BIOL/MARI 3221 DIVERSITY OF ALGAE, SEASIDE Summer 2015
Date and time: May 15 – June 5, 2015; Monday- Sunday 9-5pm. There will be breaks
throughout the day and schedule may vary due to field trips and guest lectures. There
will be some days off on the weekends and during the week.
Instructors: Beverly Hymes and Dr. Herbert Vandermeulen
Beverly.Hymes@dal.ca
Assistants: TBA
Lectures and labs: Lec- C220 or the lab; Lab- LSC B2102
Course description: This class is a taxonomic introduction to the major algal groups
(macrophytic and microscopic) with an emphasis on the marine seaweeds. Basic
taxonomic differences will be covered, along with an introduction to macrophyte
ecology, human uses and symbioses. Laboratory sessions will focus on morphology
and reproduction. You will learn to identify the major algal groups based upon
recognition characteristics and create your own herbarium collection and slides. A major
focus of this course will be the field identification of a set list of Nova Scotian seaweeds.
Field Trips: There will be three field trips throughout the course. Rain or shine!! We will
depart from the King’s/Biology parking lot area at the scheduled time. See below for
more information on field trips (i.e. what to bring etc.).
Lectures: The BbLearn (BlackBoard) system will be used to post lectures and lab
outlines for the course – there is a gallery and links section as well. It is a good idea to
print out all the labs before the first lecture.
Texts: The following books are optional, but very useful:
Graham, James, Wilcox, Lee W. and Graham, Linda E. 2009. ALGAE. 2nd
EDITION . Prentice Hall, NJ. ISBN:0321559657. 720pp. Hardcover.
Duane J. 2008. A Photographic Guide to Seashore Life in the North Atlantic:
Canada to Cape Cod. Princeton University Press, NJ. ISBN: 978-0-691-13319-5.
224 pp. Softcover.
Villalard -Bohnsack, Martine. 2003. Illustrated Key to the Seaweeds of New
England. The Rhode Island Natural History Survey, Kingston, Rhode Island.
ISBN: 1-887771-07-7. 149 pp. Softcover. – copies of this reference book are
provided for the lab
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Attendance: Attendance is mandatory unless a VALID REASON is given. Attendance
will be taken every day.
Evaluation:
Lectures- There will be two exams worth 25% each. These exams will not be
cumulative.
Labs- There will be one final lab exam on all the labs and field trips worth 20%
and your own herbarium collection worth 20%.
Attendance & participation- 10%
Grading scheme:
This course follows the grading scheme of core Biology classes:
90-100 A+
65-69 C+
85-89 A
60-64 C
80-84 A-
55-59 C-
77-79 B+
50-54 D
73-76 B
<50 F
70-72 B-
What to expect and what you will need for field trips:
Expect to get wet and muddy. We will be outside in all kinds of weather – be prepared
for both cold and warm conditions!
Washroom facilities may not be available on all field trips. Be prepared!
Field trips are fun but you must stay focused:



No texting or cell phone use
You must work in groups and stay within the area designated by the instructors –
you cannot wander off, this is a safety issue.
You must be constantly vigilant for waves and water motion.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING:

NOTE: Shoes or rain boots are mandatory. We will be walking in wet and muddy
areas. No bare feet will be allowed – this is a safety issue!

Rain gear (if weather is wet)

Spare socks

Hat, layers of clothing

**If you have a life jacket that fits you, please bring it** - this is a safety issue for
working in the low intertidal on an exposed shore

A snack and something to drink; We should have time for breakfast at Peggy’s
Cove

Clipboard, paper and pencils to make notes OR (better) bring a small
engineering style notebook (the type with waterproof paper) and pencils

A backpack for personal items
WHAT THE COURSE WILL BRING:

Collecting bags and labels, pencils and waterproof markers

Paint scrapers (to scrape algae off rocks at holdfast point)

Coolers (to transport collected algae back to lab for sorting)
WHAT YOU WILL DO:

Write down your observations (there will be some questions on a lab exam
related to the field trips). You will be documenting the algal zonation of a shore
on a taxonomic basis.

