Biology 104A Fall
Text: Introduction to the Biology of Marine Life, 8th,
Sumich and Morrissey
Cancer, Nutrition and Ecology, library reserve readings
Tentative Course Schedule Fall
Approximate
Week/Date Lecture Topics Text Assignments
Sept. 6-20 Cancer, Nutrition
Sept. 22, 27 Community Interactions
Sept. 24 Exam 1
Sept. 29-Oct.18 Marine Biology (part 1)
Oct. 20 Exam 2
Oct. 25- Nov. 15 Marine Biology (part 2)
Nov. 19 Exam 3
Nov. 17, 22, 29 Freshwater Biology
Nov. 23-28 Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec. 1-10 Ecosystems
December 15 Final Exam Wednesday 09:00-12:00
Syllabus subject to change with notice.
Tentative Laboratory Schedule
9/10 Scientific Method and Metric Measurements
9/17 Internet Instruction
9/24 Marine Biology
10/1 Nutrition/Basal Metabolism
10/8 Student presentations
10/15 Waste Treatment (field trip)
10/22 Plants, Acid Rain (set-up)
10/29 Acid Rain (measurements)
11/5 Water filtration plant (field trip)
11/12 Lake Craig (field trip)
11/19 Thanksgiving
11/26 Cardiovascular, physical fitness
COURSE OBJECTIVES
An objective is to encourage students to ask questions, and then to collect, analyze and
interpret data so they may use these skills in their daily lives.
Another objective of this course is to introduce students to various biological topics so they
will further appreciate the complex nature of living things.
A brief list of objectives for this course are to:
-to explore interrelationships among living things on land, in freshwater habitats
and in the ocean.
-introduce students to a variety of physiological systems.
-stimulate students to think about the complexities of their bodies.
-to learn, understand and appreciate ecological stability and change.
-to foster a cooperative and mutually reliant atmosphere, while expecting individual
responsibility in the performance of laboratory work.
LABORATORY
Laboratory Exercises consist of lab experiments in which students will work in small
groups. Handouts describing lab experiments will be distributed the week prior to the lab
session and it will be expected that students have read the handout and are prepared to
participate in class. Students will develop skills in observation, organization and
communication. All students will collect and analyze data and discuss the results. Students
will take weekly quizzes with questions covering the previous week's lab and the lab
experiment of the current day.
Lab Field Trips: Students will receive handouts prior to the trip and should be
prepared to ask questions of the professional staff at the various facilities. While on the
excursion students should take notes and be prepared to answer lab quiz questions.
Example questions: What is the focus of the facility, what is the importance of the facility,
what do they do and how do they do it?
INTERNET ASSIGNMENT/LAB PRESENTATIONS
Students working in pairs will select a freshwater or marine biological topic (to be
approved by Dr. Kusher by Wednesday Sept. 19) which they will explore via internet
resources. The objective is to creatively develop the subject and then educate your
classmates with a 7-10 minute presentation during a laboratory class meeting (October 8).
Students are instructed to use reputable internet sites, for instance not a site developed for
elementary school classes. Students are required to submit for approval by September 24,
a list of at least three sites used for this exercise. Examples of acceptable sites include,
academic sites (colleges, universities), governmental sites (NOAA, EPA, DEHC) and
environmental organization sites (World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, Audubon Society,
American Cetacean Society). Talks should include a lively discussion of the topic including
a historical perspective if appropriate, the current status or condition of the topic, and a
look at the subject in the not so distant future. Presentations should include visual aids,
(powerpoint, hand drawn posters, etc.)
