Botany 2104 - Plant
Form and Function - Spring 2016 - Syllabus
Prerequisites: none Plant Form and Function is one of
the two core courses required by all Botany majors and minors. The other course
is Botany SI2114, Evolutionary Survey of Plants. The two courses are independent
of each other in that one is not a prerequisite for the other. If you will be taking
upper division Botany courses, you should be aware that some have both
2000-level courses as prerequisites and that others only require a specific one
of the two.
Recommended texts and materials:
Campus Closure
Students With Disabilities BTNY 2104 Learning Outcomes 13. Students will demonstrate good citizenship in the
laboratory, including following laboratory safety guidelines and working
cooperatively and collaboratively with other students. Exams Activities Essay TOTAL
Lecture/Lab: MWF 8:30-10:20 in SL421
Instructor: Dr. S. Harley; e-mail: sharley@weber.edu; Office:
SL409M, 801-626-7434; Office Hours: MWF12:30-1:20 or by
appointment; e-mail: sharley@weber.edu
Botany Department Office: SL402M, 801-626-6174
Course URL:
http://faculty.weber.edu/sharley/2104/2104.htm
Plant Form and
Function is a 4 credit hour course which meets in three 2-hour blocks per week.
Lab activities are integrated with lecture information. On average, you will spend
approximately 2-3 hours per week in lecture time and 3-4 hours per week in
activities. The first part of the course will cover plant anatomy, including subcellular structures. The second part of the
course material will cover plant metabolism (respiration, photosynthesis,
mineral nutrition) and plant reproduction.
Required texts and materials
R.F. Evert and S. E. Eichhorn.
2013. Biology of Plants, 8th ed. W.H. Freeman and
Company.
Lab Manual: Download the individual labs at the course page on
WSU Online/Canvas.
safety glasses (Safety
glasses are available at the WSU Bookstore or Chemistry stores on the 5th floor of the Science
Lab Building.)
Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences by V. E. McMillan. This text is required for Botany 2121.
Any edition is OK.
A Photographic Atlas for the Botany Laboratory by Van de Graff et al.
This text has been recommended in the past for Botany 2114.
30 cm ruler, colored pencils, and a calculator
In the event of an extended campus closure due to
natural disaster, epidemic, or other event, instruction will continue via the
Canvas learning management system if possible. Material which corresponds to the
scheduled lecture subjects will be provided. If possible, you are expected to
login to the system on a regular basis to keep up with course work and to
receive further instructions. If possible, I will check email (@weber.edu and
within the Canvas system) on a regular basis should you need to communicate with
me. The severity of the "event" and impact on human health, communication lines,
etc, will determine the extent that class can continue. Arrangements for missed
laboratory work will be sorted out when campus re-opens.
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must
contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student
Services Center. SSD can arrange to provide course materials in
alternative formats, if necessary.
Student Behavior
This class meets in a laboratory room. Therefore, food and drink
(including water) are
prohibited. Feet must be in enclosed shoes. Your clothing must cover
your lap when you are seated. Safety glasses are required.
Additional safety information will be covered on the second day of class.
You are expected to comply with the
Botany
Department Statement of Expectations of Students.
WSU subscribes to
TurnItIn.com, an electronic service that verifies the originality of student
work. Enrollment in this course may require you to submit some or all of your
assignments to it this semester, and documents submitted to TurnItIn.com are
retained, anonymously, in their databases. Continued enrollment in this course
constitutes an understanding of and agreement with this policy.
Each unit in the lab manual includes a
list of learning objectives. Each objective contributes to one or more of the
following overall learning outcomes for the course.
1. Students will be
able to demonstrate knowledge of the levels of organization (molecules,
organelles, cells, tissues, organs, whole plant) in flowering plants and be able
to relate functional aspects at one level to function at a higher or lower level
of organization.
2. Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of
the adaptative significance of modifications of the three vegetative organs of vascular
plants: roots, stems, and leaves.
3. Students will be able to
demonstrate knowledge of the two most basic metabolic pathways of plants:
respiration and photosynthesis. In addition, students will demonstrate
understanding of the adaptative significance of the CO2 concentrating mechanisms
found in C4 and CAM plants.
4. Students will be able to demonstrate
knowledge of which chemical elements are required for plant life and examples of
the specific aspects of plant life that utilize those elements.
5.
Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the interactions between
plants and microorganisms in the context of plant mineral nutrition, especially
with regard to the nitrogen cycle.