Collect several plants for later sectioning and herbarium sheet preparation back
in the lab.
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Tentative Schedule- Subject to change based on lectures and guest lecture availability
Date
Fri. May 15
Time
9 am
Activity
Lecture: Introduction to class;
Classification and Phylogeny;
Morphology and Ecological
categories; Cyanobacteria and
Glaucophyta
1 pm
Lab: Field Trip Movie and prep
talk; Intro to lab techniques;
herbarium sheets; Cyanobacteria
and Glaucophyta
Field trip: Peggy’s Cove
Low tide approx. 1:45 PM, 0.23m
Lecture: Rhodophyta; start
Rhodophyta lab
Sat. May 16
9:00 am- 6:00 pm
Sun. May 17
9 am
1 pm
Mon. May 18
Victoria Day
10 am
1 pm
Tues. May 19
9 am
1 pm-7:30 pm
Wed. May 20
10 am
1 pm
Lab: continue Rhodophyta; sort
and begin to make herbarium
sheets and permanent slides
Lecture: Chlorophyta
Lab: Chlorophyta; herbarium
sheets and slides; Conrad’s
Beach talk
Lecture: Introduction to
Stramenopiles; Phaeophyta
Field trip: Conrad’s Beach
Low tide approx. 4:15 PM, 0.3m
Lecture: Phaeophyta (con’t)
Lab: Phaeophyta; herbarium
sheets and slides
Review and Study Day
Thurs. May 21
9 am
Fri. May 22
1 pm
9 am
herbarium sheets and slides
Lecture: Diatoms; Chrysophtes
and Tribophytes
1 pm
Lab: Visit pond next to LSC
Diatoms etc;
sort; herbarium sheets and slides
Day off to study
Sat. May 23
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Sun. May 24
10 am
Lecture midterm exam – 25% (all
material covered so far up to and
including Phaeophyta of May 20)
Mon. May 25
9 am
Lecture: guest lecture – Nancy
Lewis; Dinophyta; Euglenophyta
1 pm
Lab: Dinophyta; Euglenophyta
herbarium sheets and slides
Lecture : Cryptophyta; Haptophyta
Tues. May 26
9 am
1 pm
Lab: Cryptophyta, Haptophyta;
work on herbarium sheets
Lecture: Lecture: Symbiosis;
Introduced Species
Wed. May 27
9 am
Thurs. May 28
1 pm
9 am
Lab: herbarium sheets and slides
Lecture: Propagule Dispersal;
Vascular Macrophytes,
1 pm
Lab: review; work on herbarium
sheets
Lecture: Biogeography
Fri. May 29
9 pm
1 pm
Sat. May 30
Lab: review; work on herbarium
sheets
Day off
Sun. May 31
Day off
Mon. June 1
Tues. June 2
9 am
Field Trip: Belcher’s Marsh and
tour of NRC Sandy Cove (Guest
lecture Dr. Pat McGinn)
1 pm
Lab: sort, herbarium sheets and
slides ; attach labels
Lecture: Economic Uses
9 am
1 pm
Wed. June 3
Thurs. June 4
Fri. June 5
9 am
1:30 pm
9:30 am
1 pm
Review; sort, herbarium sheets
and slides; attach labels
Review and Study Day
Lab exam (20%)
Final lecture exam (25%)- material
covered from May 21 to last
lecture
Food Lab
Herbarium sheets and slides
handed in by 5 pm
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Academic Integrity
At Dalhousie University, we respect the values of academic integrity: honesty, trust, fairness,
responsibility and respect. As a student, adherence to the values of academic integrity and related
policies is a requirement of being part of the academic community at Dalhousie University.
What does academic integrity mean? Academic integrity means being honest in the fulfilment of
your academic responsibilities thus establishing mutual trust. Fairness is essential to the interactions
of the academic community and is achieved through respect for the opinions and ideas of others.
“Violations of intellectual honesty are offensive to the entire academic community, not just to the
individual faculty member and students in whose class an offence occurs.” [University Calendar]
How can you achieve academic integrity?
 make sure you understand Dalhousie’s policies on academic integrity
 give appropriate credit to the sources used in your assignment such as written or oral
work, computer codes/programs, artistic or architectural works, scientific projects,
performances, web page designs, graphical representations, diagrams, videos, and images
 Use RefWorks to keep track of your research and edit and format bibliographies
in the citation style required by the instructor
http://www.library.dal.ca/How/RefWorks
 do not download the work of another from the Internet and submit it as your own
 do not submit work that has been completed through collaboration or previously
submitted for another assignment without permission from your instructor
 do not write an examination or test for someone else
 do not falsify data or lab results
[these examples should be considered only as a guide and not an exhaustive list]
What will happen if an allegation of an academic offence is made against you?
Your instructors are required to report a suspected offence. The full process is outlined in the
Discipline flow chart and includes the following:




Each Faculty has an Academic Integrity Officer (AIO) who receives allegations from instructors
The AIO decides whether to proceed with the allegation; you will be notified of the process
If the case proceeds, you will receive an INC (incomplete) grade until the matter is resolved
If you are found guilty of an academic offence, a penalty will be assigned ranging from a
warning to a suspension or expulsion from the University and can include a notation on your
transcript, failure of the assignment or failure of the course. All penalties are academic in nature.
Where can you turn for help? If you are ever unsure about ANYTHING, contact your instructor.
 Academic Integrity website - Links to policies, definitions, online tutorials, tips on citing
and paraphrasing
 Writing Center - Assistance with proofreading, writing styles, citations
 Workshops, online tutorials, citation guides, Assignment Calculator, RefWorks
 Dalhousie Student Advocacy Service - Assists students with academic appeals and student
discipline procedures.
 Senate Office - List of AIOs, discipline flow chart, Senate Discipline Committee
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