Aquatic Plant Biology (BIO 425)

Aquatic Plant Biology (BIO 425)

Fall 2000

COURSE INFORMATION - GRADUATE STUDENTS

(T, Th: 0930-1045; T: 1100-1350)

Dr. Clayton A. Penniman
341 Copernicus, 860-832-2658
penniman@ccsu.edu

Course Description:

Aquatic Plant Biology (BIO 425) will be an in-depth study of the classification and ecology of aquatic plants, including microalgae, macroalgae, and vascular plants from marine, estuarine, and freshwater environments. The course is designed to familiarize students with the major groups of aquatic plants (both algal and vascular) from systematic and functional-ecological perspectives. The classification of algal groups will be presented in a phylogenetic context.

Laboratories and field trips will include collection and identification of plants from Connecticut aquatic habitats. In addition, the laboratory will emphasize the functional ecological roles of aquatic plants in a variety of local habitats, including estuarine and open coastal intertidal and subtidal environments, as well as salt marshes, streams, lakes, and various freshwater wetlands.

Prerequisites:

The prerequisites for BIO 425 are BIO 201 (Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology) and BIO 202 (Principles of Ecology and Evolution) or equivalents, or the permission of the department chair.

Office Hours:

Monday, 1300 to 1400; Tuesday, 1400 to 1500; Wednesday, 1100 to 1400; Thursday, 1300 to 1500

To schedule an appointment at other times or to notify the instructor of an expected absence:

penniman@ccsu.edu

Class Policies:

Class attendance is expected. Material will be presented in class that is not in the assigned text (and will be included on exams).

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability; if you have emergency medical information to share with the instructor; or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to discuss these issues with the instructor as soon as possible.

Required Text and Supplemental Readings:

The required texts for the course are:

Sze, P. 1998. A Biology of the Algae Third Edition. WCB/McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA. 278 pp.

Whitford, L.A. and G.J. Schumacher. 1984. A Manual of Fresh-Water Algae. Sparks Press, Raleigh, NC. 337 pp.

Villalard-Bohnsack, M. 1995. Illustrated Key to the Seaweeds of New England. The Rhode Island Natural History Survey, Kingston, RI. 144 pp.

Vinyard, W.C. 1979. Diatoms of North America. Mad River Press, Inc., Eureka, CA. 120 pp.

Other reading assignments, for both lectures and laboratories, may be assigned throughout the semester. All reading assignments should be completed prior to attending the corresponding class.

Grading:

Examinations will include three (lecture) exams during the semester and a comprehensive final exam. All lecture exams may contain material pertaining to both lecture and laboratory sessions. The final will be comprehensive, while the three semester exams will only cover information for the period immediately before each individual exam. In addition, there will be two laboratory exams that will, in part, require identification of selected algal samples. A student library research report and a collection of seaweeds (described below) are required. Additionally, a research literature review will be required of graduate students.

The grade for the course is made up of a total of 575 points divided as follows:

	Semester exams (3 @ 14% each)	42%		210	(70 points each)
	Final Exam			16%		 80
	Student report			13%		 65
	Seaweed collection		13%		 65
	Lab exams (2 @ 8% each)		16%		 80	(40 points each)

	Total				100%		500 points

	Graduate student 		-----		 75 points
	research literature review

Student Report:

A student report is required, 12 to 15 pages in length (typed, double-spaced, no larger than 12-point font and one-inch margins, and not using right justification; required length not including figures, tables, bibliography, etc.), on a subject (pertinent to the course) of the student's choice (approved by the instructor). The report should not be merely a summary review of the subject but should represent some original synthesis by the student. The student should include a bibliography and should appropriately reference information within the text. Please do not include a folder or cover with the report, merely staple the report's pages together.

The report should include at least twenty references (i.e., citations) pertaining to the subject area. The citations can include newspaper and magazine articles, references from the Internet, articles from the primary literature, etc. The citations may not include the text used for this class or class notes. At least 75% of the citations must be "traditional" primary literature sources (i.e., not from the Internet, newspaper, etc.).

The report should be an original writing exercise by the student. Students should be aware of the CCSU policy on plagiarism (Student Handbook 2000-2001 Policy on Academic Honesty). Material (i.e., text and information) taken from another source and presented in the report must be cited (e.g., footnoted). That is, unless the information is presented in the writer's (i.e., the student's) own words, the information must be clearly attributed to the original source (i.e., in quotation marks). While it is generally acceptable to directly quote information from another source, this must be clearly indicated (with quotation marks) in the writer's report. Merely altering a few words from the original author's format still constitutes plagiarism. However, for the BIO 425 report assignment do not use any direct, verbatim quotations. Students should consult a writing style manual (e.g., Council of Biological Editors Style Manual) to determine the appropriate format for citations in the text, footnotes, and bibliographic references. Further guidance on format and citation/bibliographic style will be provided in class. Additionally, the student should not use any reports prepared for another class, either previously or concurrently.

Students will submit (in writing) their choice of report topic by 10 October for approval. Students will submit an outline of the report and their list of bibliographic references (properly formatted) for review and approval by 26 October. Students may submit typed, final draft reports for review by the instructor prior to 21 November. The instructor will return the edited draft report within one week for the student to revise as indicated. Final reports will be due no later than 12 December. Five points per day (i.e., week-day) will be subtracted for overdue reports. No report will be accepted after 19 December.

Seaweed Colllection:

Each student will be required to prepare a herbarium collection of individual specimens of thirty (30) different species of seaweeds (i.e., macroalgae). The collection must include eight (8) species each from the Chlorophyta, Phaeophyceae, and Rhodophyta. The remaining six specimens may be in any macroalgal group. The collection will be graded upon the accuracy of the student's identification of each species. Seaweeds can be collected during the scheduled field trips or students may take their own trips individually or in groups. The instructor will provide suggestions for locations and times of low tides. The preparation of macroalgal herbarium specimens for this collection will be discussed in lab. The seaweed collection is due the last laboratory session, 12 December.

Student research literature review (Graduate students only):

Graduate students enrolled in BIO 425 will have the additional requirement of preparing a written literature review of at least five related papers from the primary literature on a subject (pertinent to the course) of the student's choice (approved by the instructor). Note that the subject area must be different from that used for the student's research report described above. Students will write a five page report summarizing the research area reviewed and present the summary to the class in a 15-20 min oral report. Guidelines for the written report are equivalent to those described above for the student research report. Graduate students will submit (in writing) their choice of report topic by 10 October for approval. Students will submit an outline of the report and their list of bibliographic references (properly formatted) for review and approval by 26 October. Students may submit typed final draft reports for review by the instructor prior to 21 November. The instructor will return the edited draft report within one week for the student to revise as indicated. Final written reports will be due no later than 05 December. Graduate students will give their oral presentations during the 05 December laboratory session.

BIO 425 Table of Contents