6. Students will be able to
distinguish between asexual and sexual reproduction in flowering plants and be
able to demonstrate understanding of the significance of a cloning reproductive
system versus one which allows for genetic recombination.
7. Students
will be able to use a compound light microscope to investigate plant structure
and function.
8. Students will be able to make accurate records of visual
information via annotated scale drawings.
9. Students will be able to
use a basic spreadsheet program (e.g., Excel) to analyze data and draw
conclusions supported by statistical analysis (chi-squared test, t-test, ANOVA).
10. Students will be able to present summaries of data in appropriate graphs
and tables and be able to interpret information provided in the form of graphs
or tables.
11. Students will
be able to demonstrate familiarity with and proper use of botanical terminology.
12. Students will demonstrate the ability to find and synthesize information
on plant form and function from a variety of appropriate literature sources.
Your course grade will be based on the following:
Exams:
There will be three 100 point exams and one 200 point cumulative final (~100
points old material, ~100 points new material). Of the 500 points available,
only 400 will go towards the calculation of your grade. Either your lowest score
on a 100 point exam will be dropped or your final exam score will be halved;
whichever calculation gives you the higher grade will be used. Your exams will
be a mixed format of multiple choice, short answer, essay, diagrams, and lab
practical.
Activities: You will turn in all of the labs. Only
selected questions, drawings, graphs, etc. will be graded. The points per lab
will be variable, depending on the length of the lab. Due dates for labs will be
announced in class when the labs are being conducted and can include the
announcement day. You must be present in order to get credit. There will be four
in-class case studies based on published research; you must be present in order
to get credit. Each case study is worth 10 points. You will also turn in a 20
point library assignment and a 10 point graphing assignment.
Essay: One of the goals of this course is to provide support to the
development of the
Botany
Student Portfolio. As part of the portfolio, students write an essay which
addresses the core concepts in Plant Biology. For BTNY 2014 you
are to write an essay that focuses specifically on the adaptations of flowering
plants that enable them to cope with a variety of challenges. Instructions for
the essay will be covered in class during the fifth week of classes and are available
at the course page on
WSU Online/Canvas.
65%
25%
10%
100%
Percentages to achieve a specific grade are as follows: |
|||
A ≥ 93% |
B = 83-86.9% |
C = 73-76.9% |
D = 63-66.9% |
A- = 90-92.9% |
B- = 80-82.9% |
C- = 70-72.9% |
D- = 60-62.9% |
B+ = 87-89.9% |
C+ = 77-79.9% |
D+ = 67-69.9% |
E ≤ 59.9% |
Awarding of a UW grade: miss more than one regular exam OR miss the final exam
OR not turn in the Essay OR turn in fewer than 18 activities.
Any
plagiarism in the Essay will result in a grade of zero and reporting of the
student to the Dean of Students.
NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. NO MAKE-UP ACTIVITIES. NO EXTRA
CREDIT.
Extra Credit: There is no extra credit in this class. (1) If you do not have time to master the content material and complete the assignments mentioned above, you certainly do not have time to do extra work. (2) It is not to fair to your classmates for you to have different criteria for your grade.
Important Dates |
|
Jan 18 |
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day -- no classes |
Feb 5 |
Exam 1 |
Feb 17 |
Library assignment due (CHANGE) |
Feb 15 | Presidents' Day -- no classes |
Feb 19 |
Graphing assignment (and Research Design Lab) due (CHANGE) |
Mar 4 | |
Mar 7-11 | Spring Break -- no classes |
Mar 16 |
Completed draft of Essay due Any essay turned in after March 16 will be treated as the final version. |
Apr 4 |
|
Apr 20 |
Final version of Essay due. Turn in the marked draft, too. |
Apr 25 | Botany
Department Field Trip to Antelope Island State Park class does not meet |
Apr 27 |
m, 9:00-10:50 |
Seed Germination and Root Growth |
Research Design |
Photosynthesis |
Storage Polymers of Seeds |
Roots |
Mineral Nutrition |
Diffusion and Osmosis |
Stems |
Nuclear Division Processes |
Microscopy |
Leaves |
The Flower |
Plant Cell |
Secondary Growth |
Pollination and Fertilization |
Cells and Tissues |
Respiration |
Fruits |
Constructing Phylogenetic Trees |
|
|
For additional information and support materials, visit the
Botany 2104 Home Page, the Botany 2104 Course Schedule,
and the course page on
WSU Online/Canvas.
PDF of Syllabus PDF of Course Schedule
Return to Harley Home.
17 April 2016