NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS, SPRING 2014

SYLLABUS

"The study of botany is a source of lifelong happiness.  Whatever may be one's station or pursuit in life ... botany is one of the best of hobbies. The botanist lives in the fresh air and sunshine: and when he leaves the world behind, and seeks amid the solitudes of Nature, to penetrate her wondrous mysteries, he feels the quickenings of a higher life.  A taste for botany wonderfully enhances the pleasures of travel, and also gives happiness and content to him who stays at home.  It is equally efficacious in preventing the
ennui  of wealth and the anxieties of poverty. ... The study of botany is particularly rich in those elements which conduce to a vigorous mind and body and a robust character."  --- J.F.A. Adams, Science, February 4, 1887, from "Is botany a suitable study for young men?"


LINKS TO:  LinksAssignments


Kerry Woods
,  Dickinson 143, 440-4465, kwoods@bennington.edu,
    office hours Tues and Fri 10-12, Fri 2-4)

Class meeting times: Monday 2:00-4:00, Thursday 2:00-6:00

This class is an exploration of plants -- mostly about plants as whole organisms, and mostly about plants as they live in the wild.  But we will need to look into a certain amount of the underlying plumbing (physiology, development, genetics, evolution) to enhance insight into what's going on in habitat, and we won't hesitate to explore tangents as seems appropriate (so long as they're about plants).  There'll be a fair amount of taxonomy; it's important to be able to attach names to things just to talk about them, but taxonomy also gives leverage for following evolutionary relationships and, perhaps most importantly, good field taxonomy requires refined observational skills.  You could just say that this class is about sophisticated 'seeing' of plants...   Consequently, there will be a lot of lab/field work -- the practicum of seeing -- both as a class and individually, on your own.

EXPECTATIONS AND EVALUATION: 

There will be a variety of field and lab exercises and assignments, maybe some short quizzes or question sets, and two larger individual projects/papers.  For those requesting grades, these two projects will account for about half of your evaluation; smaller exercises and assignments about 30%; and other evidence of participation and engagement the remainder.
    Most importantly, much of the class will be about observation, participation, hands-on exploration in the field and lab; general engagement and initiative is important and will count for a lot.  Consequently, PRESENCE is very important.  If you miss classes too frequently (more than 2-3 times).  Attending scheduled LABS is particularly essential.
    You'll be expected to spend a substantial amount of time in individual, independent observation and exploration.  This is essential to gaining comfort and expertise as a naturalist (just as any skill with tools or instruments requires practice), and it will be obvious whether you've been doing it!

CLASS STRUCTURE


Class time will be spent in various mixes of classroom, lab, and field.  EVERY THURSDAY, unless otherwise informed,  you should come to class prepared to go outside, with appropriate clothes and footwear as well as field-guides, lens, and field notebook.   Several Thursday's will involve off-campus field-trips.  
When we have off-campus FIELD TRIPS, we'll use the FULL THURSDAY MEETING TIME for field trip -- from 2:00 (or maybe earlier) to 6:00 -- so you MUST be on time!  More detailed schedule later, but expect these from late April onwards

BOOKS AND READINGS AND RESOURCES:  

There is no general textbook required for this class, but if you'd like to have a hard-copy, real book that's a comprehensive reference on plant biology, the best is "Biology of Plants" (the latest version is called "Raven  Biology of Plants"). It's gone through 9 or so editions; earlier ones were by Peter Raven; then Raven, Evert, and Eichhorn; then Evert, Raven, and Eichhorn; and now just Evert and Eichhorn.  Any of the last several editions would be fine, and they're available used for reasonable prices...  There are also good web resources for general reference (see below).

What is required is that you have books for identification of plants in the field.  Various combinations are possible, but a good starting combination is:
    - Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (very user-friendly, but relatively technically accurate), combined with
    - Muenscher's Keys to Woody Plants (a bit more demanding, but you're supposed to be getting the skills to use such resources!)
IF you are interested in a truly complete (and very good, but quite technical) regional flora, I recommend
    - The New England Wildflower Society's Flora Novae Angliae (you'll probably want to use it in combination with one or both of the above)

You must also each have:
    - A good hand-lens -- at least 10X
    - and a field notebook (something that's tough enough to take rough treatment and wet weather, and convenient for carrying and writing on in the field).  You'll want to use PENCIL in the field.  Some people like to have two notebooks -- one for rough notes and sketching in the field, and one into which all of that is transcribed in neater more organized fashion.

