Plant
Systematics - BIO 350
Course Syllabus
Fall 2010
(Dr. John Rushin)
John Rushin, Professor of Biology, Missouri Western State University)
Class Attendance
Regular class attendance is essential for success in Bio 350 Plant
Systematics. If you must miss a class because of extreme circumstances,
inform your instructor and get notes for a classmate. If you miss a
lecture exam or a major keying/sight identification lab quiz you will take a make-up
test on the day that you return to school. Missed laboratory
work may be made up by having the instructor arrange another time for you to do
the work.
Field Trip Attendance
Due to the field-oriented nature of Bio 350 Plant Systematics, it is imperative
that students attend all field trips. It is my hope that students
enrolling in Plant Systematics will have a strong desire to experience all of
the Missouri habitats that this class will visit on field trips. If a student
only misses (1) field trip s/he will not be penalized. However, for each
additional missed field trip the student must:
1. make an independent field trip to the site of the missed field trip, and
2. spend at least 3 hours exploring the areas and studying its plants and
natural features, and
3. describe the natural features, plants and any wildlife (or signs) observed
in the area. A minimum of (10) plants growing in the area must be identified to
genus and species. (Photos may be taken but no plants should be collected
unless necessary permits are secured.)
All of the information in no. 3 above should be recorded in the student field
notebook and turned in with the final plant collection at the end of the
course. Failure to do steps 1, 2 and 3 for each missed field trip after the
first one missed) will result in a loss of 5% points from the final course
average for each missed lab after the first one.
Evaluation Procedures
In a general sense, both lab and lectures in this class cover the same
broad topics and they should not be thought of as being distinctly
different. Material covered in the "lab" may show up on lecture
exams. You may also be studying live or prepared specimens during a
"lecture" session.
Lecture:
Regularly scheduled lecture exams will consist of objective-type (multiple
choice, matching, fill-in, etc.) questions, essay questions and possibly some
keying of plant material. There will be three lecture exams ( lecture exams
1 and 2 and a final exam). The final exam will be partly comprehensive.
Your grade will be calculated on a percentage basis as follows:
100-90 = A
89-80 = B
79-70 = C
69-60 = D
59 -0 = F
Each lecture exam will each count as 15% of your total course grade and the
final exam will count as 20% of your total course grade.
Lab:
The lab will be flexible and use living and preserved plant material. Early
labs will be used for making field observations, practicing collection
techniques and studying plant characteristics that are important in
classification and identification. Generalizations will also be made about
local plant associations. In later labs we will have time to key some of the
collected plants.
There will be several field trips during which you will gather some plants for
your own plant collection. You should also collect some plants on your own. At
the end of the semester you are required to turn in a minimum of (25)
collected plants that are correctly identified and properly prepared as
your Plant Collection. Your collection must include at least (18)
different plant families. Ten (10) of the plants must be mounted for the
herbarium. Final collections must have plants arranged in alphabetical
order by families and by genera within families. A complete hardcopy of
your collection database must be turned in with your collection. One extra
credit point will be awarded for a plant that is new to the Leo A. Galloway
MWSU Herbarium or for a plant collected in a new county. An extra point
will be awarded for each different plant family collected. Otherwise, each
correctly identified and properly prepared plant is worth one point. Point
totals will be scaled to a percentage for final collection grade determination.
All of the plants that are to count as extra credit must be mounted on
herbarium paper and clearly designated as "extra credit" on your
final hardcopy printout. The collection will count as 20% of your total
course grade.
* A Photographic Collection may be used for all plants
beyond the first 20 collected (12 pressed with correctly labeled cards in news
paper plus 8 mounted with cards). See Dr. Rushin for special instructions
if you decide to do a photographic collection.
** The first part of your collection (18 correctly identified and properly
prepared plants, 2 mounted for the Herbarium) will be due by October 22th.
There will be two major keying/sight identification quizzes. These may be given in conjunction with the lecture exams. Each of these lab exams will be scaled to a percentage and each will count as 10% of your final course grade. There may also be a few unannounced lecture quizzes. (Lecture quizzes will be 10 points each. One of the quizzes for each student might be a 10->15 minute power point presentation covering the main characteristics of a vascular plant family. The family that is to be covered on your power point presentation will be assigned to you. A date for your presentation will also be assigned.) In addition, there will be a number (approximately 30-40) of character analysis sheets to complete based on plant observations to turn in for both labs and lectures. Your total percentage on character analysis sheets and any unannounced lecture/lab quizzes (including a family presentation) will count as 10% of your total course grade.
FINAL COURSE GRADE:
1st Hour Exam = 15%
2nd Hour Exam = 15%
Keying/Sight Identification Quizzes = 20% (10% and 10%)
Plant Character Analysis Sheets (comparisons and drawings) & Lecture
Quizzes (including Pw. Pt. Presentation) = 10%
Plant Collection = 20%
Final Exam = 20%
You will share a copy of Flora of Missouri by Julian Steyermark with a
lab partner during the course. You will use the Steyermark book for all class
keying assignments and keying quizzes. Therefore, you must either bring your
book all classes or leave it with your instructor between classes. Some
reading assignments will be from journal articles or other publications but
most will be from your textbook. The required textbook for this course is Contemporary
Plant Systematics by Dennis W. Woodland (4th Ed.). Missouri
Wildflowers by Edgar Denison concentrates on common Missouri flowering
plants and includes an excellent summary of common plant families. This book is
recommended. Other good references that can be found in the Missouri Western
State University Library are Vacular Plant Taxonomy (5th Ed.) by Walters,
Keil and Murrell .and Plant Systematics by Samual B. Jones and Arlene
Luchsinger.
