Biology 201: Ecology and Evolution

Spring 2013

Course Introduction / Intro to Biology Alexander J. Coverdill, PhD January 15, 2013

Biology 201 Course Syllabus

Your BI201 Teaching Team

Instructor: Dr. Alex Coverdill (coverdia@bc.edu) Office: Higgins 425 Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:00 pm 4:00 pm Note: Im typically only on campus T/Th! Graduate TA: Linh Ta (tali@bc.edu) Office: Higgins 507 Office Hours: TBA Undergrad TA: TBD

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Course Materials
Required:
Biological Science, Scott Freeman, 4th edition, Vol. 2, 2010 (hardcover or eBook) iClicker classroom response system handheld unit Access to Mastering Biology, an online assignment resource manager

Optional:
Biological Science Study Guide, Scott Freeman, 4th edition, 2010

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Course Website (BlackBoard Vista)

http://cms.bc.edu OR through your Agora portal
Syllabus (with our contact information) Lecture Slides Office Hour Schedules Additional Readings Link to Mastering Biology site (MB) Registration of iClicker

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My Course Learning Goals

To continue your development of the foundational knowledge of biology that you can apply to: Upper division courses in biology
(Evolution, Developmental Biology, Ecology, Plant Biology, Physiology)

A range of potential careers in biology Understanding/Responding to current challenges faced as a society To promote learning and study skills that will be beneficial for you beyond this course, including the skill of developing a learning network.

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Additional Incentives for Active Participation

Grading Summary (600 points total): Midterm Exams (3 exams, 100 pts each) Final Exam (100pts new, 100pts cumulative) Mastering Biology Assignments iClickers/Attendance Total:

300 pts 200 pts 70 pts 30 pts 600 pts

*Students requiring accommodations, please have the appropriate office contact Dr. Coverdill this week or bring your paperwork to me.

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***Please take note of exam dates NOW you will not be*** 2011 Pearsonable Education, to Inc. reschedule exams to better fit your plans!

At some point, Im betting youll wonder:

How do I know what information is important? What do I need to know to get an A? What can I do to do better on the next test? How come I study as hard/much as I can, but I dont do as well as Id like?

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Mastering Biology

A key component of learning:

getting a grade: Knowing when you know something and knowing when you dont. Also knowing how to access information that youve learned! Purpose: To challenge you to apply concepts as a PRACTICE before exams = Formative assessment
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Mastering Biology

Course ID: BI201COVERDILL2013 Student ID: BC Username (BBVista Username) MB Tutorial: Due next Friday, Jan 25th at 5pm!
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Predict an outcome

Design an experiment Create a Model Appraise data in support of a hypothesis Critique a research proposal

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One of my course goals:

Create an Active Learning Course Environment An active learning course is one where students are actively engaged in learning the material (both inside and outside of the classroom). This is, in part, your responsibility as well!

Discover which note-taking strategy works best for YOU!

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The iClicker Response Device

Well use iClickers for responses to: In-class discussions Problem solving sessions Quizzes Individual responses collected and scored. Some responses will be graded, others simply recorded for participation Benefit: You and I will find out what you know immediately! No Fault Attendance Policy (Warning: Use of another student s iClicker is fraud) See Academic Honesty section of syllabus for more info.
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How to Succeed in Biology

In addition to traditional methods participation in the course
Coming to class Taking notes Reading book Highlighting text in book Giving written answers to problems Copying class notes to flash cards ASK QUESTIONS!

you will also work with other students in (and outside) of class to: Discuss problems youve solved on your own. Explain concepts to one another
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Miscellaneous Course Policies

Lecture attendance is mandatory. No make-up exams will be given. You must take the final exam in order to pass the class. You must obtain any information that was missed due to absence from a fellow classmate. You are expected to be an active participant in lecture. The assigned readings should be completed prior to the corresponding lectures. No points will be given for Mastering Biology assignments completed after specified deadlines. You may not use a fellow students iClicker. Ever. Cell phones must be silenced and put away during the lecture. Use of laptops during class is permitted; however

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Avoid Distractions! Youre responsible for your grade!

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Learning Objectives for Chapter 1:

Chapter 1 Distinguish a theory from a hypothesis Name five fundamental characteristics shared by all living organisms. Describe the two components of the cell theory. Briefly explain the theory of natural selection, and explain under what conditions natural selection will happen (e.g., Must the variation be heritable?). Read a phylogenetic tree, and understand the role of similarities and differences in constructing phylogenetic trees. Describe what biologists do, that is, how they approach problems and why they do experiments. List the components of experimental design Predict consequences of changes in experimental components
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What does it mean to say something is alive?

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What do all life forms have in common?

