Biology 120 Spring 2015 Mon./Weds. 9:30-10:45 Rm S201
Introduction to Biological Science
Ms. Anna Valcarcel
Phone: 562-860-2451 Extn 2686
Email: avalcarcel@cerritos.edu
Office: Science Building Rm 114
Office Hours: Monday 3:20-4:20pm, Wednesday 9-9:30am, Thursday 2:30-4pm
Website: www.cerritos.edu/avalcarcel/
Being Successful
As a science, biology will require a lot of time outside of lecture and lab to be successful. There is a lot of
vocabulary to learn and this class will move at a fast pace. You will need to be willing to spend at least 10
hours a week (not counting lecture and lab) studying. I recommend that you use the resources available to
you such as tutoring, forming study groups, the internet, etc. so that you can be successful. Biology is not a
subject that you can cram for the night before the test. Stay on top of your reading and studying from the
beginning! I want you to be successful so let me know how I can help you. Please come to my office hours if
you have any questions. If you are unable to attend office hours make an appointment to meet with me. Good
communication will be important. I want you to be successful.
Academic Support Center
The ASC is located in the lower level of the library, LRC east, and has tutors available in most subjects.
Each student is entitled to a maximum of 30 hours per semester at no cost.
Text: Jay Phelan. What is Life? A Guide to Biology 2nd edition
Lab Book: Explorations in Biology available at the bookstore
*Lecture is worth 75% of your grade and lab is worth 25% of your grade. You must pass the lab portion of
this class in order to get credit for this course. Lecture consists of four multiple choice exams worth 100
points each, and a field assignment worth 100 points (more information below).
Tenative Grade Break-down:
Points
4 multiple choice exams……………………..400 pts (100 pts each)
1 field assignment…………………………….50 pts
Grading Scale
A=90-100%
B=80-89%
C=65-79%
D=55-64%
F=54% or less
Lecture 450
Lab 150
Total 600
Exams
You will need to bring a pencil and a scantron 882 for the exams. You need to have your desk cleared
including all electronics. If I see an electronic device on your desk, you will receive a zero on the exam. If
you arrive so late that other students have finished and left you will have to have to schedule a make-up
exam outside of class.
Make-up Work
You may not turn in any late work unless it is an excused absence. All make-up exams will be done by
appointment only. Make-up exams must be completed within 2 weeks of the absence and will consist of
essay questions and short answers.
Dropping
If you wish to drop this class it is your responsibility to do so. I will be taking role everyday and will drop
those who do not regularly attend class (if you miss more than 7 classes). It is your responsibility to drop if
you stop attending. Be sure to go to the admissions office to drop to ensure a “W” not an “F” in this class.
Bio 120
WEEK
1
2
DATE
Jan
Jan
3
Jan
4
Feb
5
Feb
6
Feb
7
Feb
8
March
9
March
March
10
March
11
March
April
April
April
April
12
13
14
April
15
April
LECTURE
TEXT CHAPTER
12
14
19
21
Scientific thinking
Cells
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Cells, transport into & out of cells
1
3
26
28
2
4
9
11
16
18
23
25
2
4
9
11
16
18
23
25
30
1
6
8
13
15
20
22
27
29
Microbes
Chemistry of Life
Chemistry of Life
DNA
Exam 1 Ch. 1-3, 13
Continue DNA
Presidents' Day Holiday
Mitosis & Meiosis
Mitosis & Meiosis
Plant and Fungi Diversity
Flowering plant reproduction
13
2
2
5
Cont. plants
Exam 2 Ch. 5,6,12
Photosynthesis & Cell Respiration
Spring Recess
LABORATORY
Microscopes
Cells, Mitosis
3
Protists and Bacteria
Physical properties of
life
Enzymes
5
DNA
6
6
12
12
12
Algae, Mosses, Ferns
Seed Plants
4
Lab Exam 1
Cont. cell respiration
Evolution
Evolution
4
8
8, 10 and pages 365376,
Photosynthesis
Animal Diversity
11
Evolution
Exam 3 Ch. 4, 8,10, 11
Population Ecology
Population Ecology
14
14
Invertebrate Animals II
15
Chordates
Ecosystems
Final Field Paper Due April 27th
Cellular Respiration
Invertebrate Animals I
16
May
17
May
18
May.
