UNCG BIO 112W — Principles of Biology II (Lecture Section)

This course is the second half of UNCG’s introductory biology sequence for biology majors and other interested students. It covers the form and function of plants, genetics, evolution, and ecology. Students enrolled in BIO 112 must also be enrolled in the concurrent BIO 112 laboratory, and will ordinarily have already completed BIO 111 (although this is not a requirement).

Meeting Time and Place

Monday/Wednesday 7:00–8:15 p.m. in Eberhart 284.

Instructor

Dr. Robert J. O’Hara (rjohara@uncg.edu). My office is 118 in the Eberhart Building, and I keep formal office hours there Monday/Wednesday 12:30–1:30 p.m. You’re welcome to stop by at other times also. E-mail is a reliable means of contacting me as well, and I always welcome e-mail from students about our course or any other matters. You are always welcome to speak to me after class, leave a note in my mailbox in the Biology Department Office (Eberhart 312), or send me e-mail to discuss anything relating to our course or to academics generally. If you’d like to know a bit about my interests and other activities, pay a visit to my webpage (rjohara.net).

Text

The text for our course is the same one used for BIO 111, so many students will already have a copy:

• Campbell, Neil A., Jane B. Reece, and Lawrence G. Mitchell. 1999. Biology. Menlo Park: Benjamin Cummings.

This is an encyclopedic volume, and we will use it selectively. Copies are available in the Campus Bookstore and in Addams Bookstore on Tate Street.

Course Webpage and Biology Club

The webpage for my courses (rjohara.net/teaching) has links to a copy of this syllabus, along with study guides for the material covered and general study tips for all students. Be sure to pay it a visit. I also urge all biology students to join the Biology Club e-mail discussion group. You can sign up automatically from my courses webpage, and then you’ll be part of an ongoing conversation about matters biological with other UNCG students and faculty.

Laboratory

Students in the lecture section of BIO 112 must also be registered for one of the lab sections. The labs function independently of the lectures, but follow approximately the same sequence of topics. From the course pages link on the main Biology Department webpage (www.uncg.edu/bio) you can find information about lab instructors and section schedules.

Grading

Two-thirds of your course grade is based on the lecture section of the course, and one-third on the lab section. There will be four lecture exams, and each will count for 25% of your lecture grade. All students are expected to follow the University’s academic honor policy.

Attendance

Attendance is expected, and in order to do well in the course you will have to attend the lectures. Unexcused absences from exams will result in a grade of zero for the exam missed; absences from exams are only excused for serious medical or family situations documented in writing. Any makeup exams will be long and in essay format.

Schedule

 INTRODUCTION

 M   20 Aug   Introduction                 Chapter 1
 W   22 Aug   Biodiversity                 Chapters 26-34 (skim photos)

 PLANT FORM AND FUNCTION

 M   27 Aug   Plant Structure              Chapter 35
 W   29 Aug   Plant Growth                 Chapter 35

 W    5 Sep   Photosynthesis               Chapter 10

 M   10 Sep   Transport in Plants          Chapter 36
 W   12 Sep   Plant Nutrition              Chapter 37

 M   17 Sep   Plant Reproduction           Chapter 38
 W   19 Sep   Secret Mystery Guest(s)

 GENETICS

 M   24 Sep   Mitosis and Meiosis          Chapter 13
 W   26 Sep   EXAM I (through Plant Reproduction)

 M    1 Oct   Chromosomes                  Chapter 15
 W    3 Oct   Mendelian Genetics           Chapter 14

 W   10 Oct   Mendelian Genetics           Chapter 14

 EVOLUTION

 M   15 Oct   Introduction to Evolution    Chapter 22
 W   17 Oct   EXAM II (through Mendelian Genetics)

 M   22 Oct   Population Genetics          Chapter 23
 W   24 Oct   Population Genetics          Chapter 23

 M   29 Oct   Evolutionary Mechanisms      Chapter 23
 W   31 Oct   Natural Selection            Chapter 23

 M    5 Nov   Speciation                   Chapter 24
 W    7 Nov   Macroevolution               Chapter 25

 M   12 Nov   Macroevolution               Chapter 25
 W   14 Nov   Systematics                  Chapter 25

 ECOLOGY

 M   19 Nov   Introduction to Ecology      Chapter 50

 M   26 Nov   EXAM III (through Systematics)
 W   28 Nov   Ecosystem Ecology            Chapter 54

 M    3 Dec   Population Ecology           Chapter 52
 W    5 Dec   Community Ecology            Chapter 53

 M   10 Dec   Review; Course Evaluations
 W   12 Dec   7:00-10:00 p.m., EXAM IV (through Community Ecology)