Spring 2014
USC-Aiken
BIOL 325
Biology 325 Plant Physiology Syllabus
PROFESSOR:
Dr. C. Nathan Hancock
OFFICE:
Room 105, Science Building
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment
COURSE CREDIT:
4 Credit Hours
LECTURE: (108 SCI BLDG) M/W 4:00 to 5:15 pm
LABS: (108 SCI BLDG) M 9:00am to 11:40
CONTACT: 803-641-3390 nathanh@usca.edu
TEXT: Plant Physiology (5th Edition) by Taiz and Zeiger
COMPANION WEBSITE: www.plantphys.net
LAB MANUAL: Instructions provided by Instructor, laboratory notebook provided by students
Please read this syllabus carefully and refer to it when you have questions about the course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course covers the principles of plant physiology with an emphasis on higher plants.
Problems associated with plant abiotic stress will be used as a framework for guiding the
laboratory projects and assignments. Topics include: water balance, mineral nutrition, and
growth and developmental responses to hormones, light and stress.
OBJECTIVES
- Explain the basic principles controlling plant growth, development and behavior
- Be able to read and summarize scientific literature
- Perform detailed plant phenotyping techniques
- Perform basic molecular biology genotyping techniques
- Use the scientific method to form hypothesis and make conclusions
- Think critically
GRADE COMPONENTS:
Three exams
Assignments
Lab (notes/reports/quizzes)
600 pts (200 pts each) (60% total)
150 pts
(15%)
250 pts
(25%)
GRADING SCALE:
100-90% = A; 89-85% = B+; 84-80% = B; 79-75% = C+; 74-70% = C; 69-65% = D+; 64-60% = D; 59-0% = F.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
“When students enroll in a particular course, they obligate themselves for all the work which may be
assigned. Punctual and regular attendance is vital to the discharge of this obligation.”
Though attendance will not be taken, you must be present to receive credit for in class assignments,
quizzes, and reports. Due to the nature of lab, make-up labs cannot be given!
There are no make-up exams. Should you miss an exam for a documented excusable reason (i.e.
sickness or required university event); an alternate exam may be arranged. Only one exam will be
treated in this manner; any other missed exams will be counted as a zero.
Spring 2014
USC-Aiken
BIOL 325
GRADING:
The exams, in class assignments, and laboratory notebooks will require hand written answers. Answers
will only be accepted if they are clearly legible.
Late assignments will receive an automatic reduction in score (up to 50% of the possible points).
Assignments due at the start of class are considered late 5 minutes after the indicated course time.
Assignments can be turned in early if needed.
Graded materials will be returned in a reasonable time period.
CLASSROOM BEHAVOIR AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES:
It is the instructor’s right to remove any student who disrupts or disturbs the proceedings of the class.
In extreme cases the professor can request assistance from the University police. If the student who has
been ejected causes similar disturbances in subsequent meetings of the class, he/she may be denied
admittance to the class for the remainder of the semester and assigned a grade of “F”.
The use of any portable electronic devices, including cell phones, pagers, MP3 players, iPods, etc., during
class is not allowed for any reason unless prior approval has been given to a student from the instructor
or unless required for the course. If you are planning to have any of these devices in class, they must be
turned off and stowed away for the duration of the class period. If you use a portable electronic device
during a test, quiz, or other assessment, you are eligible to receive a failing grade on that assignment.
DISABILITY STATEMENT:
If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability that might affect your performance in this
class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, B&E 134, (803) 643-6816, as soon as possible. The
Disability Services Office will determine appropriate accommodations based on medical documentation.
WRITING CENTER:
USCA provides a writing center located on room 201 of the H&SS building. If you need extra assistance
on any writing assignment for this or any other class that you are taking, please try the writing center.
HONOR CODE:
Students are expected to abide by the Academic Code of Conduct as described in the Student
Handbook. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if academic integrity is violated. The following
honor pledge is to be written, signed, and dated by the student on all exams and assignments turned
into the instructor.
“On my honor as a University of South Carolina at Aiken student, I have neither
given nor received any unauthorized aid on this assignment/ examination. To the
best of my knowledge, I am not in violation of academic honesty.”
Spring 2014
TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE Spring 2014
Date
Topic
13 Jan
Introduction
15 Jan
Plant Cells
20 Jan
MLK Day (No class)
22 Jan
Plant Cells
27 Jan
Genome Organization and Gene Expression
29 Jan
Genome Organization and Gene Expression
3 Feb
Water Balance of Plants
5 Feb
Water Balance of Plants
10 Feb
Mineral Nutrition
12 Feb
Mineral Nutrition
17 Feb
Review
19 Feb
Exam I
24 Feb
Secondary Metabolites and Plant Defense
26 Feb
Growth and Development
3 Mar
Growth and Development
5 Mar
Responses and Adaptation to Abiotic Stress
10 Mar
Spring Break (No class)
12 Mar
Spring Break (No class)
17 Mar
Blue-Light Responses
19 Mar
Blue-Light Responses
24 Mar
The Control of Flowering
26 Mar
The Control of Flowering
31 Mar
Review
2 Apr
Exam II
7 Apr
Auxin
9 Apr
Gibrillins
14 Apr
Cytokinins
16 Apr
Ethelene
21 Apr
Abscisic Acid
23 Apr
Brassinosteroids
28 Apr
Review
Comprehensive Final Exam
USC-Aiken
BIOL 325
Chapter
1
1
2
2
4
4, 26
5
5, 26
1-2,4-5, 26
13
16
16
26
18
18
25
25
13,16,18,25,26
19
20
21
22
23,26
24
Spring 2014
USC-Aiken
BIOL 325
Proposed Laboratory Schedule Spring 2014
Date
Week
Topic
13 Jan
1
Plant Anatomy/Microscopy
20 Jan
2
No Lab (MLK Day)
27 Feb
3
DNA Extraction
3 Feb
4
Plant Genotyping
10 Feb
5
Drought/Flood Stress
17 Feb
6
Heat/Cold Stress
24 Feb
7
Starch Assays
3 Mar
8
Starch Assays
10 Mar
9
No Lab (Spring Break)
17 Mar
10
Plant Pigments
24 Mar
11
Plant Propagation/Hormones
31 Mar
12
Grafting/Air Rooting
7 Apr
13
Data collection
14 Apr
15
Data collection
21 Apr
16
Data collection
LABORATORY DETAILS:
Potentially hazardous materials are used in this course. For this reason, students who do not follow
instructions, use safety equipment, or conduct themselves in a professional manner will be removed
from the lab. The general procedure for each exercise will be obtained from the instructor. During these
labs, the student will complete experiments that require development of a hypothesis, experimental
design, hypothesis testing, and drawing conclusions. Each student is The notes and results of these
exercises must be maintained and turned in with the laboratory report. Some data collection and
experiment setup will have to be performed outside of the normally scheduled lab time.
Lab reports will be written based on the data collected. Each laboratory group will synthesize individual
results into a single written report to be turned into the instructor. The format of this report will be that
of a scientific paper (abstract, introduction, results, and discussion).
TEST PROCEDURES:
Students will not be allowed to sit in adjacent seats during the exams. If a student must leave during an
exam, they forfeit their right to finish the exam. Calculators will not be allowed.