DETAILED SYLLABUS
BIOL 3090 Invertebrate Zoology & Included Laboratory
Fall 2012
CRN: 20766
Class Time: MWF; 12:00-12:50pm; Britt 103
Instructor: Phil Hightower
Email: phightower@abac.edu
Phone: 229.391.5111
Division Office: 229.391.5100
Office: Conger 209
Office Hours: Listed below and by appointment as needed. If you need anything, go see
your instructor and ask for help! FYI: The AAC is a free tutoring center in the bottom
floor of the library.
M
T
W
R
F
9:00-12:00 noon
AAC 2:00-3:00pm
10:00-11:00am
3:00-4:00pm back in office
2:00-4:00pm
1:00-3:00pm
BIOL 3090 INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY. 4 hours. Prerequisites: BIOL 2080 and
BIOL 3200 with a grade of C or higher. Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab
each week. This course entails a survey of the evolution, morphology, diversity, and
ecology of invertebrates. Fall.
Course Objectives:
1. Understand the evolution of major invertebrate phyla.
2. Gain an awareness of the various invertebrate body plans.
3. Understand the diversity of major invertebrate phyla along with associated taxonomy.
4. Comprehend basic ecology of major invertebrate phyla.
5. Understand reproductive life cycles of selected invertebrates.
Course Outcomes:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the evolutionary relationships between major invertebrate
phyla.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the various invertebrate body plans.
3. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the diversity and taxonomy of major invertebrate
phyla.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the ecological role of invertebrates.
5. Demonstrate comprehension of various reproductive life cycles associated with
representative invertebrates.
LECTURE Portion of the Class
TEXTBOOK: Jan A. Pechenik. 2010. Biology of the Invertebrates. 6th edition. McGraw
Hill.
ATTENDANCE: Regular class attendance is expected. Roll will be taken each class
period and generally during the first 10 minutes of class. Any student not present at the
time the roll is taken or missing a significant portion of the class will normally be counted
absent. Two tardies will count as one absence. Plan to be on time and stay for the full
class time. If you are playing on cell phones or devices, it is the instructor's opinion that
you are not really present in mind or spirit nor fully attempting to learn the material
necessary to be successful in the course. The instructor reserves the right to assign
tardies in such cases.
Students absent from class due to any non-institutional reasons will usually not be
allowed to make up any missed point opportunities (quizzes, exams, in-class assignments,
etc.). In addition, the student will lose the opportunity to learn the material in a classroom
environment and may miss any announcements regarding exams, quizzes, and
assignments. It is each student’s responsibility to keep up with all classroom activities;
lecture notes (oral, written on the board, or on slides); and dates of exams, assignments,
quizzes, etc.
Students missing class due to official ABAC business are required to notify the
instructor ahead of time and make arrangements in a manner acceptable to the instructor
to ensure they do not miss any course content, assignments, or exams.
In an effort to encourage classroom attendance and thus enhance a student’s
exposure to the material, the following bonus points (10 maximum pts, see table) will be
awarded on a sliding scale to students who have no or limited non-institutional absences
at the end of the semester. Be aware of the difference between points and percentage
points. The attendance points are not percentage points. Check with the instructor
regularly to see your absences. The instructor’s roll is official and will not generally
be changed after the day of class.
Use the area below to record days you are absent or miss a significant portion of the class
and to calculate bonus points. Again, these are points, not percentage points.
Dates absent (if any)
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
0 absences = + 10 pts
1 absence = + 8 pts
2 absences = + 6 pts
3 absences = + 4 pts
4 absences = + 2 pts
5 absences or more = + ZERO pts
WITHDRAWAL: A student may withdraw from the course up to the midpoint of the
semester and receive a grade of W. After midterm, students may withdraw only with the
permission of the Academic Dean and may receive a W or WF according to their
documented averages at the time of withdrawal. Students abandoning classes will still
receive a grade at the end of the semester (probably an F due to missed point
opportunities). See the college catalog for the college policy on withdrawal.
