BIO 112: Organisms, Evolution, & Ecosystems
Spring 2015 Syllabus
Professor: Dr. Mark Stanback
Office: Watson 282
Phone: 704-894-2325
email: mastanback@davidson.edu
Office Hours
Mon 11:30 – 1:30
Wed 11:30 – 1:30
or by appointment
Lecture: TR 12:15 - 1:30 in Dana 146
Lab Section A (20065): T 1:30 - 4:20 in Watson 119
Lab Section B (20522): W 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, anatomy, and physiology.
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 when you email me).
Textbooks*
Sadava, D., Hillis, D.M., Heller, H.C., Berenbaum, M.R. 2011. Life: The Science of Biology, 9th ed.
Sinauer Assoc., Sunderland, MA. (10th ed also fine)
Perlman, R.L. 2013. Evolution and Medicine. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
Pechenik, J.A. 2012. A Short Guide to Writing About Biology, 8th ed. Pearson, Boston, MA. (the 7th
edition of Pechenik is also acceptable).
* For your convenience I have put a copy of Sadava et al. and a copy of Pechenik on reserve in the
library.
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!
Math & Science Center
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 small-group 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 Tuesday, January 20.
Appointments are available at other times. For more information, visit http://sites.davidson.edu/ctl, or
contact Dr. Mark Barsoum (mabarsoum or ext. 2796).
Reviews: Reviews will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and discussion questions. Reviews
will be taken in lab and are closed book. Spots can be found on Moodle.
Moodle: I will post spots, lectures, handouts, and readings on Moodle. This is also where you’ll take
your EvoMed 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).
Grades:
Lecture Grade:
Review 1 (17, 18 Feb: in lab)
Review 2 (24, 25 Mar: in lab)
Cumulative Final Exam (Chambers)
EvoMed quizzes
Laboratory Grade:
Pig Practical (29 Apr)
Pig Quizzes (3 @ 10 pts each)
Bird Feeder Poster (group poster)
Goldfish Poster (group poster)
Total Course Points Possible
=
=
=
=
100
100
200
110
=
=
=
=
=
100
30
30
30
700
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
Evolution and Medicine:
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 noon the day before to noon the
day of class - “quiz day”). There will be a total of 11 quizzes, each worth 10 points. You will have 15
minutes to take each quiz (they are short). EvoMed material will not be covered on the reviews or exam
unless we also cover the material during lecture.
Date
20 Jan
22 Jan
27 Jan
29 Jan
3 Feb
5 Feb
10 Feb
12 Feb
19 Feb
24 Feb
26 Feb
Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Topic
Evolution and medicine
Human demography, history, and disease
Evolutionary genetics
Cystic fibrosis
Life history tradeoffs and the evolutionary biology of aging
Cancer
Host-pathogen coevolution
Sexually transmitted diseases
Malaria
Gene-culture coevolution: lactase persistence
Man-made diseases
LABORATORY
The laboratory component of this course will feature computer simulations of evolution and
ecology (Populus and SimBio), a study of foraging ecology of cardinals, a goldfish physiology
experiment, and an in-depth fetal pig dissection. For the pig dissection, each student will get their own
pig to dissect. You will 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.
Week of
Jan 12
Jan 19
Jan 26
Feb 2
Feb 9
Feb 16
Feb 23
Mar 2
Mar 9
Mar 16
Mar 23
Mar 30
Apr 6
Apr 13
Apr 20
Apr 27
Activities
TOSLS
Populus: selection and drift
SimBio Flowers and Trees, SimBio How the Guppy Got Its Spots
Feeder experiment
Feeder data analysis and poster production
Review I in lab
SimBio Isle Royale (plus paper discussion), SimBio Keystone Predator
No lab (Spring Break)
Goldfish Physiology
Goldfish poster production and presentation
Review II in lab
Fetal Pig (external, digestive + quiz)
No lab (Easter Break)
Fetal Pig (respiratory, circulatory + quiz)
Fetal Pig (circulatory, urogenital + quiz)
Fetal Pig (review Tues and Wed), Practical Wed night (29 Apr)
Bio Lunch!
Every Friday the Biology Faculty and interested Biology students have lunch at Commons (from ~
12:20 – 1:20). You don’t need to be a major. Join us!