General Botany 20-806-215

Spring 2016
Kitrina M. Carlson, PhD
Office: B3221
Phone: 608-616-3570
Email: kmcarlson2@madisoncollege.edu

Office Hours:
Tuesdays at 11:30AM and by appt.

Texts:
Recommended text for lecture: Sterns Introductory Plant Biology by Stern, Bidlack, James and Jansky
(11th or 12th edition are acceptable, do not purchase the newest edition)

Course Introduction:
This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of plant biology. This course will explore
the classification, relationships, structure, and function of plants. Coursework includes characteristics of
major plant groups, internal and external controls of growth and development, ecology of native
vegetation, and an exploration of the human uses of plants including plants for food and medicine.

Course Objectives*:
Upon completion of this course, students should be prepared to address the following questions:
What career opportunities are available in the plant sciences and why are these important?
How do the structures of plants enable life functions?
How do plants grow and develop?
How do plants obtain and use matter and energy to live and grow?
How do plants detect, process, and interpret information from the environment?
How do plants interact with the environment?
 Why do individuals of the same species vary in how they look and behave?
How are characteristics of one generation related to the previous generation?

What is biodiversity, how do humans affect it, and how does it affect humans?
*see a detailed description of core concepts and guiding questions on page 2 of this syllabus
Course Format:
LECTURE: T/Th 10:00AM - 11:15AM

LAB Section 1: M 8:30-11:20AM, Sec. 2: M 11:30AM-2:20PM, Sec. 3: W 8:30-11:20AM, Sec. 4: W 11:30AM-

2:20PM

Grading Policy (tentative):

Your final grade will be based on:
3 Regular Semester Exams: 100 points (X3)
1 Final Exam: (1/2 cumulative content, common plants of WI)
11 quizzes: 10 points (X10, lowest score dropped)
1 research activity: 100 points
11 laboratory journal write-ups: 15 points each (X10, lowest score dropped)
General Homework** = 100 **
Total points = 850
**- assigned in-class at my discretion
Core Concept 1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Structure and Function How do structures of plants enable life
functions?
Growth and Development How do plants grow and develop?
Organization of Matter and Energy Flow How do plants obtain and use matter and
energy to live and grow?
Information Processing How do plants detect, process, and interpret
information from the environment?

Core Concept 2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems How do plants interact with the environment?
The following grading system will be used: A 90% and UP, A/B 87-89%, B 83-86%, B/C. 79-82%, C 73-76%,
C/D, 69-72%,
Core Concept D 3:
60-68%, below
Heredity: 60% fails. and Variation of Traits
Inheritance
Variation of Traits Why do individuals of the same species vary in
how they look and behave?
Inheritance of Traits How are characteristics of one generation
related to the previous generation?

Core Concept 4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity What evidence shows that different species are
Class Policies: related?
Academic
Natural Honesty:
Selection How does variation among plants affect
Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academicsurvival
fraud will
andnot be tolerated. Please refer to the
reproduction?
guidelines
Adaptation on plagiarism under the resources link on the class e-scholar
How does the environmentsite. Assignments
influence turned in with
answers copied and pasted from internet sites willpopulations
not be accepted.
of plants over multiple
generations?
Blackboard site:
Class announcements, grades, handouts, and assignments will be available to you on Blackboard website.
I will notify you of handouts you will need to download and print from this site, but obtaining these
documents will be your responsibility. Please see me immediately regarding any difficulties you may have
with the Blackboard site.

Attendance:
Attendance at every lecture and laboratory period is required. There will be no makeup quizzes so
please dont ask; however, your lowest quiz score will be thrown out. Makeup exams are possible if you
have a documented emergency. If you know you must miss an exam, please see me prior to the exam
date to make arrangements to take the exam at an alternate time. Additionally, your final grade will
be lowered by a letter if you miss more than two unexcused laboratory sessions.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Students with special needs due to a documented learning disability or other disability should see me
immediately so we can discuss ways to accommodate your needs. Madison College complies with all
provisions of the ADA. You can find more information at: madisoncollege.edu/disability-resources-services-
drs.

Final Thoughts:
It is my privilege to be your instructor this semester; its my job to help you succeed in this class. Please
feel free to contact me either in my office, by phone, or email if you have any questions or concerns. I will
set up appointments or speak with you after class when you need additional help. If you are struggling in
the course, please see me as soon as possible so we can determine the best way for you to succeed. I am
also happy to conduct review sessions (outside of lecture) prior to exams if a number of students request
them.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

Week Topic Covered Reading from Lab
STERN
Jan. 19 Botany Introduction CH 1 CHEM REVIEW
Jan. 21 Careers in the Plant Sciences
Jan. 26 The Biomolecules CH 2 BIOMOLECULES
Jan. 28 Cell Structure and Function CH3
Feb. 2 Mitosis and Cell Division CH 3 PLANT CELLS AND
Feb. 4 Tissues CH4 TISSUES

Feb. 9 The Plant Body CH5 PLANT ANATOMY

Feb. 11 Roots
Feb. 16 Stems and leaves CH6, CH7 PROPAGATION
Feb. 18 Water movement in plants CH 9
Feb. 23 Plant Metabolism CH 10 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Feb. 25 Plant Metabolism (EXAM 1: Structures LAB
and Processes)
March Meiosis CH 12 BIOTECH LAB
1 Genetics CH 13
March
3
March Plant Breeding CH 13 GENETICS AND
8 Plant Breeding and Biotech CH 14 SEEDS LAB
March
10
March Spring Break SPRING BREAK
16 Spring Break
March
18
March Evolution PACKET BIODIVERSITY 1
22 Evolution PACKET
March
24
March Classification Schemes CH 16 BIODIVERSITY 2
29 Protists and Fungi CH 18/19 (SKIM)
March (EXAM 2: Heredity)
31
April 5 Evolutionary History of Plants CH 20 BIODIVERSITY 3
April 7 Seedless Vascular Plants CH 21
April 12 Gymnosperms CH 22 OUTDOOR SKILLS
April 14 Angiosperms CH 23
April 19 Plant Ecology CH 25 PROJECT LAB 1
April 21 Plant Ecology CH 25
April 26 Biodiversity PACKET PROJECT LAB 2
April 28 State Natural Areas Presentation PACKET
May 3 State Natural Areas Presentation (EXAM 3: Unity and PRESENTATIONS
May 5 Review Diversity)