Instructor: Dr. Dave McShaffrey
Office: Bartlett 307 Phone: 376-4743
Textbook: Integrated Principles of Zoology by C.P. Hickman, Jr., L.S. Roberts, and A. Larson 10th Edition (This text was used for Invertebrate Zoology in the fall).
Attendance: You are expected to attend all class and lab meetings. You must notify me in advance of any absence.
Quizzes: Approximately every other week; will cover all previous material and assigned reading for that date. Some quizzes may be take home (i.e. homework). No make-up on quizzes!
Exams: Two mid-term tests and a final; make-up by prior arrangement or legitimate excuse such as your own death or illness. There will also be a test on scientific names.
Papers: You will be required to complete several short papers (articles) in hypertext for inclusion in an on-line "magazine". At least one of these papers will be a group effort.
Field Experiences: You may complete field experiences for bonus points.
Grading:
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Scale:
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Think of Biology 222 - Vertebrate Zoology - as the second half of a year- long course in Zoology. Completion of Invertebrate Zoology is not a prerequisite. It should be recognized that invertebrates comprise 95% of all the animal species - that leaves 5% for the vertebrates. Why do we spend so much time on such a small group? The answer lies in the fact that we are vertebrates and have a natural interest in other organisms like us. Also, vertebrates tend to be larger and more intelligent than invertebrates, and thus they are more likely to be seen, and more likely to be doing something interesting. Finally, other vertebrates comprise a large portion of our diets.
The vertebrates as a group are recognized by the presence of a backbone. Traditionally, scientists and laymen alike have recognized several main types of vertebrates - fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. New understanding of the evolutionary relationships of these groups is changing the picture today, however, and your textbook uses this new understanding.
Since there are far fewer vertebrates than invertebrates, we will be able to spend more time this semester on the mechanisms of evolution and on such processes as body temperature regulation and development, and less time on pure taxonomy. Since our department does not currently offer courses in evolution or development, this may be your most in-depth look at these areas.
With biological knowledge doubling every 4 years, simply managing the information explosion becomes a critical skill. You will gain experience with this in several ways. First, you will write several articles for which you will have to do significant research. Second, you will use a suite of computer programs to learn evolutionary relationships and scientific names.
General Information Goals Field Experiences Magazine Primary sources Grading Criteria Schedule Lab Syllabus
Goal 1. Each student will familiar with the taxonomy of the vertebrates.
Methods to achieve this goal:
Evaluation/criteria for success:
Goal 2. Each student will learn the basics of reproduction, development, skeletal systems, movement, homeostasis, circulation, gas exchange, evolution, development and ecology as they apply to vertebrates. Finally, each student will know the characteristics associated with major groups.
Methods to achieve this goal:
Evaluation/criteria for success:
Goal 3. Each student will learn how to gather zoological information from our library, and how to assemble that information into a well-written report.
Methods to achieve this goal:
Evaluation/criteria for success:
Goal 4. Each student will learn to work better with others; develop crucial small-group skills, and form a learning community with fellow students.
Methods to achieve this goal:
Evaluation/criteria for success:
Goal 5. The class will be fun.
Methods to achieve this goal:
General Information Goals Field Experiences Magazine Primary sources Grading Criteria Schedule Lab Syllabus
Field Experiences
You cannot learn everything in biology in the classroom. This is particularly true of vertebrates. To understand them, you must observe them in their natural habitats. Since the laboratory is not required for this class, I have tried to provide some alternates, in the form of field experiences that you can participate in for bonus points. I will give you up to 50 points for completing them. Students who are physically disabled can make separate arrangements. Students enrolled in the lab are also eligible for these bonus points.
Valid field experiences include participating in the Marietta Natural History Society nature walks held in the morning and evening later in the semester, attending MNHS programs, attending weekend hikes led by a member of the biology department, or by pre-arranged substitutes. A MNHS program counts 5 points, a morning nature walk is worth 10 points, and an evening walk is worth 5 points. A weekend hike will be worth from 5-20 points depending on length and other factors.
General Information Goals Field Experiences Magazine Primary sources Grading Criteria Schedule Lab Syllabus
Two consistent themes emerge whenever college teachers and employers mingle. Employers are consistently looking for students who can write well, and who can work in groups. This assignment is meant to give you practice at both those skills, as well as another important skill - acquiring and interpreting information.
To help you develop writing and teamwork skills, we will take on a group project. This is the development of an online "magazine" with articles on various aspects of vertebrates. Each of you will contribute two articles to the magazine, and will work on a team to help develop a third article. The audience for our magazine are high school and elementary school students who may want to learn more about vertebrates.
