4 Credit hours, Prerequisites: BIO 181 or BIO 181H and BIO 182

6 contact hours     3 hrs lecture, 3 hrs. lab.             

$40 laboratory fee

Course Instructor:  Dr. Neil S. Cobb (523-5528, neil.cobb@nau.edu,   http://bugs.bio.nau.edu/Bio322/     http://bugs.bio.nau.edu)

Office: Peterson Hall 330   Office hours:  11:15-1:15 TTH

Lecture: TuTh 8:00AM - 9:15AM, Room BIO146, Bldg 21

Laboratory Instructor: Jacob Higgins (jwh55@nau.edu)

Office: BS129  Office hours: TBA

Labs: There are two lab sections, Wednesday (Lab Seq #5947) 2:30-5:20PM and Thursday 2:30-5:20PM (Lab Seq #6465).

 Course Description

Classification, identification, ecology, evolution, physiology, conservation, and economic importance of insects

Course Objectives

1.  To instill a sense of awe and excitement about insects and arachnids.

2.  To train the student in the skills required by a professional research entomologist, who develops and transmits new knowledge.

2.  To familiarize the student with the scientific method, and approaches used in the development of theory in entomology.

3.  To improve the student’s skills in quantitative biology.

4.  To train the student in the identification of insects, at least to the family level.

Course Structure

The following activities will be integrated by the student into an understanding of the science of entomology:

1.  Lectures will cover the basic biology of insects and key contemporary topics of concern.  See schedule of lectures.

2.  Laboratories will provide practical experience with insect form and function, identification, population structure, coexistence of species, and reproductive biology.

3.  A required insect collection will aid the student in learning about habitats in which insects live, their lifestyles, overwintering strategies, and other aspects of insect life.

4.  Two research field trips will engage the student in team research, hypothesis development and testing, data analysis and graphical display, and scientific report writing.

5.  Tests and examinations will enable the student to gauge progress in learning the material.

6.  Reading of the textbook listed as required should be conducted by the student in preparation for topics to be covered in the near future as listed in the schedule and laboratories.  The recommended book provides very interesting coverage of insect life and it is strongly advised that students consult this book frequently.  Reading and study of these texts should be self-paced, and students are responsible for the content of each of the required books.

7.  Students must appreciate that this is a lecture and laboratory course.  Learning is the responsibility of the student, while the instructor and teaching assistant aid by presenting information for the student to assimilate.

Graduate Student Credit

Graduate students must enroll for BIO599 "Entomology" for four credits. The class number is 7412, section #2, and is worth 4 units and has 2 meeting patterns, with the lab on Wednesday.  Graduate students must complete all of the requirements for BIO322.  In addition, graduate students must submit a short (~5 pages single spaced) paper that focuses on insects.  It may be a review paper or a paper using original data collected by the student.

Required Book

Triplehorn, C. A. and N. F. Johnson. 2005. An Introduction to the Study of Insects. 7th ed. Thomson Brooks/Cole, Belmont CA . The systematics has changed enough since the 6th edition of this book that I do not recommend purchasing older editions. It is best to just order this book on your own from places like Amazon.com, the used books are usaully very good quality.

Laboratory manual BIO322L: The Manual will be provided to students in digital format for free.

Required Supplies

Laboratory Notebook:  Looseleaf with clear pages and lined pages, at least 8.5 x 11 in.

Collecting & Field Supplies:  A "Collecting Kit" Will be provided to students at cost, they cost $10 per student. The kits cost approximately $75 so if you will recieve an incomplete until the complete kit is returned.

Although not required I recommend a thumb drive with at least 100mb capacity so you can easily obtain digital copies of the lecture.

Recommended Books

Gullan, P.J. and P.S. Cranston.  2003.  The Insects: An Outline of Entomology. Blackwell Science Inc; 3rd edition.

Daly, H. V., J. T. Doyen and A. H. Purcell.  1998.  Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity.  2nd. ed.  Oxford Univ. Press.

