BIO 112: Organisms, Evolution, & Ecosystems
Fall 2012 Syllabus
Professor: Dr. Mark Stanback
Office: Watson 282
Phone: 704-894-2325
email: mastanback@davidson.edu
Office Hours
Mon 1:00 - 3:00
Tues 1:00 - 3:00
or by appointment
Lecture: TR 9:40 - 10:55 in Chambers 2146
Lab Section C (14138): W 1:30 - 4:20 in Watson 119
Lab Section D (14139): R 1:40 - 4:20 in Watson 119
Course Description: Biology 112 is intended as an in-depth introduction to the principles of biology at
and above the level of the organism. Our focus will be on evolution, ecology, physiology, and anatomy.
Important: I use e-mail as a regular form of communication in this class. You should check your email at least once a day (and remember, always fill in the subject line).
Textbooks*
Sadava, D., D.M. Hillis, H.C. Heller, M.R. Berenbaum. 2009. Life: the Science of Biology, ninth ed.
Sinauer, Sunderland, Mass.
Nesse, R.M., G. C. Williams. 1994. Why We Get Sick: the New Science of Darwinian Medicine. Random
House, New York.
**Pechenik, J.A. 2012. A Short Guide to Writing About Biology, eighth ed. Pearson, Boston.
* For your convenience I have put one copy of Sadava et al, one copy of Nesse and Williams, and one
copy of Pechenik on reserve in the library.
**The 7th edition of Pechenik is also acceptable.
Other Resources:
The Math & Science Center (MSC) offers free assistance to students in all areas of math and science,
with a focus on the introductory courses. Trained and highly qualified peers hold one-on-one and smallgroup tutoring sessions on a drop-in basis or by appointment, as well as timely recap sessions ahead of
scheduled reviews. Emphasis is placed on thinking critically, understanding concepts, making
connections, and communicating effectively, not just getting correct answers. In addition, students can
start or join a study group and use the MSC as a group or individual study space. Located in the Center
for Teaching & Learning (CTL) on the first floor of the College Library, drop-in hours are Sunday
through Thursday, 8-11 PM, and Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, 4-6 PM, beginning Sunday, September 2.
Appointments are available at other times. For more information, visit
www3.davidson.edu/cms/x39569.xml, or contact Dr. Mark Barsoum (mabarsoum or ext. 2796).
Check out your text’s excellent online supplement: (http://www.thelifewire.com). You should also be
able to access www.yourBioPortal.com. Both provide information, practice quizzes, animated tutorials,
activities, and suggested readings for each chapter.
On Tuesdays we’ll sometimes start class by discussing pertinent articles from the NY Times Science
section. It’s a great way to keep up with cool findings in science!
Lab Fee: There is a $10 lab fee due by the end of the first week.
Reviews: Reviews will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and discussion questions. Reviews
will be taken in class and are closed book. Spots can be found on Moodle.
Moodle: I will post not only spots, but also lectures, handouts, and readings on Moodle. This is also
where you’ll take your Why We Get Sick quizzes. Although we can’t go entirely paperless in this
course, you should try to minimize unnecessary printing (there’s really no need for hard copies of spots
or lectures). Every day is Earth Day!
Grades:
Lecture Grade:
Review 1 (3, 4 Oct: in lab)
Review 2 (14, 15 Nov: in lab)
Cumulative Final Exam (Chambers)
Why We Get Sick quizzes
Laboratory Grade:
Pig Practical (8 Nov)
Pig Quizzes (3 @ 10 pts each)
Cardinal Poster (10 Dec)
Total Course Points Possible
=
=
=
=
100
100
200
120
=
=
=
=
100
30
25
675
Letter grades will be assigned using the following guidelines.