4
6 Conservation
11 Genetics
13
20 Final Lecture Exam 10-12pm
Science 201
16
Lab Exam II
7
Genetics Workshop
(Ch. 14-16, 7)
Learning Outcomes
Here are five learning outcomes for the class. Upon completing Biology 120 students will be able to:
1. Identify evidence to support the theory of evolution, and two mechanisms that cause evolution to
happen.
2. Identify the reactants and products of photosynthesis and cell respiration and describe the role of both
plants and animals in the carbon cycle.
3. Use a microscope to locate and identify plant, animal, and bacterial cells as well as structures, which
may be visible in these cells such as the nucleus, cell membrane, chloroplasts, and cell wall.
4. Compare and contrast algae, mosses, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms. They will describe the
similarities and differences between each group.
5. Use the scientific method to develop hypotheses to predict outcomes of experiments, and record
experimental data to use to refute or support their hypotheses.
Classroom Manners
Be respectful of those who are here to learn. Do not talk, text, use cellphones (I find this particularly rude
and annoying), or other electronic equipment during lecture. It is rude and disruptive. Make sure all cell
phones are OFF before you come to class. It is your responsibility to be on time, if you come in late make
sure to come in the back door so that you do not interrupt the class! You may not leave class early (unless
you are ill) or to answer your cell phone! *There is no eating, drinking, or smoking in the lecture hall.
A note to students with disabilities
If you have, or think you have a disability that interferes with your performance as a student in
class, then you are encouraged for academic reasons to discuss this on a confidential basis with your
instructor, and/or the Disabled Student Programs and Services at Cerritos College (562) 860-2451 ext.2333,
www.cerritos.edu/dsps/). If you have a condition that may affect your ability to exit from the premises in
case of emergency, you are urged, for safety reasons, to notify any of the above persons.
Academic Honest/Dishonesty Policy
Your instructors are eager to help you succeed in your studies at Cerritos College. But success means more
than just receiving a passing grade in a course. Success means that you have mastered the course content so
that you may use that knowledge in the future, either to be successful on a job, or to continue on with your
education in advanced classes.
Your success depends on a combination of the skill and knowledge of your instructors, and your own hard
work. You will reach your future goals only if you gain new knowledge from every course you take. That
knowledge becomes yours, and can be used by you, only if it is gained through your own personal efforts.
Receiving a grade in a course, without acquiring the knowledge that goes with it, diminishes your chances
for future success.
While in college, you are also shaping the principles which will guide you throughout the rest of your life.
Ethical behavior and integrity are a vital part of those principles. A reputation for honesty says more about
you, and is more highly prized, than simply your academic skills.
For that reason, academic honesty is taken very seriously by the Cerritos College faculty. The following
guidelines have been prepared so that you will understand what is expected of you in maintaining academic
honesty.
Academic dishonesty is normally to be dealt with as an academic action by the instructor, reflected in the
student’s grade in the particular course, rather than through college disciplinary procedures.
No specific departmental, divisional or institutional procedures are established for academic dishonesty other
than the normal process for review and appeal of an instructor’s grading procedures. However, plagiarism,
cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are violations of the college’s official Standards of
Conduct.
Academic dishonesty is defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of
any dishonest, deceptive or fraudulent means. Examples of academic dishonesty would include, but not be
limited to the following:
• Copying, either in part or in whole, from another’s test or examination;
• Discussion of answers or ideas relating to the answers, on examination or test when the instructor
prohibits such discussion;
• Obtaining copies of an exam without the permission of the instructor;
• Using notes, “cheat sheets,” or otherwise utilizing information or devices not considered
appropriate under the prescribed test conditions;
• Altering a grade or interfering with the grading procedures in any course;
• Allowing someone other than the officially enrolled student to represent the same;
• Plagiarism, which is defined as the act of taking the ideas, words or specific substantive material of
another and offering them as one’s own without giving credit to the source.
The faculty member may take options to the extent that the faculty member considers the cheating or
plagiarism to manifest the student’s lack of scholarship or to reflect on the student’s lack of academic
performance in the course. One or more of the following actions are available to the faculty member who
suspects a student has been cheating or plagiarizing:
1. Review-no action.
2. An oral reprimand with emphasis on counseling toward prevention of further occurrences.
3. A requirement that work be repeated.
4. A reduction of the grade earned on the specific work in question, including the possibility of no
credit for the work.
5. A reduction of the course grade as a result of item 4 above, including the possibility of a failing
grade for the course.