Borror, D. L., and R. E. White.  1998.  A field guide to the insects of America north of Mexico.  2nd. ed.  Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Web Site Resources

We will post material on the class web site http://bugs.bio.nau.edu/Bio322/ and provide material on CD or thumb drive. We will try and include as much material as possible, including the syllabus, relevant links, pictures, diagrams, and test-related material. 

Evaluation Methods and Deadlines

Student’s knowledge is evaluated using quizzes, tests, examinations, inspection of the laboratory note book, research reports and the insect collection.  All evaluations will occur during or after laboratory classes.  Points (110 points total) will be allocated as follows:

1.  Lecture examinations 50 points

2.  Laboratory notebook and quizzes 15.5 points

3.  Written research reports 5 points

4. Final lab exam 7 points

5.  Insect collection or Replacement Project 22.5 points

6.  Extra Credit Projects 10 points

All lecture tests are comprehensive.

Course grades are based on the direct accumulation of points in the four areas above, and letter grades will be assigned as follows: A = 90 -100%; B = 80 - 89%; C = 70-79%;  D = 60- 69%, and F = < 60%.

Note the schedule of field research trips in the semester schedule.  Written reports are required within two weeks after the field trip.  Field trips may be held in any kind of weather and vehicles will leave promptly at 2:30 pm. from the parking lot directly east of the Wall Aquatic Center (Building 21A).  Return at 5:20 is not guaranteed, so keep a flexible timetable.

The insect collection must be completed by the 12th week of the semester, and must be available for checking in the laboratory on the 4th, 8th and 10th weeks.  Frequent inspection by the T.A. or instructor is necessary to ensure proper techniques are being followed.  Consult your text book for instructions on collecting, mounting, preserving and studying insects.

The laboratory notebook pages for each lab must be submitted to the laboratory instructor for evaluation.  The student needs to obtain evaluations on the work to ensure improvements in the recording of scientific information.  As a scientific document on the student’s investigations, the notebook must be very neat and legible, with large, clear drawings.

The Insect Collection

The collection will consist of 100 separate species in at least 15 orders.  Specimens will include mature and immature insects and arachnids, from terrestrial and aquatic habitats.  A large diversity of insect families should be represented.  As many different habitats as possible will be represented in the collection.  10% of the collection may include other arthropods, but these will not be counted in the 15 orders.  Presentation of insects in the collection must be very neat and systematic, and adhere to the instructions in the textbook.  Correct labelling of specimens and the good condition of specimens is of particular importance. Collections will be placed in the NAU collections.

For collecting methods, insect preservation and collection preparation consult Chapter 35 in Triplehorn & Johnson (2005) and the methods given for each order at the end of relevant chapters.  Similar instructions are provided also in Borror and White (1998) and Daly et al. (1998).

Urgent Warning on Insect Collection

The collection is time consuming and seems to be the major hurdle in completing the course.  Start immediately and keep working on the collection every week until submission of the final collection in week 12.  If you request extra lab time we have open lab times on Monday afternoons, Thursday mornings, and Saturdays.  Here are some tips.

1.  Collect small insects as well as large.  Most insects are in the 2-4 mm range in length and are much more abundant than large insects. 

2.  It is most interesting to collect insects by hand without a net, so you can see what each species is doing.

3.  Search a wide variety of habitats: water, stream side, under logs and rocks, under bark, in dung and carrion, and on animals and plants, etc.

4.  Put out baits such as meat, liver, mashed banana and other damaged fruits, road kills, tuna fish, dung, cut logs and branches etc. etc. and watch to see which insects arrive and when they colonize.

5.  Search in the day and at night, especially at bright lights when dark.

6.  Collect rapidly early in the semester when insects remain abundant.  Do not delay until it turns cold, as insects go into diapause and hide, or lay eggs and die.

