Biology 115 – Marine Biology
Fall 2008 – San Diego Miramar College
CRN: 65873 – Lecture MW 9:35-11:00, rm S5104…..Lab F 1:00-4:00, rm S5100
Instructor: Andrew Lowe
Phone: (619) 388-7536
Email: alowe@sdccd.edu
Web page: http://faculty.sdmiramar.edu/alowe
Office & Hours: B301 B; M 11:00-12:00, TR 10:00-11:00, and by appointement
Address: c/o Biology Department, Miramar College, 10440 Black Mountain Rd, San Diego, CA 92126
Required Texts & Supplies
Lecture – Marine Biology, 7th Ed. 2007, by Peter Castro & Michael E. Huber
Lab – 3-ring binder for observations, notes, experiments, etc
Important Dates
September 5th Drop Deadline – No notation on your record
Ooctober 31st Drop Deadline - Withdrawal (W Grade)
After October 31st an evaluative grade (A through F) will be recorded.
Course Objectives and Expectations
This course in Marine Biology is designed to serve as an elective in the natural sciences. This is a survey
of the marine organisms, emphasizing their natural history and special adaptations to the ocean environment.
Topics include the marine environment, plankton, marine “plants”, marine invertebrates, fishes, marine birds,
and marine mammals. Several field trips are required to local marine habitats…see lab schedule.
Both in the classroom and outside, you will be exposed to experiences, terminology, and interconnected
concepts which may be new and perhaps even seem intimidating at times. However, if you will commit to it, I
think you will find this course not only a highly rewarding experience, but fun as well. The feeling of
accomplishment is a great one, especially when you do something well. It is my desire to expose you to
information and experiences that will help you excel and make wise decisions in your academic and
professional future.
Your education is an extremely valuable commodity. It is therefore important to extend as much
courtesy as possible to your fellow classmates, so that everyone gets as much as possible out of the course.
These courtesies include the following: please do not talk, exchange notes, or otherwise disrupt the class during
instruction. Please turn off pagers, alarms, and cellular phone ringers. If your behavior in any way distracts
other students, you may be dismissed from the class.
Attendance is mandatory.
There is no opportunity to make up field trips or labs, so it is very important that you make it a priority
to be present every Friday. If you miss a lab, you will receive a zero for that day and you will need to obtain the
data and notes from a class mate to study for the final exam.
District policy requires that you participate fully in lecture and laboratory experiences. If you are absent
more than 6% of total course hours (or, more than 3 sessions), participation will be considered unsatisfactory
and you may be dropped by the instructor. However, it is your responsibility to drop a course if you choose to
discontinue. Failure to do so will result in an evaluative grade (A-F) on your record.
Due Dates
Due dates are tentative. You are responsible for knowing the dates of exams, and other assignments.
Assignments are due at the beginning of a class period. Late assignments will be accepted (unless specified
otherwise), but 10% of the point total for the assignment will be deducted for each day or part thereof that it is
late.
Lecture Exams
On exam days, be sure to get adequate rest, have back-up mechanisms in place for getting to
class on time, and arrange for reliable transportation to class. There is to be absolutely no
communication of any kind, between students, once an exam begins. Nothing is allowed at the test area
except for a writing instrument(s) and eraser. All questions should be directed to me and you may not
leave the room during an exam and resume it when you return. If you leave the room I will collect the
exam, and I will grade what you have completed.
Assignments:
Although we often work in lab groups you are expected to do your own write ups. They should
be written in your own words and turned in the week after the lab unless instructed otherwise.
Honor Code/Academic Dishonesty
By remaining enrolled in this class you are pledging, on your honor, that you will not engage in
any acts of dishonesty. Cheating, plagiarism, or any act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for
work that is not your own is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. You are responsible to understand
and abide by District policies in the college catalog. Abuse of these policies will be reported to the dean
for appropriate action. If you are aware of cheating of any kind, I would appreciate what information
you have, as it essential to maintain the integrity of the course--this includes communication between
individuals in different class sections, copying assignments to be collected, plagiarizing papers, etc.