6. Referral to the Office of Judicial Affairs for further administrative action, such as suspension or expulsion.
Field Assignment Due April 27th
To truly appreciate biology and our natural world it is important to go out and see it. Even though Los
Angeles is a huge city there are parks within an hour of Los Angeles that have great examples of plant and
animal life. Listed below are some of those areas. You assignment is to visit one of those parks and go on a
regularly scheduled tour or attend a regularly scheduled talk given by a ranger or trained volunteer,
or docent. Do not request a special tour for yourself or for you and a group of friends. Most of these
natural areas have staffing shortages and DO NOT have the staff or time to offer you a private tour or talk.
Because many parks will close after a rain I highly suggest doing this early in the semester. If you wait until
the end of the semester and then your tour is rained-out, you will not be able to use this as an excuse. Also if
you plan on going as a group of students I recommend calling the tour guide in advance to make sure they
can accommodate all of you. It is due on April 27th*. Do not put this off too long as some of these areas
only offer tours once or twice a month. You will not earn full credit without including a picture or if you
visit an area but do not go on a guided tour.
To complete this assignment you must:
1. Attend a guided walk at the park
2. Take a picture of yourself with the ranger or volunteer
3. Provide me with the picture and a 1.5-2 page typed single spaced paper on what you learned. You should
include in your paper: What kind of habitat makes up the park (what biome)? Are there any endangered
species within the park's boundaries? If so, give a list (common and scientific names) of the endangered
species and why they are endangered. What are some environmental issues facing this park? What is the
importance of protecting this park (what purpose does it serve)? Also tell me about your experience on your
hike and what you saw and learned about the plants and animals. You will specifically need to give me the
names of 5 plant species and 5 animal species that you saw on your hike (scientific and common names).
Please tell me what you learned about these organisms from your guide. An example: “I saw one house finch
(Carpodacus mexicanus) and I learned that the males are red and the females are mostly brown” (- in other
words I do not want a list).
I have listed below a variety of natural areas in the Southern California area. These areas are great places to
take friends and family members, but leave your dogs at home. Some are more than a couple of hours away.
In those cases I give you an estimate of time. You will need to use Mapquest, or a map or road atlas to find
the best route to these areas from your home or the college.
You may visit the places listed or you may go to a park of your choosing (check with me first- it cannot be
an urban park, a zoo, or botanical gardens). When visiting the parks please be respectful of the rules and
do not litter, touch or bother any plants or animals, or take any specimens home. Have fun!
Suggested Natural Areas in Southern California to Visit
Wetlands
Bolsa Chica State Reserve
The Bolsa Chica Land Trust offers tours of the area on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 10 AM in the south
parking lot on Pacific Coast Highway.
Cost: Free, parking is also free in the small lot on Pacific Coast Highway
Restrictions: No dogs or bicycles allowed. Everything in the refuge is protected. Do not disturb anything
and don’t walk in the closed areas.
Website www.BolsaChicaLandTrust.org.
Phone 714-846-1001
What you can do and see: Take a walk around the wetlands and onto the adjacent upland mesa area. The
trail is flat and an easy walk. Over 200 species of birds have been seen at Bolsa Chica . As you walk across
the footbridge look for round rays, jellies and fish in the water below. Ducks, hawks and shorebirds are
usually easy to see. Bring binoculars if you have them and water and a snack.
Newport Back Bay
Cost: Free
Restrictions: No dogs. Everything in the refuge is protected. Do not disturb anything and don’t walk in the
closed areas.
Website http://www.newportbay.org/bayintro.htm
Phone (949) 923- 2275
What you can do and see
Go to the website to see all that is offered and get directions. Bring sun protection and binoculars if you
have them.. Unless otherwise indicated the tours take place or start at the Interpretive Center.
Get directions here: http://www.newportbay.org/maptoic.htm
Reservations are required. Call (949) 923-2275 or mailto:unbic@ocparks.com. For all programs
space is limited and confirmation number may be required.
Beaches with Tide Pools
Crystal Cove State Park
Cost: tour is free, but there is a cost for parking
Website: www.crystalcovestatepark.org
Phone 949-497-7647
Restrictions: No Dogs, no fires, no smoking. You may not take anything from the tide pools or other areas
of the park. You must stay on trails when hiking.
What you can do and see: This park on the coast in Newport Beach is one of the last undeveloped areas
along the coast in Southern California. It has 3.25 miles of coastline with coastal bluffs. Across Pacific Coast
Highway is El Morro Canyon which has 18 miles of trails into a Coastal Sage Scrub plant community. The
park is open 6AM to sunset year round. There are ranger or volunteer led tidepool walks, and back county
hikes on most weekends. CALL FOR INFORMATION.