Project Replacement for Student Collection

I will consider letting one or two students develop the special collections we have been building up for either 1) the Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research, or 2) the ground-dwelling arthropod communities along an elevation gradient. The student(s) will obtain the same experience in identifying and curating a wide variety of arthropods, although in place of collecting they will develop a digital picture catalogue. The same amount of time will be required for this projects as the collection project. In order to replace

Extra Credit Projects

For those that want to obtain extra credit, a number of special projects may be submitted for up to 10 points.  Special projects may include special collections of arthropods from select research areas.  The designated research areas include 1) San Francisco Peaks 2) Beaver Creek, 3) Walnut Creek, and 4) The Arboretum at Flagstaff . 

Other projects will be considered and can cover a wide range of topics, depending on the interest of the student. A review paper must focus on any aspect of the biology of insects or arachnids, it must be an original review (i.e., not a "book report" of an existing review). It must be up at least 5 pages of single-spaced text with 1 inch margins and 12 pt font. Figures, pictures, tables, and cited references do not count towards the page limit. There must be at least 8 cited references that are not websites, they must be journal articles or books.

 Policy on Incomplete Coursework

University policy is that incomplete grades can be given only in the case of very severe difficulties during a semester.  Such a case would involve several weeks of sickness for example, and a written statement from a doctor would be required.  Therefore, if a student fails to complete the collection on time, a failing grade is required unless a serious problem is established as relevant as soon as the problem arises.  Last minute efforts to obtain an incomplete grade will not be successful.

In the rare event that an incomplete grade is warranted, there are serious difficulties to completing the course in the Spring semester: snow and cold weather make insect collecting very difficult.  Therefore, students wishing to graduate in May are forewarned that a completed collection is mandatory, it must justify a passing grade, and completion of the requirement is most difficult if the deadline in this Fall semester is not met.

Course Policy

1.  Students need not attend lectures and need not inform the instructor if a lecture is missed.  However, the student remains fully responsible for all material provided in a lecture and is advised strongly to have a friend take good notes on all material.

2.  Labs, and field trips  must be attended at the scheduled time.  The laboratory must be cleared and cleaned by the end of the afternoon by students and staff, to allow preparation for laboratories in another course.  Field research cannot be made up because team effort is needed and the study insects may be unavailable later in the semester. 

3.  Tests and examinations must be taken at the scheduled time.  Makeup exams will be allowed in special cases such as personal illness, and arrangements must be made as soon as possible to take another exam.

4.  Much of the course will be organized by oral instructions, and students are responsible for following these instructions whether or not they are present in the class.  Therefore, attendance in class is strongly recommended, but if absence is necessary, a friend should be asked to take notes and pass them on.

5.  Classes start promptly at 8 am. and labs at 2:30 pm, and students are responsible for being prepared for lectures to begin at these times.

6.  Communicate with the lecturer personally after class or with a written note in my mailbox (in room next to Biology Office, BS 227).  Provide a phone number for contact and the best time to call.  If you require a short response from me, please use e-mail.  If you use voice-mail speak clearly and slowly.

7.  Students must work independently most of the time and take full responsibility for their own learning and progress, and timely completion of all requirements.  In the university setting students should be developing self reliance, independent thinking, strong initiative and scientific skills.

Miscellaneous University Policies

Through the Office of Student Life, see the Student Handbook section:
http://www4.nau.edu/stulife/StudentHandbook/TableofContents.htm
Among the many policy matters, you should at least give attention to:

       * Student Code of Conduct
* Academic Dishonesty
* Classroom Management Statement

       * Safe Working and Learning Environment Project/Policy

       * Disability Support Services for students

In addition, please note: * "Insurance:  Students participating in a University-sponsored field trip do not have health or medical coverage through the State's self-insurance program in the event of an accident.  This also applies to students who are injured in the dorm, classroom or University-supported activity.   Students should provide their own health and medical coverage, either through their parents' insurance policy or by purchasing a student plan such as the one available through Fronske Health Center."

If a fire alarm sounds during lecture or lab please proceed immediately outside the building in an orderly manner.