All living organisms share 5 fundamental characteristics:
1. Energy: to stay alive and reproduce, organisms must acquire and use energy 2. Cells: organisms are made up of membrane-bound units called cells 3. Information: organisms process hereditary or genetic information, encoded in units called genes along with information from the environment 4. Replication: everything an organism does is with the goal of reproduction. This is the ultimate measure of an organisms fitness. 5. Evolution: organisms are the product of evolution and their populations continue to evolve.
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Some Facts about Theories

A THEORY is an explanation for a very general class of phenomena or observations. Theories have two components: Pattern Something that occurs in the natural world Process Responsible for creating the pattern Two theories form the framework for modern biological science. 1. The cell theory 2. The theory of evolution by natural selection

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The Biological Hierarchy

Biosphere ENVIRONMENT Ecosystem

Where does

begin?

Population Organism Organ

ORGANISM (=PHENOTYPE)

Tissues Cell
Minimal Unit of LIFE!

Organelle / Subcellular compartment Genome GENOME Gene network Gene / Gene Product

Visualizing Cells

... I could exceedingly plainly perceive it to be all perforated and porous, much like a Honeycomb...these pores or cells, were not very deep, but consisted of a great many little boxes... ! -Robert Hooke 1665!

The Cell Theory 1. All organisms are made of cells.

Cells are the universal, irreducible unit of life whether you are a single celled bacterium or a Sequoia tree. The smallest organisms consist of single cells. The largest organisms consist of many trillions of cells.

Unicellular Paramecium

Multicellular Blue Whale

Multicellular Giant Sequoia

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The Cell Theory 2. All cells come from pre-existing cells.

Life begets life no spontaneous generation Cell division is the basis of organismal reproduction. Cell division is the basis of organismal growth & repair. Even viruses require the cells of their hosts for replication.

The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

In 1858, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace made two claims regarding the natural world:
1. All species are related by common ancestry (pattern). 2. Characteristics of species are modified from generation to generation (pattern). Descent with modification (process)

Evolution is a change in the characteristics of a population over time, where a population is defined as a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time.
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Evolution explains the unity and diversity of life

In 1859, Charles Darwin published the book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

There is no exception to the rule that every organic being naturally increases at so high a rate, that, if not destroyed the earth would soon be covered by the progeny of a single pair...the geometrical tendency to increase must be checked by destruction at some period of life. Origin of Species (1859)

The Tree of Life

The cell theory and the theory of evolution by natural selection imply that all species come from preexisting species and that all species, past and present, trace their ancestry back to a single common ancestor or LUCA. The tree of life is a family tree of organisms that describes the genealogical relationships among species with a single ancestral species at its base. Speciation is a divergence process in which natural selection has caused populations of one species to diverge to form new species. Phylogeny is the actual genealogical relationships among all organisms.
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Using Molecules to Understand the Tree of Life

Carl Woese and colleagues studied small subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) Remember: RNA is comprised of four chemical units called nucleotides. Symbolized by letters A, U, C, & G The sequence of nucleotides can change during evolution. Based on the theory of evolution, rRNA sequences should be very similar in closely related organisms but less similar in less closely related organisms.

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Interpreting the Tree of Life and Taxonomy

The tree of life indicates three major groups of organisms: the eukaryotes Eukarya and two groups of prokaryotes Bacteria and Archaea. Fungi and animals are more closely related to each other than either is to plants. Traditional classification schemes were often inaccurate. The location of certain branches on the tree is hotly debated and the shape of the tree will continue to change as databases expand. See Bioskills 3 for help reading phylogenies
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How do scientists study the natural world?

What is the Scientific Method? Merriam Webster Dictionary, Online Scientific Method n. Principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses !

Methodical exploration! What makes science unique!

Observations

The Scientic Method

Question Hypothesis Predictions Experiment Data Analysis

Support

Conclusion Report Results

Reject

Using the Scientific Method

Hypothesis testing can be divided into a two-step process: 1. State the hypothesis as precisely as possible and list the predictions it makes. 2. Design an observational or experimental study that is capable of testing those predictions.

Observation: Giraffes have very long necks! Why?

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Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks?

The food competition hypothesis argues that long necks evolved because animals with long necks can reach food unavailable to other mammals. Predictions:
Neck length is variable. Neck length is heritable. Giraffes feed high in trees.

Results:

Simmons and Scheepers

Conclusion:
It is unlikely that giraffes evolved long necks to be able to reach food higher than other mammals.

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The Sexual Competition Hypothesis

An alternative hypothesis, the sexual competition hypothesis, is that giraffes evolved long necks because longer-necked males win more fights than shorter-necked giraffes, and can then father more offspring. Data support this hypothesis.

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