Biology 111C (Introduction
to Animal Biology) Fall
Lecture Text: Zoology,
6th Edition by Miller and Harley
Laboratory Text: General Zoology Laboratory Guide 13th Edition by Charles Lytle
Course Objectives: 1) Examine the phylogeny, physiology and morphology of organisms within
the Kingdoms Protista and Animalia. 2) To develop skills in observation, written and oral
communication, study strategies, articulation of knowledge, and to
encourage and further develop the students ability to question, think and view
the world around us as biologists
Tentative Course
Schedule
Week/Date Lecture Topics
Sept. 6 Class business, Course Introduction
Ecology and Evolution
Sept. 15 Kingdom Protista
Kingdom Animalia: Porifera
Diploblastic animals: Cnidaria
Oct. 4 Basic Embryology
Begin Triploblastic animals:
The acoelomates: Platyhelminthes
Friday, October 1, Lecture Exam 1
Oct. 11 The pseudocoelomates: Nematoda
& Rotifera)
Begin eucoelomates: Molluscs
Oct. 25 Annelida
Begin Arthropods (the largest phylum)
Friday, October 29 Lecture Exam 2
November 3 Arthropods
November 10 Echinoderms, lower chordates
November 17 Fishes, Amphibians
Monday, November 22, Lecture Exam 3
Thanksgiving Holiday
November 30 Reptiles, Birds
Dec. 3 Mammals
Thursday, December 13 Final Exam, 9:00-12:00 AM (cumulative)
Syllabus subject to change with notice.
Biology 111C Laboratory Schedule Fall
2004
Week of Laboratory
September
6
No Lab
13 Microscope, & Protista
: Designed to enhance microscopic skills while exploring
the world of freshwater protistans.
20
Porifera, & Cnidaria: To attain a visual understanding of the phyla Porifera,
Cnidaria and Ctenophora. You will need your textbook, lab manual, lab notebook and
colored drawing pencils.
27 Platyhelminthes: Comparison of free-living flatworms with the complex life
strategy of parasitic flatworms.
October
5, 6
Lab Exam 1 (on
Tuesday or Wednesday)
11 Pseudocoelomate Animals
& Mollusca: Dissection of a representative roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides and examination of other representative species. In addition to
"regular" supplies, you will need a dissection kit (for this and all subsequent labs). Molluscs possess considerable morphological diversity
that are related by four adaptationsThere should be time to review for the lab exam.
18 Annelida
begin Arthropoda . Also examine earthworm organ systems by
dissection. Examine Arthropod species diversity. Dichotomous key use to
identify insect orders, compare and contrast the anatomy/physiology of the aquatic
crayfish to the terrestrial grasshopper.
25 finish
Arthropods #13:
November
2, 3
Lab Exam 2 (Tu
or Wed)
8
An overview of the deuterostomes includes the study of the Echinodermata (dissection of sea stars to trace their organ systems) , and a survey of representatives of
Chordata.
15 Comparative study of the vertebrates. Bone fossils illustrate the relatedness of this
subphylum, we will compare the skeletal system between current species considering
the evolutionary adaptations for locomotion. Examine and compare the musculature
of representative species
22
NO LAB (Thanksgiving Holiday)
29 Comparative: compare digestive, respiratory, reproductive, etc., systems among the
vertebrates considering how adaptations provided an opportunity to occupy specific
niches and not others.
December
7, 8 Lab Exam 3 (cumulative,
Tu or Wed)
Toxicology:
Biology 487 Spring 2004
Class Schedule: Lecture: TR
9:30-10:50, RMSC301E
Toxicology is the study of
the nature and mechanism of toxic effects of substances on living organisms and
other biologic systems (ecological, eg., community). It also deals with quantitative assessment of the severity of
these effects in relation to the exposure of the organisms.
Environmental toxicology
examines the effects of
environmental toxicants on health and the environment.
Ecotoxicology as derived from ecology and toxicology places an emphasis
on the effects of environmental chemicals upon species other than man.
This course is designed to provide a broad introduction to the rapidly expanding
field of toxicology. Students
are encouraged to question/examine how toxic substances impact their daily lives
&/or our ecosystem.
Text:
Text: Principles of Environmental Toxicology
Authors: Ian C. Shaw and John Chadwick
Toxicology
Biology 487
Tentative Course Schedule
Spring 2004
Approximate
Week/Date Lecture
Topics Text
(chapter) Assignments
Feb.
5
What is toxicology?
