LIFE
IN THE SEA (BIOL 324) – Spring 2006
Syllabus:
Course Information, Lecture Schedule, Readings
Instructor: Dr. Brian Hentschel Class schedule: Tu, Th: 0930-1045
Office: PS 147 Room: LS 248
Phone: 619-594-0358
Email: hentsche@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
Office hours: Tu, Th: 11:00-11:45 and by e-mail appointment
Required text: Marine
Biology, 5th ed. by Peter Castro and Michael E. Huber. McGraw-Hill Higher
Education,
Course web sites:
https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/webapps/login
http://www.sci.sdsu/classes/biology/bio324/hentschel/
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Course overview
The world's oceans contain an incredible diversity of life, ranging in size from tiny single-celled organisms to whales. Much of the ocean depths remain unexplored, and we continue to discover new species and learn new things about how common species relate to various habitats in the sea. In this course, we will explore the many types of marine organisms and their habitats, as well as the processes that control their abundance and distribution. The first part of the course entails learning about the physical environment of the oceans and the conditions necessary for marine species to exist. The second part of the course covers the major marine phyla – in other words, the variety of body plans that have evolved in the sea – and how these body plans allow organisms to grow, eat, move, and reproduce. The third part of the course focuses on key marine ecosystems – the rocky intertidal zone, coral reefs, the deep sea, and the open ocean – to understand how the species of these ecosystems interact with each other and with the physical environment. Finally, we focus on the impacts of humans on our oceans and, most importantly, what solutions might exist to human-caused problems.
Course Goals and Student Learning
Outcomes
· Students will be able to list the major physical features of the oceans and describe how they can influence where different marine species live.
· Students will be able to identify the common types of marine organisms and describe how they obtain nutrients and food, how they move, and how they reproduce.
· Students will recognize some of the common ways that different marine species interact as predators and prey, parasites and hosts, competitors, and mutual symbionts.
· Students will be able to describe the general features and locations of important habitats such as coral reefs, intertidal zones, estuaries, kelp forests, the open ocean, and the deep sea.
· Students will be able to discuss the many human activities that harm the oceans and what can be done to conserve marine species and habitats.
Grading
Your grade will be based on the percentage of total points earned on the exams, quizzes, and other assignments as indicated below. Your grade is based on a percentage of points earned from the total points possible:
A = 90-100%; B = 80-89%; C = 70-79%; D = 58-69%; F < 58%
The instructor will use
plus/minus grading within each of the above letter-grade categories. To ensure that you will receive a particular
grade, you must score within the percentages noted for that grade. The instructor at his discretion may modify
the percentages for each grade downward if he concludes that the scores should
be adjusted based on the class average and general class performance. Please remember that long-standing University
policy considers a grade of A to represent exemplary performance, indicative of
"outstanding achievement; available only for the highest
accomplishment," while a grade of B indicates a "praiseworthy
performance; definitely above average."
I hope you all will strive to earn As!
Exam 1 (Feb 16) 100 pts.
Exam 2 (Mar 30) 100 pts
Exam 3 (Apr 27) 100 pts.
Final Exam (May 16 10:30-12:30) 100 pts.
In-Class Quizzes, best 3 of 4 @ 20 pts. each 60 pts.
Online (Blackboard) Homeworks 9 @ 10 pts each 90 pts.
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 550
pts.
SCANTRONS (REQUIRED) -- available at the Aztec bookstore -- you must have the correct forms. You'll need one scantron form (#882-E) and #2 pencils for each exam. In addition, you will need 4 small scantron forms #815 or #815E that are required for in-class quizzes.
Lectures
Lecture outlines
will be posted on the Blackboard site before class so that you may use topical
points and figures as a guide during lecture as you are taking notes. Note
that these outlines are not the total lecture but a supplement to help guide
you during the lecture.
Exams will be multiple choice and might include one page of short-answer questions. Exams will cover lecture material and readings from the textbook. Each exam will be limited to lecture and reading material covered after the previous exam (but see final exam).
In-Class Quizzes will be given at some time during class on 4 dates. To promote regular attendance and participation, the dates of quizzes might or might not be pre-announced. Each student's best 3 out of 4 scores on in-class quizzes will count toward his/her final grade. This allows each student to miss one quiz without any penalty. Consequently, there are no make ups for absences. Some quizzes might be distributed at the beginning of class (i.e., 09:30), during the last 10 min of class, or during the middle of a class period if a lecture break is appropriate. Missing a quiz will earn a score of zero on that quiz.
Online Homeworks at the Biol-324 Blackboard site will be given every week during the semester, beginning Feb 7. Each week's homework can be completed anytime between noon Tuesday and noon Friday (a 72-h time window) at the Blackboard site. These multiple-choice homeworks will be open book (students can use any materials they find helpful). There will be a total of 10 weekly online homeworks during the semester. Each student's best 9 out of 10 scores on the online homeworks will count toward his/her final grade. This allows each student to miss one online homework without any penalty. Consequently, there are no make ups if you miss an online homework. Online homeworks will not occur during weeks of exams (Feb 16, Mar 30, Apr 27). Do not wait until the last minute to complete an online homework! If you experience technical problems with Blackboard, contact the Blackboard helpline: 594-3189 immediately. Technical problems with Blackboard are very rare when using computers in campus computer labs. Technical problems are not uncommon if your computer has older software. If you have technical problems with a home computer, the Help Staff will ask about your web browser and operating system. It is each student's responsibility to solve any technical problems so they do not affect more than one homework score (which can be dropped without causing any real effect on the total grade)
The Final Exam will cover the lecture material after Exam 3 (i.e., human impacts on the oceans) and major concepts and material covered throughout the entire semester.