A
= 93.33 - 100% of total possible points
A= 89.99 - 93.32
C
=
B+
= 86.66 - 89.98
C=
B
= 83.33 - 86.65
D+
=
B= 79.99 - 83.32
D
=
C+
= 76.66 - 79.98
F
=
73.33 - 76.65
69.99 - 73.32
66.66 - 69.98
59.99 - 66.65
<59.99
Honor Code: All of your work in this course is covered under the college honor code and must be
pledged (the word “pledged” and your signature). Points will be deducted from any work that is not
pledged. Please visit the following page on the departmental web site for a detailed discussion of what
constitutes plagiarism in scientific writing
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/dept/plagiarism.html
Attendance: You are expected to attend all lecture and laboratory sessions and arrive on time. Any
student missing more than 2 labs will lose a letter grade. Please note that I do not distinguish between
good and bad causes of or reasons for an absence. You are responsible for any assignments given or due
on days missed. You are on your honor to record attendance accurately on posted attendance sheets. A
busy schedule (e.g. reviews in other courses, major papers due, commitments to service and social
organizations, personal travel) will not be considered a valid excuse for rescheduling reviews or lab
practicals.
Lecture topics will be covered in the order shown below. I will announce in class which chapters/pages
you should be reading for upcoming lectures and will inform you of all information to be covered on
scheduled reviews.
Lecture Topics
EVOLUTION
Mechanisms of Evolution
Species and Speciation
Chapters in Sadava et al.
21
22, 23
ECOLOGY
Behavioral Ecology
Population Ecology
Community Ecology
Systems Ecology
53
55
56, 57
58
ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY
Intro to Physiology and Anatomy
Hormones
Osmoregulation
Circulation
Gas Exchange
Reproduction
40 (in part)
41 (in part)
52 (in part)
50
49
43
Why We Get Sick:
Many people mistakenly think that evolutionary biology has no relevance in our lives. This short,
readable book will not only address the importance of evolution to medicine, it will also help you to
think like an evolutionary biologist. We will read this book during the first half of the semester and
spend the beginning of each designated class period (see below) discussing it. On these days, there will
be a Moodle quiz on the day’s material due before class (available from 9:30 a.m. the day before to 9:30
a.m. of the “quiz day”). There will be a total of 12 quizzes, each worth 10 points. You will have 15
minutes to take each quiz (they are short). For several chapters there will be some additional
supplemental reading (posted on Moodle). WWGS material will not be covered on the reviews or exam
unless we also cover the material during lecture.
Date
4 Sept
6 Sept
11 Sept
13 Sept
18 Sept
20 Sept
25 Sept
27 Sept
9 Oct
11 Oct
18 Oct
23 Oct
Chapter
1, 2
3
4
5, 6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14, 15
Topic
The Mystery of Disease, Evolution by Natural Selection
Signs and Symptoms of Infectious Disease
An Arms Race Without End
Injury, Toxins
Genes and Disease
Aging as the Fountain of Youth
Legacies of Evolutionary History
Diseases of Civilization
Allergy
Cancer
Reproduction
Are Mental Disorders Diseases? The Evolution of Medicine
LABORATORY
The laboratory component of this course will feature computer simulations of evolution and
ecology, an in-depth fetal pig dissection, and a field experiment. For the pig dissection, each student
will get their own pig to dissect. You may use departmental dissection equipment. I will provide you
with a thorough dissection manual and color manuals will also be available in lab. Consult appropriate
chapters in your text while we are working on our pigs. Note that there will be quizzes during the pig
dissection.
For our field experiment we will examine inter- and intrasexual foraging competition in Northern
Cardinals, a common campus bird. We will design our experiment prior to observing cardinals at bird
feeders around campus. Each pair of students will produce a poster.
Week of
Aug 27
Sept 3
Sept 10
Sept 17
Sept 24
Oct 1
Oct 8
Oct 15
Oct 22
Oct 29
Nov 5
Nov 12
Nov 19
Nov 26
Dec 3
Activities
Populus: selection and drift (HW problem set)
Finches and Evolution
How the Guppy Got Its Spots
Flowers and Trees
Isle Royale
Review I in lab
Keystone Predator
Fetal Pig (external, digestive + quiz) (note that this is the week of Fall Break)
Fetal Pig (respiratory, circulatory + quiz)
Fetal Pig (circulatory, urogenital + quiz)
Fetal Pig (review Wed and Thurs), Practical Thurs night (8 Nov)
Review II in lab
No lab: Thanksgiving
Cardinal foraging ecology
Cardinal lab data analysis, poster production, course evaluations (posters due 10 Dec)
Bio Lunch!
Every Friday the Biology Faculty and interested Biology students have lunch at Commons (from ~ 12:30
– 1:30). You don’t need to be a major. Join us!