Environmental change and health
Feb. 10-19
Major Pollutants
1
(eg., Industrial Chemicals, Pesticides)
Occurrence
Exam 1
Feb. 22-Mar. 4
Routes of exposure
Transport
March 9-18
Effects of pollutants on ecosystems
2
Ecology
Exam 2
March 23-30
Fate and behavior
6
April 5-9
Spring Break
April
1-15
Physiological effects
Exam 3
April 20-29
Toxicity testing and risk assessment
3, 5
May 4
Natural products
Future considerations
9
May
10
Final Exam Monday 2:00-5:00 PM
In
class presentations
of current toxicology literature &/or news making toxicological events.
Each student will make two presentations that will
stimulate the discussion of toxicological concepts and methodologies, ecological
&/or physiological consequences, or perhaps regional (Municipal, State or
Federal) governmental management/regulation, or maybe examine the economic
impact of the event.
Interim
2002
 |
SCUBA Dive Dutch Bonaire reefs,
the fish capital of the Caribbean.
The interim consists of three
weeks of SCUBA diving and marine biology classes, and an eight day dive
trip to Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean, 50 miles north of Venezuela, South America.
The students will enroll in a PADI SCUBA course and upon successful completion
of all course requirements, they will become certified divers. Additionally,
students will attend on campus class lectures on coral reef ecology. The
SCUBA classes will be taught by Mike Atkins (PADI certified SCUBA instructor
at "The SCUBA Shop" and YMCA in Spartanburg). Marine biology lectures
will prepare students to enjoy the beauty of the coral reef and enable
them to critically observe and understand the complex nature of the ecosystem.
After each dive we will discuss the reef community and the students will
describe what they have seen and explain how the organisms are interrelated.
Evaluation will be based on participation in SCUBA and marine biology
classes, individual contribution to post-dive discussions and a written
daily journal and exam.
|
| |
|
|
|
Interim 2001
SCUBA Certification and Coral Reef Diving
The project consists of three weeks of SCUBA diving and marine biology classes, and an eight day dive trip
to San Salvador, Bahamas. The students will enroll in a PADI SCUBA course and upon successful
completion of all course requirements, they will become certified divers. Additionally, students will attend
on campus class lectures on coral reef ecology and marine biology, which will prepare them to enjoy the
beauty of the coral reef and enable them to critically observe and understand the complex nature of the
ecosystem. After each dive we will discuss the reef community and the students will describe what they have
seen and explain how the organisms are interrelated. The SCUBA classes will be taught by Mike Atkins
(PADI certified SCUBA instructor at "The SCUBA Shop" and YMCA in Spartanburg). Evaluation will be
based on participation in SCUBA and marine biology classes, individual contribution to post-dive
discussions and a written daily journal and exam.
Interim
2000
Bonaire SCUBA
Interim 1999
Grand Cayman SCUBA
January 23, 1999 we will stay in Atlanta at the Comfort Inn near the airport. Three students will stay at a
brother's home.
January 24: ALL students are to be at the Airport at 05:00.
Delta Flight # 1128, Atlanta to Miami, Leaves 07:00
Cayman Air Flight# 103, to Cayman, leaves Miami 10:50
January 28: Cayman Air Flight# 102, to Miami leaves 1:30 PM
Delta Flight# 2130, Miami to Atlanta, leaves Miami at 4:20PM
We will be staying at:
Coconut Harbour
S. Church St.
P.O. Box 2086 GT
Grand Cayman, BWI
(345)-949-7468
Interim
1997 & 1998
Marine Biology: An Introduction To Field Research
This interim provided students with an in-the-field, hands-on introduction to marine biological research as
practiced by biologists and fishery scientists of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The
project will combine lectures and outside reading with coastal field observations and work. Students will
participate in ongoing marine invertebrate and vertebrate population studies at the Marine Resources
Research Institute on James Island near Charleston. Students will assist biologists in fish tagging studies in
the estuaries of Cape Romain and the Ace Basin. Students will also use a variety of sampling gear for the
collection of crustaceans and fish in salt marsh habitats. Students will spend a day aboard an oceanographic
research vessel to conduct water sampling and chemical analysis, use plankton nets to collect both
phytoplankton and zooplankton and study in the lab, and collect fish in trawls from offshore habitats. Other
activities will include assisting in data collection and analysis, and cruises in near shore and tidal creek
environments. Evaluation was be based on participation, thoroughness of a daily journal and a written exam.
