Syllabus

Biology of Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes (Bot. 359)

Spring 2007

 

Instructor: Terry W. Henkel, Ph.D.

Office: Science Building B, Room 123

Telephone: 826-4841

Email: twh5@humboldt.edu

Office Hours: 1:30-3 Tues, 1:30-3 Thurs.

 

Laboratory Instructors:        Section 11 – Terry Henkel

                                                Section 12 – Ashley Hawkins (email: ashawk@gmail.com

)

 

Meeting Times: Lecture Section 1: Monday & Wednesday 11-11:50 pm, Science A 564

                        Lab: Section 11 (Henkel) Monday & Wednesday 2 - 4:50 pm, Science B 128

                        Section 12 (Hawkins) Monday & Wednesday pm, 5-7:50 pm, Science B 128

 

 

Required Texts: Introductory Mycology, 4th Edition, Alexopolous, Mims, and Blackwell

                       

Recommended: Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora (field guide)

                       

Required Lab Equipment: Fine forceps, blunt forceps, 2 probes, notebook for drawing (unlined), pencils; 10X handlens Bausch & Lomb

(order directly: http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?ID=5250

 

Course Format: The course will consist of two lectures (11-11:50 pm) and two labs (either 2-4:50 pm or 5-7:50 pm) per week. This 2-unit course will therefore end at mid-semester. Lectures will cover life histories, systematics, ecology, genetics, and practical applications of two major phyla of fungi, the Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. Laboratories will focus on anatomy, morphology, and taxonomy of these fungi. Laboratory exercises will include microscopy, and will be strongly influenced by what fungi are available weekly in the field.

 

Field Trips: Two required weekend field trips will be made to local forests to give students the opportunity to observe, collect, and interpret fungi in their natural habitats. These two field trips will be held on Feb. 4 and Feb. 25; attendance is required; acceptable excuses for missing a field trip include illness, family emergency, or severe conflicts with other field trips (documentation required). Field trips will run from 9 am - 4 pm. Details will be provided as dates approach.

 

Blackboard: Regular use of Blackboard is REQUIRED of all students in BOT. 359. Blackboard is an indispensable tool for sharing information and documents between the instructor and students. Lecture notes, powerpoint presentations, lab manuals, handouts, announcements, grade summaries, and other items will be available (sometimes exclusively) through Blackboard.

 

Examinations: There will be two lecture examinations, two lab practicals, and two quizzes. One quiz will be held in the lab, the other in the field. Exams will cover the preceding series of lectures as well as relevant readings from the textbook. Lab practicals will be based on materials observed in the preceding labs and again will be influenced by the availability of fresh fungi. Quizzes will be inclusive of all lecture and lab materials covered up to the quiz date.

 

Readings: Readings will be assigned from the textbook, and you are responsible for this material. Additionally, readings from the primary mycological literature will be assigned and questions regarding this material will appear on the lecture exams.

 

 

Grades: A student’s grade will consist of exams, practicals, and quizzes:

 

Quiz (lab)

January 29

25

Lab practical

February 7

100

Lecture examination

February 12

100

Quiz (field)

February 25

25

Lab practical

February 28

100

Lecture examination

March 7

100

 

Total points =

450

 

 

Curve: Grades will be scaled at the end of the semester based on the highest score achieved in the class (i.e. the highest score will form the 100% mark).

 

 

Grading Scale:

 

% total points

Grade

% total points

Grade

100-93

A

77.9-73

C

92.9-90

A-

72.9-70

C-

89.9-88

B+

69.9-68

D+

87.9-83

B

67.9-60

D

82.9-80

B-

59.9- 0

F

79.9-78

C+

 

 

                                               

Lecture Schedule:

 

Wed.

17

Jan.

Basidiomycota I. Introduction to Basidiomycota

Mon.

22

Jan.

Basidiomycota II. Form and function of fruiting bodies

Wed.

24

Jan.

Basidiomycota III. Sexual reproduction, life cycles

Mon.

29

Jan.

Basidiomycota IV. Litter and wood decomposition

Wed.

31

Jan.

Basidiomycota V. Ectomycorrhizae

Mon.

5

Feb.

Basidiomycota VI. Rusts

Wed.

7

Feb.

TBA

Mon.

12

Feb.

Lecture examination

Wed.

14

Feb.

Ascomycota I. Introduction to Ascomycota

Mon.

19

Feb.

Ascomycota II. Structure and classification

Wed.

21

Feb.

Ascomycota III. Sexual reproduction; life cycles

Mon.

26

Feb.

Ascomycota IV Asexual reproduction; deuteromycetes

Wed.

28

Feb.

Ascomycota V. Symbioses; importance in medicine

Mon.

5

Mar.

TBA

Wed.

7

Mar.

Lecture Examination

 

Laboratory Schedule:

 

Wed.

17

Jan.

Introduction, microscopy

Mon.

22

Jan.

Basidiomycota: Agaricales

Wed.

24

Jan.

Basidiomycota: Aphyllophorales

Mon.

29

Jan.

Quiz; Basidiomycota: gasteromycetes

Wed.

31

Jan.

Basidiomycota: rusts; jelly fungi

Sun.

4

Feb.

Field Trip

Mon.

5

Feb.

lab review

Wed

6

Feb.

Laboratory practical

Mon.

12

Feb.

Ascomycota: yeasts; plectomycetes

Wed.

14

Feb

Ascomycota: pyrenomycetes; loculoascomycetes

Mon.

19

Feb.

Ascomycota: inoperculate discomycetes

Wed.

21

Feb.

Ascomycota: operculate discomycetes

Sun.

25

Feb.

Field Trip; field quiz

Mon.

26

Feb.

lab review

Wed.

28

Feb.

Laboratory practical