Marine botany is the study of the primary producers of the ocean,
estuaries and terrestrial margins. This includes phytoplankton,
benthic macrophytes (algae and seagrasses), salt marsh macrophytes, and
other edge communities like salt flats, mangroves and dunes. Also
included are the endosymbiotic zooxanthellae of corals. This
course will be taught at several levels: molecular, cellular,
organismal, population, community and ecosystem. Although
taxonomy will be important, it is not the only focus of the course.
The laboratory portion of this course will stress practical methods of
measurement of the plants and their environment. This includes
the proper methods of voucher specimen preservation, basic physical and
chemical methods of abiotic environment measurement, growth
measurement, chlorophyll analysis and wet and dry weight
determination. This semester, the Florida Keys Field trip will
account for the bulk of the laboratory experience.
A. Introduce students to the
subdisciplines of cellular, organismal, populational and community
marine botany.
B. Train students in basic techniques of ecological
assessment: for example - vegetational analysis, soil and water
chemistry analysis.
C. Make students aware of current trends/controversies in marine
botany such as conservation biology, marine plant biotechnology, and
protection of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV).
D. Introduce students to the marine botanical literature in peer
reviewed journals such as Aquatic Ecology, Phycology, Marine Ecology
Progress Series and Estuaries.
E. To introduce statistical methods appropriate for data
gathering and analysis of ecological data.
A. Lecture and Lab: Dawes,
C.J. 1998. Marine Botany, 2nd Ed.
B. Supplementary texts and other relevant references: will
be referenced and available through links on the marine botany home
page.: www.esu.edu/~jjewett/marbot.home.htm
A. Evaluation and Grading
Policy: Since this course integrates theory and technique between
lecture and lab, the lecture exams will include material presented in
the laboratory as well as the lecture, textbook and other assigned
reading.
Grade Breakdown
Midterm and Final Exam (100 each) = 200 pts
Journal = 100 pts.
Plant Collection (25 large + 25 small) = 100 pts.
Participation (on time to class, prepared for field, attendance at
lectures) = 50 pts.
Field Trip Identification Practicals (2 each @ 50 pts) = 100 pts.
Total = 550 pts
Grading Scale
Letter Grade % of total point range
A 90.0 - 100
B 80.0 - 89.9
C 70.0 - 79.9
D 60.0 - 69.9
E (or F) 59.9 or below
B. Journal Grading criteria
1. organization
2. completeness of observational notes
3. follow through data analysis
4. annotated drawings
5. index to contents: journals should be started on the 4th
or 5th page to allow for an index to be added to the front prior to
turn-in.
6. Acceptable notebook types: Only bound notebooks, such as the
"write in rain" or composition book are acceptable. Other types
of journals (loose leaf, stapled, etc.) will not be graded. The
water proof variety is preferable: if you use a non-water proof
one, and it gets wet, you could loose all of your information.
7. All lab and field notes are to be taken in your journal.
Do not take notes on one piece of paper and recopy into your journal.
C. Plant Collection Grading criteria
1. Information for each
specimen: correct identification, proper preservation,
presentation of specimen, completeness of label information. No
credit will be given for specimens incorrectly identified.
2. Composition of Collection
a. The collection should consist
of a minimum of 15 algal species, 2 seagrasses, and the remainder of
native terrestrial plants. Commercial or ornamental plants are
not acceptable.
b. Do not collect plants that you can not identify:
angiosperms should have fruits or flowers attached.
c. Do not collect on private property or in state or national
parks without permission. If you are not sure, always ask.
d. Do not collect threatened or endangered plants (find out what
they are for the area you are collecting in). Do not collect
orchids, pitcher plants, sea oats or sundews.
e. Take only what you need: a specimen to press, one or
part to dissect for identification. If you collect as a group,
never take more than 10% of a particular population. Be kind to
the environment and minimize your impact on a particular area . . .
dunes and salt marshes can be eroded by pathways.
f. The 25 large specimens must be different species. There
can be overlap with the 25 small specimens. The large specimens
will become part of the ESU Marine Botany permanent collection.
The 25 small will be your personal reference collection.
g. Do not leave your collection to the last minute. Wet,
moldy specimens will be marked down. Take note of the due date on
the schedule.
D. Exams
Exams will consist of a mixture of fill-in-the-blank, short answer and
essay questions. Make-up exams will consist of an oral exam of 20
questions and given only for a legitimate excuse (death of mother,
father, sibling, offspring or spouse, or admission to the hospital - in
other words, catastrophe). Note: you would be better off
taking the scheduled exam.
E. Field Trips
1. You must have proper attire for the field: sturdy shoes
that can get wet or wet suit booties. Be prepared to wade, be out
in the sun for several hours (hats, sun screen, water bottle, field
notebook and pencil). Field trip notes, as well as analyzed data
from field trips will be organized in the journal. Remember 75
out of 400 points (19%) of your grade is based upon you journal.
Be on time and prepared for class, field and lab - 6% of your grade
depends upon it.
2. Florida Field Trip:
a. Schedule
1. We will leave for the Florida
Keys at 8am on Friday, March 7. If you have any classes that
Friday morning, you need to arrange alternatives for any exams that
might be given. Let me know if I can help if you run into any
problems.