Cabrillo Aquarium Tide Pool Walks
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
3720 Stephen White Drive
San Pedro, California USA 90731
Cost Cabrillo Beach parking: Free on weekdays November 1 through February 28, $7 per car weekends and
March 1 through October 31, Motorcycles $5.50. You may also park for free in the lot at 22nd Street and
Miner near the terminus of the Port of Los Angeles' Red Car Line and take a free shuttle to Cabrillo Beach.
****If you just visit the aquarium without going on the walk to the tidepools, you can not earn full
credit for this assignment*****!!
Aquarium admission is free, however the suggested donation is $5 adults, $1 children Website
http://www.cabrilloaq.org
Phone (310) 548-7562 TDD (310) 548-2052
Restrictions No pets.
The staff of the Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro offers tidepool walks on many weekends when the tide is
low. The fee is $1.00. The aquarium is a great place to take family and friends. . I encourage you to visit the
aquarium before or after going on the tidepool walk. However, if you just visit the aquarium without
going on the walk to the tidepools, you can not earn full credit for this assignment. Wear sneakers, and
dress for the outdoors.
Tide pool walk schedules for this fall:
The Chaparral
Caspers Wilderness Park
33401 Ortega Hwy.
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Cost 3.00 entrance fee per car
Website http://www.ocparks.com/caspers/
Phone (949)923-2210
Restrictions: No pets are allowed. Don’t bring your dog. You will not be allowed in the park.
What you can see and do:
Caspers Wilderness Park is an 8,000 acre protected wilderness preserve in southern Orange County. Large
groves of California Live Oaks and Sycamore trees can be found at the park. Wildlife is abundant and can be
readily viewed from any of the parks numerous trails. Guided nature walks are given on Sundays. Call the
park for more information. It may take between an hour to one and two hours to get to this park from
Cerritos. The website for the park has directions and a map. This is a wonderful park that allows camping so
you might consider spending the night at a campground. Camping information and reservation information is
on the website. Also this is a wilderness park. In the 1980’s a 3 year old was mauled by a mountain lion at
this park. If you decide to take small children with you make sure to keep an eye on them, and don’t let them
run too far ahead of you on a trail. I have seen bobcats, golden eagles, and snakes when I have gone hiking
here!
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve
39400 Clinton Keith Rd
Murrieta, CA 92562
Cost Day use fees are $3 for adults and $2 for children between the ages of 2 and 12.
Website http://www.riversidecountyparks.org/park-directory/all-parks/santa-rosa-plateau Phone (951) 6776951
Restrictions: No pets, smoking or bicycles are allowed. Everything at the Reserve is protected. You may not
pick flowers, or take anything from the reserve.
The visitor center is open Sat. & Sun. 9:00 am- 5:00 pm and from October to May Thurs. & Fri. 10:00 am4:00 pm as well. Tours are Saturday starting at 9:30 AM
What you can do and see.
The Reserve consists of 9000 acres. The land has been set aside to protect unique ecosystems like
Engelmann oak woodlands, riparian wetlands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, bunchgrass prairie, vernal pools
and more than 200 species of native birds and 49 endangered, threatened or rare animal and plant species,
including mule deer, mountain lions, badgers, bobcats, western pond turtles, white-tailed kites and fairy
shrimp. Two species of fairy shrimp live in the seasonal vernal pools on the Reserve, but only one is found
here and nowhere else on Earth. This is also a bit of a drive from the Cerritos area, but worth it! It will
probably take at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half or so to get to the Reserve from Cerritos. Pack a
picnic lunch and hike out to the old adobes!
Local Nature Center
Whitter Narrows Nature Center
1000 N Durfee Ave
South El Monte CA 91733
Cost: Free
Website: http://parks.co.la.ca.us/whittier_narea.html or
http://www.lacountyparks.org/Parkinfo.asp?URL=cms1_033384.asp&Title=Whittier%20Narrows%20
Natural%20Area%20and%20Center
Phone 626-575-5523
What you can do and see: There are ranger led tours, bird walks, and lectures. Call for information about
when these are offered. The nature center is over 200 acres of woodland and lakes. There is a museum
with displays of the plant and animal life. This is a nice place to take your family and friends.
Hours: 9:30am to 5:00pm daily. It is across the street from Legg Lake
More (Orange County)
Debs Park Audubon Center (Highland Park)
Aliso and Woods Canyon Park
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park
O’Neil Regional Park