For further information on important university policies please visit the following websites.
§ Grade Appeal Process (Student Handbook available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf, page 26)
§ University Academic Honesty Policy
(Student Handbook available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf,
page 26)
§ University Attendance Policy
(Western Course Catalog available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/catalog/academicpolicies.pdf,
page 22)
§ Classroom Behavior Guidelines (Student Handbook available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf, page 28
*** FINAL EXAM = THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM.***
Global Objectives:
Upon completion of Bio 350 Plant Systematics you should:
1. understand the basic nature of plant systematics and the state of this field
today.
2. be able to identify plant characteristics and adaptations and describe their
significance in terms of phylogeny, or evolution.
3. describe the local prairie, forest, wetland and successional plant
associations and identify the dominant plants in each by sight.
4. have a basic understanding of dichotomous keys and be able to effectively
use Julian Steyermark's Flora of Missouri.
5. know the recognition characteristics of some major vascular plant families.
6. be familiar with the major current rules of the International Code of
Botanical Nomenclature.
7. understand the major evolutionary patterns of vascular plants.
EXAM I:
Plant Families LectIntro , LectPltChar , FamsI , PltFamsIFall.ppt , Fams III
Field Trips:
../BluffwoodsF.ppt , ./JMcCormacksCAF.pp , ../LMaherPrF.ppt , ../PonyExCALF.ppt
, .../Reis08&10.ppt
TENTATIVE COVERAGE FOR EACH EXAM>
Chapters 1, 2 3, 4, tpages 31 -35 in
chapter 5 and 7; plus specific taxonomic groups (listed below)in chapters 8 and
9 in Contemporary Plant Systematics by D. Woodland.
- Introduction
- Botanical Nomenclature and common names
- Taxonomic Characters - Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower and Fruit (some)
-The Nature of Plant Systematics
-Collecting, Handling and preserving Specimens
-Other
-Plant Families:
Bignoniaceae
Magnoliaceae
Liliaceae
Commelinaceae
Iridaceae
Lamiaceae
Solanaceae
Malvaceae
Caryophyllaceae
Fabaceae
EXAM II Generalized Subject Outline with Plant Families: AsteraceSVB350.ppt , VebCornSV.ppt
, ApiacSV.ppt , ApoAsclPoaCypSV.ppt
, TreFamsSV.ppt , HistPltTaxLe5.ppt
, Bessey’s DictaLe6.ppt , PonyExCALateFall.ppt , FlorRegsLeB350LSV.ppt , Bio 350 Quiz II 2006 , SC: Asteridae Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae
“Composites, Sunflowers”, Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Myrtales Family: Onagraceae, ChampTreesSlide 1
Class: Magnoliaceae Order: Juglandales Family:
Juglandaceae “Walnut Family”
Chapter 5, 14, pages 511 -521 and specific taxa in chapters 8 and 9 in
Woodland.
- Carpel Evolution
- Stems: Woody and Herbaceous, annual, biennial, perennial
- Modified Stems: bulb, caudex, corm, rhizome, stolon, tuber
- Root Types: tap and fibrous, prop, aerial, storage, holdfast
- Ovary Position: hypogenous, perigynous, epigynous
- Fruit Types: fleshy, dry indehiscent, dry dehiscent, multiple, aggregate
(endocarp, mesocarp, exocarp)`
- Champion Trees - American Forestry Association (AFA) and the Missouri
Department of Conservation (MDC)
- Biogeography
biomes - floristic regions
C. Hart Meriam "life zones"
natural succession
seral stages
climax communities - plant associations
- Major Natural Divisions in Missouri (MDC/MDNR)
- Presettlement Vegetation in Missouri
- History of Plant Taxonomy................
-Plant Families:
Asteraceae
Poaceae
Gentianaceae
Fabacceae
Apocynaceae
Ascplepidaceae
Onnagraceae
Lythraceae
Apiaceae
Salicaceae
Fagaceae
Juglandaceae
Verbeniaceae
EXAM III Generalized Subject Matter Outline with Plant Families
Chapters 12, 13, and specific taxa in chapters 8 and 9 in Woodland.
PltSysEvolLe
FallFamsIV
PltFamsV
PltFamsVI
PltFams2Fa
PltFamsBio350
- Evidences for Plant Evolution
- Plants Defined
- Major Events in the Evolution of Plants
- Major Plant Divisions
- Early Theories about Evolutionary Change
- Darwin's Tenets for Natural Selection
- Divergent and Convergent Evolution
- Allopatric and Sympatric Speciation (Geographical Barriers)
- Gene Flow in Plant Populations
- The Role of Polyploidy in Plant Evolution
- Mechanisms for Evolutionary Change
- The Modern Theory of Organic Evolution
Plant families:
Nymphaceae
Polygonaceae
Rosaceae
Ranunculaceae
Crassulaceae
Cyperaceae
Juncaceae
Primulaceae
Hypericaceae
Cactaceae
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