ACADAMIC RESPONSIBILITY: Cheating and Academic Dishonesty in any way,
shape, or form is grounds for an assigned grade of an F, possible dismissal from the
course, and perhaps other punitive action depending upon the circumstances. Refer
to the college catalog (www.abac.edu/ses/handbook/CodeofConduct.pdf) for a more
complete explanation. Be aware that plagiarism is also considered to be academic
dishonesty. Feel free to check with the instructor before turning in an assignment if
you are unclear on the meaning of plagiarism.
Electronic checking for plagiarism may be used in this course.
GRADING: Lecture Grades will be determined by dividing the total points you EARN
by the total number of points possible. It is estimated that there will be approximately 500
lecture points. Any late assignments accepted will receive a 15% penalty for each ABAC
work-day or any part thereof that it is late. Assignments 7 days late or more will receive a
zero. Also, be aware that any assignments turned in after the last day of the class will
receive a zero.
TESTING: There will be four lecture exams over content assigned or discussed during
class. The lowest regular lecture exam score will be dropped at the end of the semester. If
a student misses one exam, then that will be the lowest grade (0) and will be dropped.
Subsequent missed exams will not be able to be dropped. For example, if a student
misses two regular lecture exams, one will be dropped and the student will normally
receive a ZERO for the other missed exam. Makeup exams are not generally given. If the
instructor chooses to allow a makeup exam, then it must be taken within one week of the
scheduled exam. The final exam will be comprehensive and will not be able to be
dropped.
Cell phones, pagers, music players, and any electronic communication device must be
turned off during any testing periods. All such items must be on mute/silent at other times
and should not be in active use. The wearing of earbuds is prohibited at any time during
class, including during exams. Students may not use programmable calculators on inclass exams or quizzes. Students may be asked to remove caps or turn them around
during testing periods.
CLASS POINTS
Paper, assignments, take-home quizzes, and pop quizzes:
Total
100pts (Approximate)
Exam 1
100pts
Exam 2
100pts
Exam 3
100pts
Exam 4
100pts
Total Exam Points
300pts (remember lowest exam grade drops)
Comprehensive Final Exam
100pts
Total Lecture Points
500 pts (Approximate)
Biol 3090
Britt 103
Hightower
CRN: 20766 MWF 12:00-12:50pm
Tentative Class Schedule
Note: The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule at anytime. If the class is officially canceled,
plan on the missed day’s activities occurring on the next class day.
Monday
8/13
Syllabus,
Intro. material from Ch. 1 & 2
8/20
Ch. 3 cont.
8/27
Ch. 4 cont.
9/3
Labor Day-No Class
9/10
Exam 1 (Ch. 1,2,3,4,5,6)
9/17
Ch. 8 cont.
9/24
Ch. 10 cont.
Ch. 11 The Nemertines
10/1
Ch. 12 cont.
Wednesday
8/15
Intro. material from Ch. 1 & 2
Friday
8/17
Ch. 3 The Protists
8/22
Ch. 3 cont.
8/29
Ch. 4 cont.
Paper Abstracts due!
9/5
Ch. 6 cont.
9/12
Ch. 7 The Ctenophores
9/19
Ch. 8 cont.
9/26
Ch. 16 The Nematodes
(Lab Practical 1)
10/3 Exam 2 (Ch. 7,8,10,11,16,
half 12)
8/24 Ch. 4 Poriferans and
Placozoans
8/31
Ch. 5 The Hydrostatic skeleton
Ch. 6 The Cnidarians
9/7
Ch. 6 cont.
9/14
Ch. 8 The Platyhelminthes
9/21
Ch. 10 The Gnathifera
9/28
Ch. 12 The Molluscs
10/5
Ch. 12 cont.
(Thursday is midterm withdrawal day)
10/8
Ch. 12 cont.
10/15
Fall Break (10/15-16)
No class today
10/22
Ch. 14 The Arthropods
10/10
Ch. 13 The Annelids
10/17
Ch. 13 cont.
10/12
Ch. 13 cont.
10/19
TBA
10/24
Ch. 14 cont.
10/29
Ch. 14 cont.
