell biology   Feb 8 12 Eukaryotic diversity (metabolism, size, origins of multicellularity)  6 Feb 11 13 Protistan case studies Post-week quiz for week 5 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 6 (Moodle) Feb 13 14 Slime mold case study  Feb 15 15 Fungal diversity  7 Feb 18 Pres Day No classes   © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.  Feb 20 16 The corals, comb jellies and choanoflagellates   Feb 22 17 Test 1 (includes 15 lectures)  8 Feb 25 18 What lurks beneath the ground? Mycorrhizal fungal networks!  Dr. Ylva Lekberg Pre-week quiz for week 8 (Moodle) Feb 27 19 Case study:  what causes coral bleaching?  Mar 1 20 Lichens:  macroorganisms built from microbial parts!  9 Mar 4 21 Chloroplasts - the second big endosymbiotic event; photosynthetic microbial eukaryotes and bryophytes Post-week quiz for week 8 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 9 (Moodle) Mar 6 22 Checking back in to the tree of life and measures of diversity – what about viruses?  Mar 8 23 Viruses – massive global players with no place on the tree of life!  10 Mar 11 24 The greening of the Earth – what does it take to get onto the land?  Non-vascular plants Post-week quiz for week 9 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 10 (Moodle) Mar 13 25 Getting tall – the sky is the limit Seedless vascular plants  Mar 15 26 What good is a seed?  Gymnosperms  11 Mar 18 27 The fruits of our labor - Angiosperms Post-week quiz for week 10 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 11 (Moodle) Mar 20 28 Wiggle room and review  Mar 22 29 Test 2 (12 lectures)  12 Mar 25-29 None Spring Break  13 Apr 1 30 Getting Big – what does it take to become a multicellular animal? Pre-week quiz for week 13 (Moodle) Apr 3 31 Body plans and the “holey” grail (sponges to Protosomes to Deuterostomes)  Apr 5 32 Don’t clam up on me – mollusks  14 Apr 8 33 Creepy crawlies part I - arthropods Post-week quiz for week 13 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 14  © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.  (Moodle) Apr 10 34 An inordinate fondness for beetles!  Insects  Apr 12 35 Echinoderms – our surprisingly close relatives!  15 Apr 15 36 Get a backbone!  Chordates  Post-week quiz for week 14 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 15 (Moodle) Apr 17 37 One bone, two bones, many bones, digits!  Radiation of vertebrates  Apr 19 38 Amniotes – what good is an egg?  16 Apr 22 39 Humans and our ancestors Post-week quiz for week 15 (LaunchPad) Pre-week quiz for week 16 (Moodle) Apr 24 40 Biodiversity through time: turnover, extinctions big and small, and the Anthropocene  Apr 26 41 Wrap up, circling back, review  17 April 30  Final Exam:  3:20-5:20 PM Urey  (13 lectures + comprehensive )  How to succeed in this class If you want to do well in this class, here are some things you need to do:  Come to class We will cover important material in class, and a large part of your grade will be based on in-class activities. Many studies have found that one of the best predictors of your final grade is how often you come to class. Try it – you might like it!  Keep up – be responsible for your learning  We will be covering a lot of material in this class, and so you should take the Pre-week and Post-week reading and studying seriously.    Survival Guide We have posted a “Survival Guide” on the class Moodle site.  It is a bit preachy, but does contain some very useful suggestions and advice.         © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.   Office hours We have posted four office hours a week, and don’t be scared of us!  We actually love to help you out with any questions you are having with the material.  If you can’t make any of our office hours just let us know and we will set up other times to meet.   Come to see us if you need help. If you have problems with class material, deadlines, personal problems or any other issues related to the class we urge you to talk with us as EARLY as possible.  We will be better able to help you if you talk with us as problems arise.  You will find that we are extremely sympathetic and flexible if you talk with us early; you will find that we turn into unsympathetic ogres two minutes before a test.   Come to class Did we mention that it is important to come to class? Miscellaneous Important Stuff Emails We are required to email you with you official UM email.  If you email us from your personal email (e.g. gmail, yahoo, etc.) we are not allowed to respond.  If you do not receive official emails from us you should check your spam filters; group emails may end up in your junk email.  Students with Disabilities The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students (DSS Information). If you think you may have a disability adversely affecting your academic performance, and you have not already registered with DSS, please contact DSS in Lommason 154 or 243-2243. We will work with you and DSS to provide an appropriate modification. Important Dates about Dropping Classes or Changing Credit/No Credit To 15th instructional day  You can drop classes on Cyberbear – no charge January 31 16th to 45th instructional day Cyberbear and Student Services; $10 fee; ‘W’ (for withdraw) will show up on your transcript. February 1 - March 15 46th instructional day to the last instructional day. Cyberbear and Student Services; $10 fee; “WP” or “WF” will show up on your transcript.  March 18- April 26 Credit/No credit grading option Allowed up until last day of classes April 26             © 2019 by University of Montana, which freely distributes this material to students enrolled in BIOB 170.  University of Montana expressly prohibits distribution or posting of this material in any context that requires payment.  A Note on Behavior in Class Using cell phones and computers for non-class related stuff is incredibly distracting, disrespectful and disruptive.  You will be asked to leave the class if you are texting, shopping, watching cute cat videos, playing video games, etc.   Student Conduct Code For much of your work in this class we encourage you to work collaboratively with others.  But on the tests all the work must be your own.  Copying or cheating on tests is a serious violation and will be dealt with according to the student conduct code.  Penalties for serious violations may be as severe as suspension or expulsion.   All students must practice academic honesty.  Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University.  You need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code      

BIOB 170N.01: Principles of Biological Diversity

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BIOB 170N.01: Principles of Biological Diversity

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