I will act as the editor of the magazine. Together, the class will act as both the writers and a sort of advisory board. In the latter capacity, you will help me determine the layout of the "home page" and several others matters of style. I will also have you help me with the proofreading and editing. Your grade for each of the articles will be based on the first draft that you turn in - so make it good - but you won't actually receive a grade until a final draft, ready for "publication" is accepted by me. In other words, your first draft might be top-notch and get an "A", but you won't receive the "A" until you've fixed whatever glitches remain. Or, your first draft might be pretty bad and you get a "D" - but only when you've fixed and polished it to "A" standards.
The first article you will write will be fairly short - about 500 words, and will focus on your "favorite" vertebrate, assuming no one else takes it first! This article will be less formal in nature, although you must use standard English and proper spelling and grammar. It does not have to be extensively referenced, although it should contain links to other articles on the web, pictures of the animal, descriptions or maps of where it lives, and so on. It should make the reader excited about vertebrates by focusing on a particular case. It should have a short "bibliography" of books and links with further information.
The second article will be a little longer - 1,000 words. It will also be more formal, and must conform to the standards of citation for scientific articles in general. This means that every bit of information you gather from an outside source must be acknowledged in the sentence where the information is presented, and that the standard method of citation used by the Ohio Journal of Science must be adhered to. The subject for the article will be taken from the list below; again no two students may choose the same item:
Urochordata - Tunicates ____________________________
The third article you will work on will be a team effort. Working in groups of 3, you will write a 3,000 word article on some aspect of Vertebrate Zoology chosen from the list below:
The 3rd article will also have to conform to the highest standards of citation, grammar, and spelling. It too should have a "bibliography". In all of the articles, the bibliography is not counted in the number of words.
For all of the articles, you should research the subject thoroughly, consulting sources beyond your textbook and small guidebooks. I expect to see evidence of significant library work, including recent references from the primary sources (scientific journals). You may not cite any textbook. Textbooks do too good of a job of putting information together, precisely the skill we are trying to have you develop. You may consult textbooks for background, but you must find the actual information from other sources. Part of your grade will be determined by how well you convince me that you have researched the material.
General Information Goals Field Experiences Magazine Primary sources Grading Criteria Schedule Lab Syllabus
Primary Sources and Citing References
I make a big deal out of insisting on proper reference citation and the use of primary sources. Since scientific writing differs from the experiences you may have had in English classes; let me clarify these two points.
Every idea you get from another source must acknowledge that source in the text where the idea is stated. This is known as citation, and failure to do so is plagiarism. The general rule is that any information that is not general knowledge (that is, anything you found in an article, book etc.) must have the reference cited. For instance, the fact that a mayfly is an insect is general knowledge, the fact that the mayfly Stenacron interpunctatum prefers slow currents is not, and must be cited. If you do original experiments or make original observations, you do not need to cite these, but you must also include a methods section so that others may try to reproduce your results. Note that original conclusions that you draw based on information presented need not be cited. For instance, if Jones reported in 1985 that a species of ant is dependent on a certain plant, and Smith reported in 1986 that the plant is going extinct, then you could conclude that the ant is also going extinct - but even here you would have to cite Jones and Smith as evidence for your conclusion. Similarly, if Thompson says that there are 315 species of bees in Borneo, and you write " there are over 300 species of bees in Borneo ", or "there's bunches of bees in Borneo", you must acknowledge Thompson, even though you didn't quote her exactly. If you hadn't gotten the idea from her, you wouldn't have had a clue as to how many bees there were (short of counting them, then your paper would be a primary source). If in doubt - cite the source!
Consider the following paragraph from a paper I wrote:
"Little ecological information on E. needhami has been published. Ecological studies concerning the diet of organisms may give clues to the function of their mouthparts. According to Cummins et al. (1984) the Ephemerella belong to the collector- gatherer and scraper functional feeding groups (FFGs). Hawkins (1985) described a western species, E. infrequens, as a diatom scraper, detritus shredder, and collector-gatherer. Sweeney & Vannote (1981) studied 6 species of ephemerellids, 2 of which belong to the genus Ephemerella; all of the ephemerellids in their study fed on diatoms and detritus. Other Ephemeridae have usually been considered to be collector-gatherers (Cummins et al., 1984)."
The first sentence has no citations; it is a fact derived from my study of the literature. The next sentence is transitional and introduces no new information, just an obvious truism. The remaining sentences summarize the results of other worker's studies, and I gave them each credit for what they discovered. Note that each citation is accomplished by stating the author(s) name(s) and the date of the paper in such a way that it is clearly associated with the idea being discussed. Often, the name is part of the sentence, and only the date is enclosed in parentheses; however, it is also proper simply to put both the name and the date in parentheses, as is done in the last sentence. The abbreviation "et al." is used when more than two authors wrote a paper.
This form of citation is very common (but not universal), and I want you to use it. Read through several articles in The Ohio Journal of Science to get a feel for the general style of scientific writing, as well as how to handle references.
