SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY: WEEKS OF 21 & 28 APRIL 2008


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Nothing makes sense in Biology, except in light of evolution. -Theodosius Dobzhonsky

EVOLUTION, BIODIVERSITY, & ECOLOGY: A PLACE FOR HUMANITY

LOOKING AHEAD:

  • Please do not let the student portfolio requirement sneak up on you.  We have highlighted those sections in blue that you are required to complete by the time of the final examination.  

  • The Project 3 paper (Plant Kingdom) will be due on Friday April 25 at 4PM.  

  • It is not too late to begin working on your Personal Essay.  This will be due at the time of the final and will serve as the point of departure for the final discussion.

  • The final examination period for this course will be Friday May 2, 8:00-10:00.  This is the time for the common hour (10-11 MWF).  We will meet as a whole group for the last game and the final Graded Dialogue.  All students will be required to make at least one contribution.

MONDAY 21 APRIL

THE SEPARATE HOUR

ACTIVITY 26: AN EXERCISE IN VARIATION.   You will need the following to do this exercise:

  1. A woody plant data sheet.

  2. The Excel sheet to calculate Fs (2, 27).  Choose the appropriate workbook:  

BARRY AND THE (FILL IN THE BLANK), NATURAL SELECTION, WWDD, COCONUTS, CLAAS, XY

THE COMMON HOUR

GAME 12: Categories are TAXONOMY, CHARACTERS, & PHYLOGENY / LIFE HISTORY. As before, much of this information comes from the data sheets, Holt (2006), Origin of Species chapter 12, cultures, slides and living plants (for example we could ask about key characters that you needed to examine). Note also that this game could include questions about the general structures of stems, roots, leaves, other plant organs and their origins. Be aware of the different systems used for vascular plants.  As always, you may use a taxonomy (and nothing else).

WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL

THE SEPARATE HOUR

ACTIVITY 27A:

FIELD TRIP TO DEVONIAN OUTCROPS

  1. Collect fossils at each site.

  2. Determine the biotic community based on the fossils.

  3. Determine the kind of environment based on the kinds of rocks, the particle sizes, and the color of the rocks.

THE COMMON HOUR

ACTIVITY 27B:

EXAMINE A FOREST.  

  1. Estimate the Shannon-Weaver diversity of the trees in a quadrat that is about 10 X 50 meters.  Count and identify all trees that are larger than 3" dbh.  Use the Shannon Diversity Index to estimate diversity of the forest that you sampled.  

  2. Use the species-area relationship to estimate the number of trees in Shikellamy State Park.

  3. Turn in the completed woody plant data sheets, your Shannon-Weaver Index (H), and a species-area graph with an estimate for the the number of trees in the state park.

FRIDAY 25 APRIL

ACTIVITY 28:  THE SPRING BIRD COUNT.  Use the full two-hour period to count and identify birds from the area that you examined at the beginning of the semester.

BARRY AND THE (FILL IN THE BLANK), NATURAL SELECTION, WWDD, COCONUTS, CLAAS, XY

THE FINAL DRAFT OF PROJECT 3 IS DUE TODAY AT 4:00.

MONDAY 28 APRIL

THE SEPARATE HOUR

SPEND THIS TIME TO CONSOLIDATE YOUR DATA FROM ACTIVITIES 26-28.  Your graphs with explanations will be due on Tuesday.

THE COMMON HOUR

DIALOGUE 26:   In preparation for this we expect you to read the following articles/chapters.  We placed readings 2-4 on 2 hr reserve in the library and on e-reserve.  

  1. The "Domain" of the Virus
  2. Biodiversity Threatened Chapter 12 of Wilson (1992)
  3. Species Chapter 30 of Easterbrook (1995)
  4. Possible Worlds chapter 5 of Gould (1989)
  5. Darwin. Origin chapter 13.
  6. Holt.  Language, a Nurture of Nature
  7. Holt. Our Great Leap Forward

TUESDAY 29 MAY

THE COMMON HOUR

SUBMIT RESULTS OF THE ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY, VARIATION, AND BIRD COUNT ACTIVITIES.

NATURE OF HUMANITY.  A personal reflection on the salient characters of our own species.  Review the readings from Monday for this.

This page is maintained by Jack R. Holt & Carlos A. Iudica.  Last modified: 04/26/08 .