11/5
Ch. 15 Tardigrades and
Onychophorans
11/12
Ch. 20 The Echinoderms
10/31
Ch. 14 cont.
11/7
Ch. 19 The Lophophorates and
Entopracts
11/14
Ch. 20 cont.
(Lab Practical 2)
11/21
Thanksgiving Break
Give thanks, no classes!
11/21-23
11/28
Ch. 23 The Nonvertebrate
Chordates
10/26
Ch. 14 cont.
Paper Draft due!
11/2
Exam 3 (Ch. half 12,13,14)
11/9
Ch. 19 cont.
11/19
Ch. 21 The Hemichordates
Paper due!
11/26
Ch. 22 The Xenoturbellids
3090 MWF
Mon, 12:30-2:30pm
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL
Britt103
Lecture Invertebrate Paper (60 pts Total)
11/16
Ch. 20 cont.
11/23
Thanksgiving Break
Give thanks, no classes!
11/21-23
11/30
Exam 4 (Ch. 15, 19, 20, 21, 22)
Last day of Classes.
At part of your lecture grade, you will prepare a paper on an invertebrate species
belonging to one of the categories (1-19) below. Once a category has been chosen by a
student, it is no longer available to the rest of the class. Choosing order will be
determined by lot in class.
1. Phylum Porifera
Phylum Cnidaria
2. Class Syphozoa, Cubozoa, or Hydrozoa
3. Class Anthozoa
4. Phylum Ctenophora
5. Phylum Platyhelminthes
6. Phylum Rotifera
7. Phylum Nemertea
Phylum Mollusca
8. Class Gastropoda
9. Class Bivalvia
10. Class Cephalopoda
11. Phylum Annelida
Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Chelicerata
12. Class Merastomata
13. Class Arachnida
14. Subphylum Mandibulata
Superclass Hexapoda
15. Class Insecta
16. Class Crustacea
17. Phylum Tardigrada
18. Phylum Nematoda
19. Phylum Echinodermata
After thoroughly researching your chosen invertebrate species, you will prepare a
paper containing the components as detailed below. Read these items carefully and be
sure your paper conforms to the standards as you will be graded in part on how well you
follow directions. For better and for worse, scientific writing almost always has to follow
someone else's (instructor, graduate school, health institution, grant, journals, etc.)
parameters. You may as well get used to having some imposed guidance.
Title page: The one-page title page should include your name, the title of the paper, the
course title, the instructor's name, and the current semester.
Table of contents: The table of contents should briefly list the sections of your paper
along with their corresponding page numbers.
Body of text: The body of the text should contain at a minimum these sections:
Introduction, Description and Taxonomy, Life History (reproduction and growth),
Ecology (habitat, diet, trophic level, interspecific relationships, importance to
environment including humans if applicable), and Conclusion. You should also include
sections discussing any other defining characteristics or points you deem necessary to
describe, enumerate, or explain the ecology or importance of your invertebrate species. It
usually works best to write the introduction and conclusion after the body of the text is
complete.
-Each section should be clearly labeled in the text.
-Each page should be numbered.
-Do not put the title on each page or any other header.
-The body of the text shall be between 8 and 10 pages of double-spaced material.
-Font should be either Cambria, Calibri, Times, or Times New Roman.
-Font size should be no larger than 12.
-Margin spacing should be no larger than 1" on the top and bottom and 1.25" on
the left and right.
-Graphics may comprise no more than 10% of the paper.
-In text source citations shall be used for any information that is not general
knowledge. Follow APA style.
(See http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa)
Bibliography: The bibliography shall be in APA style and should include all the sources
that you cited in the text. Be sure to collect all needed information at you gather
resources.
Appropriate reference material and minimum requirements:
Peer-reviewed scientific journal articles -You must use a minimum of 8 total of
which 4 must be primary research articles. Primary research articles present original
research (hypothesis or discover based) done by the authors. You are required to submit
copies of the abstracts of your 4 primary research articles for verification.
Peer-reviewed scientific journal articles that do not present original research can
also be used. Examples would include articles that review others' research or that present
the views or thoughts of a recognized authority on a particular subject. Books by
recognized authorities are also acceptable but do not count towards the minimum of 8
peer-reviewed journal articles.
