38.432 -- Pollination Biology -- 2005 Course Outline
Instructor: Dr. R.W. Currie, 218 Animal Science/Entomology Building (Phone 474-6022).
Office hours: Any time except
Mon 9:30 - 10:30 am
Tue 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Fri 2:30-4:00pm
Course Theme:
Pollination Biology (3-0:0-0)3 This course will examine the biology and ecology of social,
semisocial and solitary insect pollinators and their ecological interactions with
entomophilous plants.
Lectures: Three per week during regularly slotted time.
Suggested Texts*:
Alford, D.V. 1975. Bumblebees. Ebenezer Baylis and Son Limited. Trinity Press, Worcester,
pp. 352.
Barth, F. G. 1985. Insects and Flowers. The Biology of a Partnership. Princeton University
Press, Princeton, New Jersey. pp. 287.
Buchmann, S. L. and G. P. Nabhan. 1996. The Forgotten Pollinators.Island Press, Washinton,
D.C. pp. 292.
Dafni, A. 1992 Pollination Ecology. A Practical Approach. IRL Press, Oxford University
Press, New York. Pp. 250.
Delaplane, K. ; D.F. Mayer. 2000. Crop Pollination by Bees. CABI. New York
Ellstrand, N.C. 2003. Dangerous liasons? When cultivated plants mate with their wild
relatives. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltmore. 244pp.
Faegri, K. and Van der Pijl, L. 1979. The Principles of Pollination Ecology. Pergamon Press,
Oxford. pp. 239.
Free, J. B. 1993. Insect Pollination of Crops. Academic Press, San Diego, CA. pp. 684.
Goodman, L. J. and Fisher, R. C. The Behaviour and Physiology of Bees. CAB International,
Wallingford, UK, 1991. pp 355.
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Jones, C. E. and Little, R. J. 1983. Handbook of Experimental Pollination Biology. Van
Nostrand Reinhold Company inc., New York. pp. 558.
Kearns, C. A. And Inouy, D.W. 1993. Techniques for pollination biologists. University Press
of Colorado. Pp. 583.
McGregor. 1976. Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants. United States Department of
Agriculture. Agriculture Handbook No. 496. Pp. 411. (Carl Hayden Bee Labe Site
Tuscson)
Michner, C.D. 1974. The Social Behaviour of the Bees: A Comparative Study. Belknap
Press Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Proctor, M. and Yeo, P. 1975. The pollination of Flowers. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.
London. pp. 418.
Real, L. 1983. Pollination Biology. Academic Press, New York. pp. 338
Richards, A. J. 1978. The pollination of flowers by insects. Academic Press, New York. pp.
213.
Seeley, T.D. 1985. Honey Bee Ecology. A Study of Adaptation in Social Life. Princeton
University Press. Princeton.
Shivanna, K. R. and V. K. Sawhney (Eds.) 1997. Pollen Biotechnology for Crop Production
and Improvement. Cambridge University Press. New York, N.Y. pp. 448
Stephen, W.P.; Bohart, G.E. and P.F. Torchio. 1969. The Biology and External Morphology
of Bees. Agricultural experiment Station. Oregon State University. 140 pp.
Winston, M. L. 1987. The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard University Press, Cambridge,
Massachusetts. pp. 281.
* There is no required text for this course.
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Topics Covered:
-Life history and biology of insect pollinators with emphasis on solitary and social bees
-Factors regulating populations of social insects
- Relationship between life history and foraging
-Semiochemicals
-Communication and foraging
-Pollinator energetics
-Rules governing foraging decisions
-Foraging theory
-Chemical and physical aspects of pollination
-Pollinator-plant interactions
-Competition among pollinators for plants
-Competition and Facilitation among plants for pollinators,
-Pollen competition
-Gene flow and pollination
-Community level interactions in pollination systems
-Pesticide pollinator interactions
-Other topics of special interest
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38.432 Pollination Biology: Fall Session, 2005
Examination
Schedule*:
Date
Percentage
Lecture
Midterm Lecture
Exam:
Friday, Oct. 19 , 2005
25%
Final Lecture
Exam:
TBA (Scheduled by
Administration)
40%
Essay
Nov. 18 , 2005
20%
Seminar**
Nov. 25 -
15%
Essays and
Assignments
Dec , 2005
Totals
100%
* Students should consult of the University Calender for policies and penalties for plagiarism and cheating.
** Exact dates will fluctuate depending upon enrollment in the course.
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38.432 -- Pollination Biology -- Assignment
Essay:
Students will choose a topic in consultation with the lecturer, in which the subject matter relates
to current issues in pollination biology.
Grading will be based upon the ability to select important and relevant information from the
primary literature, to interpret and synthesize any information you present, and to organize and
write your essay in a clear, concise manner. Essays submitted after the deadline will be
penalized 1/2 grade for each additional day the essay is late.
General format of the essay:
The essay should be approximately 10 double-spaced (8.5 x 11 inches) pages of text not
including tables, graphs or literature cited. Font size should be equivalent to 10 characters per
inch (12 point). The left hand margin should be 1.5 inches and all other margins should be one
inch wide. In addition each essay should contain a one page abstract summarizing the major
conclusions. Please submit one copy of the essay and two copies of the abstract to the
instructor. (Note: the abstract will be copied and distributed to all members of the class during
the oral seminar)
If possible organize the information under various headings including "Introduction" and
"Conclusion" sections. The use of diagrams, tables , etc. is encouraged if it will help to clarify
aspects of your essay. Figures and tables should be included only if they are referred to in the
text. Figures and tables should numbered sequentially and placed on separate pages with an
appropriate title.
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Citing literature:
When citing literature from the primary literature or other sources refer to it in the text of the
essay as follows.
For example:
a) Martinez and Wheeler (1991) found that haemolymph concentration of the egg yolk protein
vitellogenin in the ant, Camponotus festinatus , is dependent upon the social environment.
or
b) In the ant, Camponotus festinatus, haemolymph concentration of the egg yolk protein
vitellogenin is dependent upon the social environment (Martinez and Wheeler, 1991).
A list of "literature cited" should be provided using the same format as that found in the
Canadian Journal of Zoology.
For example:
Journal References:
a) Martinez, T. and Wheeler, D. 1991. Effect of the queen, brood and worker casted
on haemolymph vitellogenin titre in Camponotus festinatus workers. J. Insect
Physiol. 37: 347-352.
Book References:
b) Waddington, K. D. 1983. Foraging behaviour of pollinators. In Pollination
Biology Edited by L. Real, Academic Press, New York. pp. 213-239.
Seminar:
Students will present a 10 minute oral seminar on their essay topic at a time assigned by the
instructor. This will be followed by a question and discussion period of approximately 5 to10
minutes. Prior to the seminar, copies of the abstract will be distributed to all members of the
class. Students will be tested on the contents of seminars on the final exam.
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