The next most common mistake I encounter (after failing to cite a reference at all) is what I call "lumping". This occurs when all of the information you use in a paragraph comes from the same source, and you try to reference that source simply by putting it at the end of the paragraph. That is not acceptable. You must acknowledge a source within the sentence (or clause) in which you use it. If that means that each sentence in your paragraph ends with (Brown, 1986), so be it. If that monotony bothers you (and it should), you can avoid it by finding more sources to cite, or citing the one source in different ways: Brown (1986), according to Brown (1986), Brown (1986) also found, and so on.
A note on quotes: In the humanities, frequently the exact wording of the ideas of the author under consideration is critical to the reader's understanding of the points being made in the paper. In this context, it is necessary to use exact quotes (with citations!). In the sciences, we are supposed to be "objective". This means writing methods sections in the passive voice to avoid the use of the pronoun "I", which distracts the reader from the work that was done and focuses attention on the scientist who performed it. Quotes also take emphasis away from the results and put emphasis on personalities. Unless the exact wording of the author you are citing is critical to the concept you are reviewing, paraphrase the author(s) and cite appropriately. Note that changing one or two words is not enough to paraphrase correctly - it must be a substantial revision, or again, you will be guilty of plagiarism. One way to avoid inadvertently quoting an author exactly is to paraphrase as you make notes, and then paraphrase your notes as you write your paper.
At the end of the paper, you must have a section listing all the papers you have cited. Again, follow the format in the Ohio Journal of Science. Do yourself a favor, and find an article now (preferably one dealing with your topic), and photocopy it, so that you can use it as a guide to solving different style problems. Note that journal articles are handled differently than books in the Literature Cited section. Pay attention to where the periods and commas go, but don't get too paranoid about these - be consistent.
O.K. - I know what you're thinking - where do I find these references - in our library? First of all, our library is an excellent source, and nothing to be ashamed of. What it lacks in size it makes up for in ease of use. The following tips will help you get started:
In this class, I do not require that you use interlibrary loans, although you are free to do so if you wish. I will not accept the excuse "I'm waiting for an interlibrary loan." on this project. Concentrate on finding the references in our library. If you can't find enough, perhaps you need to choose a different topic.
Finally, what is a primary source, and what's all the fuss about? A primary source is one written by the person who has uncovered new knowledge - who has made a new observation or conducted an experiment (and thus didn't have to cite it when writing it up). As you can see from the diagram below, a primary journal contains the most recent, up-to- date written information. The stuff in books and textbooks may be up to ten years old, and may have been superseded by subsequent studies. Also, the material in most primary journals is subject to peer review - that is, review by other scientists for scientific (as opposed to editorial) accuracy.
The problem with primary sources is that they are written by specialists, for specialists, and appear in many different journals, some of which are hard to come by. Secondary journals help with this problem by consolidating information on a given topic. Such articles are usually written by experts in a field, but often are written for non-specialists or even lay people; most all are carefully referenced. The price is timeliness. Books consolidate matters even further. Many conform to strict citation of sources, but some do not, making it difficult to backtrack to original papers. Textbooks are in the same boat. While you may find useful information in non-technical sources (Time magazine, U.S.A. Today, etc.), these rarely cite their sources and are thus scientific hearsay - inadmissible in court, so to speak. The same for encyclopedias, comic books, the little books that come with insecticides, and so on - yes, even your trusty invertebrate or vertebrate zoology class notes.
Team Work
Some of you may be uncomfortable working in a team. I realize this, but, remember, we only really grow with a little pain. Think of the conditioning that athletes go through. The analogy breaks down, however, when you realize that unlike wind sprints, working in a group can actually be fun.
Your paper will be graded as a whole; each team member will receive the same grade. Of course, since your grade is on the line here, you will want to read each other's work carefully and suggest changes. This teamwork and revision of each other's work will help make each of you better writers; and the final project should be better than any of you could have done by yourself.
At each stage, your paper will be graded. When you submit the final draft, you must also turn in the marked copy of your earlier draft so that I can check to be sure that you have made corrections. Failure to do so will result in a grade penalty. Illustrations from one draft can be "recycled" in the final draft, they need not be redone. The standards will increase with the final draft. Only the final grade will be recorded.
General Information Goals Field Experiences Magazine Primary sources Grading Criteria Schedule Lab Syllabus
The following table may help you understand the criteria I use in grading:
A B C D F
Length as assigned as assigned as assigned somewhat short or long too short or long
Spelling few mistakes some mistakes some misteaks maney misteakes attrocshus
References as assigned as assigned as assigned deficient few
Organization excellent good adequate poor non-existent
Grammar few, minor minor errors few major errors several major errors many major errors
errors
Coverage of excellent good - some items not adequate - all obvious weak areas whole sections
topics covered in depth items covered skipped
Appearance neat, crisp neat neat scraggly, unstapled dog-eared, torn,
unstapled
Readability Flows reads well choppy in spots hard to follow places unreadable
in
Reference diligent some missed some missed many missing or lumped plagiarism
citation
In grading a paper, I take all of the above into account, although I weigh some more than others. For instance, I will not give a paper an "A" if it contains major grammatical errors or doesn't meet assigned standards such as number of references or page length. Also, please note that the table above was developed for written papers; I hope your hypertext files aren't dog-eared or stapled!
