Advanced Botany - Biology 321

Spring Semester 2012 - Muskingum College























Instructor: Danny J. Ingold
Office Phone: 826-8222
Office Hours: M - 1:30-3:00; T - 1:00-2:00; W - 1:30-3:30; F - 1:30-3:30

Lectures meet on M, W, F from 9:00-9:50 p.m. (Room 437)
Lab meets on Thursday from 12:30-3:20 p.m. (Room 437)

Texts: Biology of Plants - Raven, Evert & Eichhorn (seventh edition)
Biology of Plants - Lab Excercises (seventh edition) - Dean & Schuhmacher

Absence Policy: To be successful in this course, it is imperative that you attend lecture and laboratory on a regular basis. We will meet a total of 57 times in this course (42 lectures; 15 labs).  Those of you who have 5 or fewer total absences will receive 3 points added on to your final lecture exam.


Course Objectives:

** - To learn about the anatomy and morphology of the major plant & algae phyla.
** - To learn about the life cycles and natural history of the major plant & protist phyla.
** - To become proficient in basic microscopy so that plant cells can be readily located and identified.
** - To develop an appreciation and understanding for plant adaptations and evolutionary diversity.
** - To work together in small groups in a laboratory setting .
** - To work in groups of 2, to read, synthesize and present the findings of a published botany article in class.
** - To learn to appreciate the fact that all life on earth is dependent on the ability of plants to
       capture and convert the sun's energy to biomass.








Lecture Outline - Spring 2012

January

9 - Go Over Course Syllabus & Requirements
11 - Botany: An Introduction - Chapter 1
13 - Botany: An Introduction - Chapter 1 continued
16 - No Classes - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
18 - Cells & Tissues of the Plant Body - Chapter 23
20 - Cells & Tissues of the Plant Body - Chapter 23 - cont.                                                                                   
23 - Cells & Tissues of the Plant Body - Chapter 23 - cont.
25 - Cells & Tissues of the Plant Body - Chapter 23 - cont.
27 - The Root: Structure & Development - Chapter 24
30 - The Root: Sturcture & Development - Chapter 24 cont.

February

1 - The Root: Structure & Development - Chapter 24 cont.
3 - Lecture Exam #1 - Chapters 1, 23, 24
6 - The Shoot: Primary Structure & Development - Chapter 25
8 - The Shoot: Primary Structure & Development - Chatper 25 cont.
10 - The Shoot: Primary Structure & Development - Chapter 25 cont.
13 - Secondary Growth in Stems - Chapter 26
15 - Secondary Growth in Stems - Chapter 26 cont.
17 - Movie
20 - Secondary Growth in Stems - Chapter 26 cont.
22 - Secondary Growth in Stems - Chapter 26 cont.
24 - Introduction to Angiosperms - Chapter 19
27 - Introduction to Angiosperms - Chapter 19 cont.
29 - Introduction to Angiosperms - Chapter 19 cont.

March

2 - Lecture Exam #2 - Chapters 25, 26, 19
5-9 - No Classes - Spring Break
12 - Early Development of the Plant Body - Chapter 22
14 - Early Development of the Plant Body - Chapter 22 cont.
16- Movie
19 - Photosynthesis, Light & Life - Chapter 7
21 - Photosynthesis - Chapter 7 cont.
23 - Photosynthesis - Chapter 7 - cont.
26 - Photosynthesis - Chapter 7 - cont.
28 - Lab Exam #2 - (secondary growth, flowers, fruits, seed development & photosynthesis) - during this  lecture period.
30 - Protista: Introduction to Algae - Chapter 15

April

2 - Lecture Exam #3 - Chapters 22 & 7
4 - Protista: Euglenoids & Diatoms - Chapter 15 cont.
6 - No Classes - Easter Break
9 - Protista: Brown Algae - Chapter 15 cont. (Journal Papers Handed Out Today)
11 - Protista: Brown Algae & Red Algae - Chapter 15 cont.
13 - Protista: Red Algae & Green Algae - Chapter 15 cont.
16 - Protista: Finish Green Algae - Chapter 15 cont.
18 - Bryophytes - Chapter 16
20- Bryophytes - Chapter 16 cont.
23 - Group Presentations
25 - Group Presentations

May

27 April - 3 May - Final Exam - Lecture Exam #4 - Chapters 15, 16








Spring Semester 2012 - Laboratory Schedule

Below is a tenative schedule for the labs in advanced botany. We will meet on Thursdays from 12:30-3:20 p.m. in BSC 437. There will be a total of 3 lab exams during the semester. Lab exams will be both practical and written in nature, and will come mostly from the information presented in the labs. To introduce most labs, I will present some "lecture" type information. You will be responsible for any lecture information presented in the lab, on your lab exams.

January

12 -  Compound Microscope; Lichens, Cup & Club Fungi - Exercises 28, 29 & 30 in Lab Manual
19 - The Living Plant Cell (Ex 1, 3 & 4 in manual); Mitosis (Exercise 5 in Lab Manual) (Quiz during last 30 min over fungi, cells & mitosis)
26 - Plant Cell & Tissue Types - Handout

February

 2 - Plant Roots - Exercise 16 in Manual (Quiz during the last 30 min. over plant cells, tissues and roots)
 9 - Herbaceous Stems & Leaves - Exercises 10, 14, 15, 2 & 6 in Manual
16 - Lab Exam 1 - (plant cells & division, tissues, roots, herbaceous stems, leaves)
23 - Secondary Growth - Exercises 11, 12, 13 in Manual (Quiz during last 30 min over today's material)

March

 1 - Flowers, Meiosis & Fruit - Exercises 5, 19 & 20 in Manual
 8 - Spring Break
15 - Seed Germination & Development - Exercise 21 & Page 143 in Manual; (Quiz during last 30 min over flowers, fruit, & meiosis)
22 - Photosynthesis Experiments (Exercise 7 - Manual & Handout)
29 - Red & Brown Algae; Diatoms & Golden Brown Algae - Exercise 25; Green Algae - Exercise 23 (Quiz during last 30 min over today's material)

April

5 - Easter Break
12 - Liverworts & Mosses - Exercise 31; Clubmosses & Horsetails - Exercise 32; Ferns - Exercise 33
19 - Lab Exam 3 - (algae, bryophytes, ferns)

Note that five quizzes will be given during various lab days.  The points that you earn on these quizzes will be added to your next lab exam.  Thus, it will behoove you to stay in lab the entire period each Thursday, studying the information.










Grading (Advanced Botany) - Spring 2012

Your course grade will be derived from 4 lecture exams, 3 lab exams, and your oral presentation. Below are the dates and worth of each exam:

Lecture Exam #1 - 12% - 3 February
Lab Exam #1 - 14% - 16 February
Lecture Exam #2 - 12% - 2 March
Lab Exam #2 - 14% - 28 March (during lecture period)
Lecture Exam #3 - 12% - 2 April
Lab Exam #3 - 14% - 19 April
Final Lecture Exam - 12% - 27 April - 3 May
Oral Presentation & Drawings - 10% - (5% each) - 23 & 25 April


Rather than curving grades at the end of a course (assuming that such a curve would be needed), I curve each exam individually as we progress through the semester. For example, if I feel that a curve is warrented for lab exam #1, I will give one (to establish an approximate normal curve). Consequently, my grades fall on the classic scale shown below:

A = 100-94, A- = 93-90, B+ = 89-87, B = 86-83, B- = 82-80, C+ = 79-77, C = 76-73, C- = 72-70, D+ = 69-67, D = 66-63, D- = 62-60, F = Below 60