Grading
Points will be earned for activities in both lecture and laboratory. The lecture portion will
comprise approximately 2/3 of the course grade; the laboratory approximately 1/3 of the course grade. I
will keep a running total of points as should you to maintain awareness of your grade standing in the
course. Points may be earned in the following ways (these are approximations):
4 Lecture exams
Lecture quizzes, assignments,
and participation
Lecture Subtotal
100 pts ea.
100 pts
500 pts
Final Lab Exam
100 pts
Lab exercises, fieldtrip assignments,
and participation
200 pts
Lab Subtotal
300 pts
Your percent score in the class will be determined as follows: Course % = (Sum of points earned by you
/ Sum of points possible on each assignment) x 100
Grades in the course are assigned according to the following scale:
A = 90% and above B = 80 - 89.99%
C = 70 - 79.99%
D = 60 - 66.99%
Lecture Schedule – Marine Biology Spring 08
(Tentative – minor adjustments may occur depending on classroom discussions)
Week
Dates
1
Aug.
2
Sept.
3
4
5
6
Oct.
7
8
9
10
11
Nov.
12
13
14
15
16
Dec.
25
27
01
03
08
10
15
17
22
24
29
01
06
08
13
15
20
22
27
29
03
05
10
12
17
19
25
26
01
03
08
10
15
17
Lecture
Day
Topic
M
Introductions & Course Overview
W
Scientific method & Ocean Geology (Ch 1 & 2)
M
** Holiday – No Class – Labor Day **
W
Ocean Geography & Water Chemistry (Ch 2 & 3)
M
Surface Currents & Waves (Ch 3)
W
Tides & Deep Water Currents (Ch 3)
M
Fundamental Biology (Ch 4)
W
Exam 1
M
Marine Microbes (Ch 5)
W
Multi-cellular Protists (Ch 6)
M
Invertebrates (Ch 7)
W
Invertebrates
M
Fish (Ch 8)
W
Reptiles, Birds, & Mammals (Ch 9)
M
Mammals (cont.)
W
Exam 2
M
Intro. To Marine Ecology (Ch 10)
W
Rocky Shores (Ch 11)
M
Sandy Shores (Ch 11)
W
Estuaries & Mangroves (Ch 12)
M
Continental Shelf & Kelp Habitats (Ch 13)
W
Coral Reefs (Ch 14)
M
Epipelagic (Ch 15)
W
Mesopelagic & Deep Sea (Ch 16)
M
Exam 3
W
Fisheries (Ch 17)
M
W
M
Fisheries (Cont.)
W
Human Impact, MPA’s, & Aquaculture (Ch 18)
M
Biological Invasions
W
Global Warming
M
Wrap-up & review
W
Exam 4
Thanksgiving Break
Laboratory Schedule
(Tentative – minor adjustments may occur depending on fieldtrips/weather)
Week
Date
Activities
1
8/29
Lab Safety/ Scientific Method / Sand Crab Morphology
2
9/5
Sand Crab Experiment and Analysis
3
9/12
Salinity Experiments
4
9/19
Marine Plankton and Algae
5
9/26
Field Trip: Intertidal Community (low tide 1.30 @ 13:59)
6
10/3
Marine Invertebrates - survey and identification
7
10/10
Field Trip: Harbor Fouling Community
8
10/17
Fish Adaptations
9
10/24
Field Trip: Steven Birch Aquarium
10
10/31
Lucky Fish Market; Lab activity
11
11/7
Field Trip: Sea World
12
11/14
Dive Response
13
11/21
Field Trip: Estuaries and Salt Marshes
14
11/28
** Thanksgiving Break **
15
12/5
Poster Presentations
16
12/12
Final Lab Exam
Personal Background and Objectives (20 pts), Due August 29th
Within two pages (double-spaced, 12pt font), tell me about yourself and be sure to include the following
information:
 A small photo of yourself attached (or embedded) to the upper left corner.
 Tell me about your science background (courses, instructors, institutions), and the reason for taking this
class in particular.
 What letter grade do you expect to earn in the class and why?
 What are your academic and professional career goals, and what are your plans to achieve those goals?
 What are your interests and hobbies?
 Anything else you would like me to know about you (relevant allergies, medical conditions, etc)?
 Lastly, reflect on what you hope to achieve from this course. In doing so, compile a single question that
you personally would like to have answered or challenged during the journey of this course.