2. The tentative cost for the trip is $600.00. You will
need to bring me a check for $300 by Friday’s lab. The remainder
$300 is due by February 20.
3. We will plan on driving the ESU van, over 2 1/2 days, arriving
at the Kingsail Resort (www.marathonfla.com/index.html) on
Marathon, on March 9. Students will sleep 4/room. Each room
has 2 full size beds, a sitting room and a kitchen. We will
either cook most of our meals or pack lunches to keep costs
economical. We will stay at inexpensive hotels along the
interstate, usually Motel 6’s. The first night we should
reach the Georgia border. The second night, we should be in South
Florida. The earlier we reach the Kingsail, the earlier we can
get into the field. The phone number at the Kingsail
is 305-743-5246. We will work out of the Kingsail while we visit
field sites at Bahia Honda State Park, Long Key State Park and
throughout the keys.
4. While in the keys, we will put in full days, in the
field. One of the days we will go on a snorkeling trip to Loe Key
out of Bahia Honda State Park. The cost of the snorkel trip will
be covered by the course fee. Most days we will be measuring the
distribution and abundance of marine plants and protists via transects,
quadrats and other plant measurement techniques. At night, after
dinner, we will work on analyzing the data, identifying specimens and
downloading pictures taken during the trip.
4. The schedule calls for us to return to ESU by March 14.
We would leave the Hotel on the 12th. If we have time, we will
stop at the Everglades on our way home. Again, we will stop along
the way at inexpensive hotels along the interstate. The van
should be back in the parking lot at ESU by about 8pm on the
14th.. Leave your cell phone numbers with who ever is picking you
up. Make sure that you can get back into the dorms at that point,
or have other arrangements.
5. Hotels along the road will be paid for out of the course
fee. We will typically put 4/room to keep costs economical.
6. Tolerance is going to be very important, as we will be living
with each other closely for a week. Treat everyone with respect
and we will get along fine.
b. Gear:
1. You will need to provide
yourself with the following for snorkeling: mask, snorkel, fins,
booties/neoprene socks. If you can’t borrow the equipment, the
instructor will help you find economical sources. If you are not
a strong swimmer, you should also get a snorkel vest, which cost about
$30.00 on the internet.
2. As space will be limited in the van, need to keep
the personal gear that you bring to an absolute minimum. The
weather will be warm, so dress will be swimming suits, t-shirts, and
shorts. Everyone should bring a beach towel for the field.
Pack your stuff in soft-sided duffel bags or backpacks: they need to be
stuffable on the van.
3. It is a LONG drive to Marathon. Bring a pillow for the
van.
4. You will need a rite-in-the-rain notebook for lab and field,
as a journal. Always bring it. Write using a pencil. Put
your name on the front cover. See above under journal for more
directions.
5. Photography: if you have a digital camera, bring
it. If you want to take underwater pictures, invest in one of the
waterproof disposables. They are also available in the keys at
many dive shops.
6. Dive light or other waterproof flashlights will prove very
useful on night time forays. We will do a jetty walk a couple of
times so we can see what creatures come out at night.
7. SCUBA: I have not planned any SCUBA outings for this
trip.
c. Other considerations
1. Security: The Keys are
famous for petty theft. You need to keep your valuables in a safe
place at all times. Your room should always be locked if no one
is in the room. The Van should always be locked. It is
everyone’s responsibility to make sure we don’t get ripped off.
2. Alcohol: Yes we will be in the Keys and yes, it is
spring break, but you must be ready to work every morning. That
is not compatible with getting drunk every night. If you are
under 21, don’t drink! If you are over 21, don’t give alcohol to
a minor. I won’t bail you out of jail.
3. If you have a problem with #2, remember we are very close to
the airport and I can put you on a plane for Allentown very
easily. You will have to arrange a pick up at that point, and
will get no refund of your course fee, as well as an E for the course.
4. Bring a copy of your insurance card with you on the
trip. There is a hospital in Marathon, and we are very close to
Miami should anything happen.
5. Be sure to bring sunblock, a long sleeved shirt, hat and be
prepared for intense subtropical sun. Sunburn is painful and
increases your chances for skin cancer in later life.
6. Bahia Honda is rated as one of the top ten beaches in the
world. We will have time for a little “sunning” there, but
usually as a warm-up between field tasks. Don’t plan on a lot of
down time, except in the car traveling both ways.
7. I will acquaint you with the “untouchables” that you might
encounter in the keys. Don’t forget to ask me about the “skate
and ray shuffle”. Jellyfish and hydroid stings are not
usual. Sand spurs are a pain in the foot! Fire ants are
very common: always look down if you stand in a spot for a few
minutes. Florida also has a few more poisionous snakes than
PA. Don’t walk around outside barefoot.
8. If you have any medical issues, let me know. If you are
diabetic, all of the rooms at the resort will have a small
fridge. If you are allergic to insect stings, bring you epi-pen
and let me and one of your mates know where it is. There will be
a medical form for you to fill out, similar to the one at
Wallops. I will keep them and give them back at the end of class
in May.