General Information Goals Field Experiences Magazine Primary sources Grading Criteria Schedule Lab Syllabus
Date Day Topic Reading Lab
1 Jan. 15 W Introduction Handout Introduction
1 Jan. 17 F
2 Jan. 20 M Evolution - the basics Chapter 10 Computer Help Session Week
2 Jan. 22 W " " Fish I
2 Jan. 24 F Creating Hypertext
3 Jan. 27 M Evolution - the basics Chapter 9 Library Help Session Week
3 Jan. 29 W " " Fish II
3 Jan. 31 F Body Plans Chapter 10
4 Feb. 3 M Classification Chapter 11
4 Feb. 5 W Reproduction Chapter 6 Amphibians I
4 Feb. 7 F Hypertext Clinic
5 Feb. 10 M review
5 Feb. 12 W Exam 1 Amphibians II
5 Feb. 14 F Reproduction Chapter 6 My Favorite Vert. Articles Due
6 Feb. 17 M Development Chapter 7
6 Feb. 19 W " " Voc. School / Salamander Ponds
6 Feb. 21 F " " Group Articles Outline Due
7 Feb. 24 M Homeostasis - Chapter 33
Temperature pp. 663-668
7 Feb. 26 W Homeostasis - Osmosis Chapter 34 Reptiles
7 Feb. 28 F "" "" Vertebrate Group Articles Due
8 March 3 M Homeostasis - Excretion Chapter 33
8 March 5 W '' '' Birds
8 March 7 F Circulation Chapter 34
9 March 10 M Spring Break
9 March 12 W Spring Break
9 March 14 F Spring Break
10 March 17 M Circulation Chapter 34
10 March 19 W " " Mammals
10 March 21 F Gas Exchange Chapter 34
11 March 24 M
11 March 26 W Digestion & Nutrition Chapter 35 Leith Run
11 March 28 F Group Articles Due
12 March 31 M Exam 2
12 April 2 W Chordates/Agnatha Chapter 26 Baker's Run
Chapter 27
12 April 4 F Chondrichthyes Chapter 27
13 April 7 M Actinopterygia Chapter 27
13 April 9 W Sarcopterygia/Amphibia Chapter 27 Wilds? - (long)
Chapter 28
13 April 11 F Anapsida Chapter 29
14 April 14 M Diapsida Chapter 29
14 April 16 W Dinosauria Scott's Ridge
14 April 18 F Archosauria Chapter 29
Chapter 30
15 April 21 M Archosauria/Synapsida Chapter 30
Chapter 31
15 April 23 W Synapsida Chapter 31 Archer's Fork (long)
15 April 25 F All Extra Credit Due.
16 April 28 M
Final: Friday, May 2, 3 to 5:30 pm.
Lab Practical: Thursday, May 1; 8:30 to 11:00 am.
General Information Goals Field Experiences Magazine Primary sources Grading Criteria Schedule Lab Syllabus
Textbooks: Integrated Principles of Zoology by C.P. Hickman, Jr., L.S. Roberts, and A. Larson
In addition, you must purchase one of the Peterson or Audubon Field Guides (to birds, mammals, or reptiles and amphibians)
Lab Fee: A lab fee of $10 will be charged to offset costs of field trips and supplies.
Attendance: You are expected to attend all lab meetings. You must notify me in advance of any absence. Unexcused absences will cost you 10 pts; excused absences will cost you 5 points and may be made up by field experiences at a 0.5 to 1 point ratio.
Exams: One practical (final); make-up by prior arrangement or legitimate excuse such as your own death or illness.
Field Experiences: You may complete field experiences for up to 10 bonus points. A single field experience cannot count for both lab and class, and if you have an excused absence from lab, any field experiences will only count 1/2 until the deficit is made up.
Grading:
Scale:
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Life List - 200 pts |
270-300 = A |
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Practical - 100 pts |
240-270 = B |
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________ |
210-240 = C |
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300 pts |
180-210 = D |
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000-180 = F |
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Life List: A list of all native Ohio or West Virginia vertebrate species seen on field trips or sanctioned field experiences. Each student must keep their own list; each listing must include the date, time, location and species names. Each species must be initialed by the leader of the group. Each species seen is worth 2 points; field signs are worth 1 point.
For each point over 200 points that the class member with the least number of points has on her or his list, I will reduce the number of specimens on the practical and award automatic points for those specimens. This bonus will extend up to 1/2 of the practical.