Finally, here are some potentially useful web resources:
    -  Go Botany is New England Wild-flower Society's on-line, interactive plant ID/key tool.  It's excellent
    - Wikipedia is pretty good on technical stuff, but do be cautious
    -  There are various free online texts; most are not very good, but
        - this 
ONLINE BIOLOGY TEXT is not bad for illustrations, definitions and general background supporting many topics: use chapter titles (e.g., Cell Division -- mitosis and meiosis, Photosynthesis...)
        - and this one also has some good materials, but not all of it is in English yet.
    - A dictionary of botanical terms from the California Flora project
    - and another the Missouri Botanical Garden (a top place...)
    - a large archive of illustrations, photos, micrographs of many plant types and strucutres from Univ. of Wisconsin

These are just a beginning; explore.

SCHEDULE:

This is approximate, and may change (chapters from recent edition of Raven's Biology of Plants if you wish...)
   

Week 1
Introduction: How to see a plant
    - Fact, observation, and science.
    - On naming things (first round).
(LAB: using keys, woody plant structure)
Ch. 1,5,6, 7
Week 2
I. How to be and build a plant: necessities of life
    - Plumbing I: light: photosynthesis and gas exchange 
Ch. 4,24,25,26
  Photosynthesis
 Photosynthesis animations
Week 3
    - Plumbing II: water: roots, stems
    - Plumbing III: mineral nutrition: roots and fungi
Ch. 29, 30,
Water transport
Week 4
    - Plumbing IV: growth and intro to reproduction
   
 Ch. 3, 11
mitosis and meiosis animation
alternation of generations
Evolution
the Niklas tree model
Week 5
    - How to make a plant: evolutionary and functional trade-offs Ch. 8,15,16,17
Week 6
II. Plant’s-eye history of the world and diversity survey
    - Diversity I: origin of autotrphy and the algal Kingdoms  
    - Diversity II: Life on land, spores and cryptogams
Ch. 18
Tree of Life: 'Kingdoms'
Berkeley Kingdoms
endosymbiosis
an ALGAE site
Paleos on land plants
Tree of Life Plant Root
Week 7
    - Diversity III: Gymnosperms Ch. 19,20
Week 8
    - Diversity IV: Origin of flowering plants
Week 9
III. Plants living in the world: Ecology, adaptation
    - Population growth and regulation, competition
on-line Ch. 31,32
Week 10
    - Diversity; ecological niche, communities, succession

Week 11
    - Life history stories; pollination, mate choice in plants
    - seed biology: dispersal, germination
Ch. 12
Week 12
IV. Macroevolution: speciation and phylogeny; systematics
Ch. 21
Week 13
V. Plants and people:
    - domestication and agriculture

Week 14
    - plant explorers, plant conservation, plant invasions



    Lab

The lab will be a mix of “survey” work -- getting acquainted with plant anatomy and taxonomic groups -- and exercises focused on plant function and ecology.  Expect to spend the full lab period, particularly on field days. 
    ALWAYS bring a notebook to lab, INCLUDING FIELD TRIPS, and assume that ANY LAB MAY BE OUT-DOORS unless I say specifically otherwise in class before-hand. SO, come dressed and prepared for the weather even if it's wet or cold. For only moderately nasty weather, dress warmly or bring rain gear as appropriate.   Good FOOTWEAR is important; expect wet ground and off-trail walking.
    Your lab notebook should be suitable for use outside (or get a separate field notebook) – easy to carry, robust, attractive because other people may see it.  I recommend a waterproof notebooks (e.g., ‘Rite-in-the-rain’; the bookstore will have some), but you can always stick it in a clear plastic bag.  BRING A PENCIL TO LAB; ink runs when it gets wet. 
    ALSO ALWAYS BRING  hand lens, and appropriate identification guides: the tree/woody plant book(s) for first few weeks; wildflower book starting April.
    You may want to get some sort of field bag to carry all this stuff, and for bringing back souvenirs.

  Lab schedule will be flexible, dependent on weather and projects, but first weeks of term, Mondays will be a mix of classroom, lab, and field time on campus.  After Long Weekend, we'll spend the FULL 2:00 - 6:00 IN THE FIELD, often off campus.
    AND there will be one weekend field-trip, probably either 7-9 May or 14-16 May -- probably to New Jersey pine barrens and swamps, coastal barrier island, and New York Botanical Garden.  This trip is not required -- but it will be fun and a great opportunity to expand your botanical horizons.
    Here is the evolving schedule for now:

Weeks 1-3: woody plant structure and identification: use of keys, winter identification.  In adition to the keys in your field guides, check out:
    The Trees of Wisconsin website -- keys and PHOTOS of buds and twigs, as well as leaves and other materials
    A simple twig and bud key that might be a good back-up for common species with links to good bud and leaf-scar photos

Weeks 4-5: Mostly in lab, microscopic and prepared materials, getting acquainted with general plant strutures and anatomy.

Weeks 6-7: Mix of lab and on-campus field-work, touring major plant groups and their main features.

Rest of term: Mostly field-trips.