PLAGIARISM IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. If you do it, you can expect
to receive a ZERO for this assignment. See "What is plagiarism?" at:
http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html
Paper Due Dates:
Wednesday 8/29/12: 5pts-Turn in copies of 4 abstracts of primary research articles that
you are certain you will use in your paper.
Friday 10/26/12: 5pts-Turn in your rough draft for review. Body of text should be at
least 3/4 complete. All other components should be in place and up to date.
Monday 11/19/12: 50pts-Turn in your completed paper for grading
LABORATORY Portion of the Class
LAB MANUAL: Wallace and Taylor. 2003. Invertebrate Zoology: A Laboratory
Manual. 6th edition. Benjamin Cummings.
ATTENDANCE: Roll will be taken each day of lab. Students absent from lab due to
any non-institutional reasons will not be allowed to make up any missed point
opportunities (quizzes, exams, assignments, etc.). It is each student’s responsibility to
keep up with all lab activities; lab notes (spoken aloud, written on the board, or on
slides); and dates of exams, assignments, quizzes, etc.
Students missing laboratory due to official ABAC business are required to
notify the instructor ahead of time and make arrangements in a manner acceptable
to the instructor.
LAB ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES: There will be lab assignments and lab quizzes
throughout the semester estimated to be worth an estimated total of 100 points.
TESTING: There will be two Lab Practical Exams, one near midterm and one closer to
the end of the semester. Each will be worth 100 pts.
Cell phones, pagers, music players, and any electronic communication device must be
turned off during any testing periods. All such items must be on mute/silent at other
times. The wearing of earbuds is prohibited at any time during lab, including during
exams. Students may not use programmable calculators on in-class exams or quizzes.
Students may be asked to remove caps or turn them around during testing periods.
LAB POINTS
Lab activities and quizzes
Lab Practical Exam 1
Lab Practical Exam 2
Total Lab Points
100pts (Estimated)
100 pts
100 pts_
300 pts (Estimated)
GRADING: Laboratory Grades will be determined by dividing the total points you earn
by the total number of points possible.
Tentative Laboratory Schedule
FALL 2012
Biol 3090L BRITT 204:
W
2:00-4:50pm
Date
Aug 15
Aug 22
Aug 29
Sept 5
Sept 12
Sept 19
Sept 26
BIOL 3090L
Roll Call and Lab Procedures
Ex. 1 The Protozoans
Ex. 1 cont.
Ex. 2 Phylum Porifera
Ex. 3 Phylum Cnidaria
Ex. 5 Phylum Platyhelminthes
Lab Practical Exam 1 (Ex. 1,2,3,5)
(Midterm withdrawal day is Thursday Oct 4)
Oct 3
Oct 10
Oct 17
Oct 24
Oct 31
Nov 7
Nov 14
Ex. 10 Phylum Mollusca
Ex. 10 cont.
Ex. 11 Phylum Annelida
Ex. 16 Phylum Arthropoda
Ex. 16 cont.
Ex. 22 Phylum Echinodermata
Lab Practical Exam 2 (Ex. 10, 11, 16, 22)
Nov 21
Thanksgiving Break
Nov 21-23
No Labs This Week!
Lab Worksheet on:
Ex. 24 Phylum Hemichordata & Ex. 25
Phylum Chordata
Nov 28
(Fri., Nov 30, Last Class Day)
FINAL COURSE GRADE
An assigned final grade for the 4hr course will be determined using the
letter/percentages below by combining the percentages from lecture and lab. The lecture
grade will count 70% of the final grade and the lab grade will count 30% of the final
grade.
For example, if you made a 0.79 in class and a 0.83 in the lab; you would figure your
grade as (0.79 X 0.70) + (0.83 X 0.30)= (0.553 + 0.249) = 0.802 and thus you would
have earned a B for the 4 hour course.
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F zero-59%
If there is a student in this class who has properly documented specific needs because of
learning disabilities or any other disability, please feel free to contact the instructor.