BIO 334

REPRODUCTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FLOWERING PLANTS

 

Fall 2003: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m.

 

Dr. Jan Gehring

Olin Hall 123 (or 109?)

677-3017

jgehring@bradley.edu

Office hours by appointment or just drop-in

 

 

Order of topics

  1. Flowers vs. plants
  2. Plant lifespan and habit, pp. 55-56
  3. Plant shoots and leaves, pp. 56-58
  4. Floral morphology, pp. 63-69
  5. Inflorescences (including the Composite head), pp. 75-76
  6. Plant identification and keying, p. 525
  7. Collection and preparation of plant specimens,  pp. 521-525
  8. Pollination biology and pollination syndromes, pp. 69-72
  9. Outcrossing mechanisms, pp. 73-74
  10. Alternation of generations and heterospory, pp. 87-88, p. 186
  11. Ovule development, p. 65
  12. Pollen formation, p. 65
  13. Double fertilization, endosperm and embryos, pp. 88-90
  14. Fruits vs. seeds, pp. 76-81
  15. Molecular systematics, Chapter 5
  16. Evolution of plant diversity, Chapter 6
  17. Origin of the angiosperms and probable primitive traits, pp. 173-178, 217-220
  18. Angiosperm phylogeny, pp. 178-180, 217-220
  19. Basal families:  Amborellaceae (pp. 223, 226) and Nymphaceae (pp. 226-228)
  20. Magnoliids (p. 229):  Magnoliaceae (pp. 230-232) and Lauraceae (pp. 234-236)
  21. Monocots (p.241)—Alismatales: Araceae (pp. 242-244)
  22. Petaloid monocots (p. 247)—Asparagales (pp. 254-255): Agavaceae (pp. 259-260) and Orchidaceae (pp. 264-267)
  23. Commelinoid monocots (p. 269)—Poales: Poaceae (pp. 287-292)
  24. Basal tricoplates (p. 297)—Ranunculales (pp. 297-298): Raununculaceae (pp. 300-302)
  25. Core eudicots (pp. 307-308)—Caryophyllales (pp. 308-310): Caryophyllaceae (pp. 310-311) and Cactaceae (pp. 317-320)
  26. Eurosids I: Euphorbiaceae (pp. 343-347), Violaceae (pp. 351-352), Fabaceae (pp. 356-361), Rosaceae (pp. 365-372, 510) and Fagaceae (pp. 383-386)
  27. Eurosids II: Brassicaceae (pp. 402-405) and Malvaceae (pp. 405-409)
  28. Basal asterids: Polemoniaceae (pp. 436-437)
  29. Euasterids I: Solanaceae (pp. 436-440), Apocynaceae (pp. 448-451) and Lamiaceae (pp. 451-454)
  30. Euasterids II: Apiaceae (pp. 470-473), Campanulaceae (pp. 476-480) and Asteraceae (pp. 480-487)
  31. Case studies:  carnivorous plants, coffee plants, cacao plants, GM plants, other ideas?

 

Items strongly recommended for field work

WATER, long pants, closed shoes with socks, hat or sunscreen for face, long sleeves or insect repellent, plastic bag with wet paper towels

 

Late assignments

Papers and other assignments are due at the beginning of class.  If turned in late, you will loose a letter grade (i.e., 10% of possible points) each day (24-hr period).  If I’m not around, turn in the assignment to Sheila in the Biology office and ask her to write the date and time on the paper.

 

Plant collection

You are required to collect 15 plants and identify them to species (up to three can be woody plants).  Each specimen must be neatly pressed with at least one flower in good condition still attached to the plant (a flower is not necessary in the case of a woody plant), dried and turned in with a label.  The label needs to include the following information: your name, plant family, plant genus and species (underlined or italicized), date of collection, and location of collection.  Each specimen will be worth 5 points, with the label worth 0.5 point, the condition of the specimen worth 0.5 point, and correct identification worth 4 points (partial credit will be given for correct family and genus).  The plant specimens must be turned in within a sheet of folded newspaper with the label attached to the inside of the newspaper.  NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR CULTIVATED PLANTS.  Plant collection is due on 15 Aug 03.

You may work on keying plants with a lab partner.  However, you cannot press a plant nor give an ID for an absent student.  IF you do so, I will consider you are both cheating and you will both be given a zero for the entire plant collection.

 

Grading

Final grades for the course will be assigned on a standard distribution: 90-100 (A), 80-89 (B), 70-79 (C), 60-69 (D), and below 60 (F).  Assignments/exams will be curved if necessary. 

2 mid-term exams @ 100 points each

200 points

Saturday field trip

  20 points

Plant collection

  75 points

Research paper

  50 points

Homework assignments, lab worksheets, oral presentations, etc.

  50 points

Final exam

100 points