Missed exams
Because you have
been notified of the exact dates and times that each exam will occur, there
should be no excuse for missing an exam. In rare instances, circumstances beyond your control could prevent you
from completing an exam on the scheduled date (e.g., a medical or family
emergency). If such an unpredictable
emergency occurs, the student will be given an opportunity to take a make up
exam if verifiable documentation of
the reason for the absence is provided within 72 hours of the exam. Make up exams will be entirely Essay Questions and must be completed
no later than 7 days after the regularly schedule exam. Events such as flat tires, oversleeping, and
other commitments are NOT valid
excuses for missing an exam that is scheduled at least 3.5 weeks in
advance.
Cheating
Warning you about the consequences
of cheating may seem unnecessary. Nevertheless, to avoid any possibility that
you do not recognize the consequences, here is my policy. If you are caught
cheating on an exam or quiz, you will receive a zero for the assignment. In
addition, the event will be reported to campus judicial authorities and may
lead to additional actions from the University, including suspension and
expulsion from the university. Cheating constitutes any situation in
which a student claims another's work or ideas for their own (e.g., copying
answers from another student's exam or quiz, using any unauthorized material
during an in-class exam or quiz, talking or making nonverbal gestures to other
students during an exam or quiz).
Lecture Schedule and
(Tentative schedule --
subject to change)
|
Week |
Date |
Topic(s) |
Reading in 5th ed. Chapter (pages) |
|
1 |
Th Jan 19 |
Course introduction |
|
|
2 |
Tu Jan 24 |
What is marine
biology? How are the oceans
explored? |
1 (3-11) |
|
Th Jan 26 |
How is science done? |
1 (11-20) |
|
|
3 |
Tu Jan 31 |
Some basics of
biology Overview of marine
ecosystems |
4 (66-85) 10 (222-223) |
|
Th Feb 2 |
Ocean basins and
provinces |
2 (21-39) |
|
|
4 |
Tu Feb 7 |
Seawater and
physical variation Currents and waves |
3 (40-52) 3 (52-56) |
|
Th Feb 9 |
Tides and
water-column structure |
3 (56-62) |
|
|
5 |
Tu Feb 14 |
Review Session |
Bring books to class! |
|
Th Feb 16 |
Exam 1 |
|
|
|
6 |
Tu Feb 21 |
Prokaryotes of the
oceans Phytoplankton,
Protozoans |
5 (86-93) 5 (93-100) |
|
Th Feb 23 |
Macroalgae and
marine plants |
6 (101-112) |
|
|
7 |
Tu Feb 28 |
Sponges, cnidarians,
non-segmented marine
worms |
7 (113-122) |
|
Th Mar 2 |
Segmented marine
worms & mollusks |
7 (122-130) |
|
|
8 |
Tu Mar 7 |
Arthropods and
echinoderms |
7 (130-145) |
|
Th Mar 9 |
Fishes |
8 (146-170) |
|
|
Spring Break |
Mar 13-18 |
Humans in the surf
zone |
|
|
9 |
Tu Mar 21 |
Reptiles, birds,
pinnipeds |
9 (171-181) |
|
Th Mar 23 |
Cetaceans |
9 (182-202) |
|
|
10 |
Tu Mar 28 |
Review Session |
Bring books to class! |
|
Th Mar 30 |
Exam 2 |
|
|
|
11 |
Tu Apr 4 |
Ecological
principles I |
10 (206-223) |
|
Th Apr 6 |
Ecological
principles II Rocky intertidal |
10 (206-223) 11 (225-242) |
|
|
12 |
Tu Apr 11 |
Soft sediments Estuaries Kelp-forest
communities |
11 (242-247); 13
(267-276) 12 (249-265) 13 (276-284) |
|
Th Apr 13 |
Coral reefs |
14 (285-309) |
|
|
13 |
Tu Apr 18 |
Pelagic zones Primary production
and El Niño |
15 (310-340) |
|
Th Apr 20 |
Deep sea |
16 (341-363) |
|
|
14 |
Tu Apr 25 |
Review Session |
Bring books to class! |
|
Th Apr 27 |
Exam 3 |
|
|
|
15 |
Tu May 2 |
Human impacts -
overfishing |
17 (366-389) |
|
Th May 4 |
Human impacts –
habitat destruction and introduced
species |
18 (390-405) |
|
|
16 |
Tu May 9 |
Human impacts -
solutions |
18 (406-410) |
|
Final
Exam |
Tu May 16 10:30-12:30 |
Cumulative -
covering Human Impacts and all major topics
of the course |
|