BIOL 461  Agrostology. Principals of phylogeny, classification, nomenclature, and evolution; demonstrations, field study and laboratory practice in collecting and identifying grasses. Four credits (includes lab). Spring semester, odd years.

The full syllabus for BIOL 461 can be downloaded here.

Instructors:           Justin Ramsey, Jonas Science 168

                               Tara Ramsey, Jonas Science 168

Office Hours:     Mondays 5-6PM, Tuesdays 5-6PM, Thursdays 5-6PM, Fridays 1-2PM

                               (or by appointment)

Meeting Times:       There are two multi-hour sessions that meet each week of the semester:

                                 Mondays,  2:00–4:50 pm,  Jonas Science 142

                                 Wednesdays, 2:00–3:50 pm,  Jonas Science 142

Schedule for Lectures, Labs, & Field Sessions

Week 01         ---        Monday:   monocots, grass family; vegetative parts

(Jan. 9 & 11)                Wednesday:   vegetative parts, inflorescence types

Week 02         ---        Monday:    Martin Luther King Day

(Jan. 16 & 18)               Wednesday:   grass spikelets

Week 03         ---        Monday:   grass spikelets, fruits

(Jan. 23 & 25)             Wednesday:   other terminology; references, keying

Week 04         ---        Monday:   Quiz 1; stems & roots; keying

(Jan. 30 & Feb. 1)        Wednesday:   grass family; keying

Week 05         ---        Monday:   Exam 1; epidermes

(Feb. 6 & 8)                 Wednesday:  keying

Week 06         ---        Monday:   species boundaries, nomenclature; keying

(Feb. 13 & 15)              Wednesday:   history; keying

Week 07         ---        Monday:   President’s Day

(Feb. 20 & 22)             Wednesday: reproductive systems

Week 08         ---        Monday:   reproductive systems; keying

(Feb. 27 & Mar. 1)        Wednesday:   Quiz 2; mutation, polyploidy

Week 09         ---        Monday:   Spring Break

(Mar. 6 & 8)                 Wednesday:   Spring Break

Week 10      ---        Monday:   subfamilies

(Mar. 13 & 15)              Wednesday:   subfamilies, species identification

Week 11      ---        Monday:   subfamilies, identification

(Mar. 20 & 22)             Wednesday:   tribes, identification

Week 12         ---        Monday:   Quiz 3; grass phylogeny

(Mar. 27 & 29)             Wednesday:   grass phylogeny

Week 13         ---      Monday:   keying, identification

(Apr. 3 & 5)                 Wednesday:    grassland ecology (field session)

Week 14         ---        Monday:   Exam 2

(Apr. 10 & 12)              Wednesday:   grassland ecology

Week 15         ---        Monday:   grassland ecology (field session)

(Apr. 17 & 19)              Wednesday:   grass fossils & evolution

Week 16         ---       Monday:   grassland ecology (field session)

(Apr. 24 & 26)             Wednesday:   Final Lab Quiz

Week 17         ---       Wednesday:  Exam No. 3

(May 3)

                      

Assorted Course Materials (PDF format):

Pohl’s ‘What Do Grasses Look Like?‘        PDF

Terminology (Lectures 1-4)          PDF

Terminology (Exam 1)                   PDF

Lecture notes (#1, 9 January 2017)            PDF

Lecture notes (#3, 18 January 2017)          PDF

Stem anatomy image #1 (Fig. 16.22)           JPG

Stem anatomy image #2 (Fig. 16.5)            JPG

Epidermal cells montage                             JPG

PowerPoint, Grass subfamilies I               PDF

PowerPoint, Grass subfamilies II             PDF

PowerPoint, Grass subfamilies III           PDF

PowerPoint, Major subfamily traits          PDF

Summary table, Subfamily trait               PDF

PowerPoint, Polyploidy in grasses       PDF

PowerPoint, Allopolyploid grasses      PDF

PowerPoint, Diversity of Monocots    PDF

Study Guide (Exam 2)                PDF

Grass Ecology & Systematics Assignment           PDF

Robel Pole Assignment                                        PDF           EXCEL data file

Course photos...

Additional photos can be found here!