ENY 6166 Distance Education Syllabus Graduate Students - Insect Classification / 3 credits
Introductory Comments Students frequently think this course is only involves insect identification, but Insect classification involves many other things, including the arrangement of taxa according to their degree of relatedness (phylogenetic relations). Insect identification is the application of scientific names to insect taxa (naming and identifying species). These two terms are often used interchangeably, giving rise to confusion. Note that this course is called Insect Classification. In order to determine relationships between species we must be able to identify them and learn to recognize important characters that may be used to imply relationships. Therefore, the majority of time in this course is spent dealing with the techniques for researching and identifying species, learning to use identification keys, researching literature and formatting reference lists, recognizing key families of a variety of insect orders, making collections, and learning the basic tools that will enable you to produce a classification scheme for a group of insects. The ultimate goal of a taxonomist is to produce a classification system for a particular group of insects. This is only possible after all species have been defined and able to be identified. This leads us to a theoretical discussion of what constitutes a species. This is an open-ended question. Perhaps by the end of the semester you will have an idea of the complexity of this question. Also recognize that while a classification scheme may be based upon many things, including ecology, molecular information, chronology, and others, the starting point is most often based on external adult morphology. Therefore, you will be using morphology throughout the semester when learning to identify insects, but keep in mind that when it comes to defining species, morphology is only one of many useful characters. In a traditional classroom there are deadlines for you to meet regarding each exercise. Most exercises are completed and submitted at the end of the week they are presented. As closely as possible I would like to follow the same routine here. However, you are free to work on the course exercises in any order you wish. The schedule below is an example of the classroom schedule. If at any time you are unable to access your CD, please notify me immediately. Outline of Course Topics Covered (not in any particular order) - Each topic will usually have an exercise or exercises that will introduce you to concepts which you will apply to particular problems.
Course Description, Objectives and Goals Course Description: This course introduces the student to techniques for determining, justifying, and applying scientific names to insect taxa using a variety of methods. Objectives and Goals: This is a course dealing with insect classification. You will be introduced to a variety of topics related to classification. As a result you will be expected to understand the processes behind species descriptions and definitions; to locate relevant literature; to use a variety of techniques to determine species names of assigned insects, and to recognize many of the commonly encountered Florida insects. You will acquire expertise at identifying insects using a variety of resources including dichotomous keys; You will learn how to search the literature (online and traditional ways) for information about particular insects; Know the significance of and how to locate the description, author and date of publication for species; Develop a regional identification key to species for families of one or more orders of insects; Understand the holomorphological approach to species definitions and challenges to species concept; Understand that classification involves much more than looking at a few dead insects mounted on pins; Develop the skills necessary to identify adult insects that you have never seen before and which do not necessarily occur in Florida.
Outline of Semester Assignments/Exams/Projects NOTE: This is the same schedule as the classroom sections have followed. You will be able to work on the course as you wish, as long as you complete all assignments. (view list of course exercises) Week 1 - Read about collecting, preserving, and studying Insects
Insect Collection Requirements - ENY 6166 Note: Distance education sections have separate requirements which are detailed below. In the past students have failed to realize the tremendous time required to complete collections, and have tended to procrastinate until the last possible minute. Results have generally been disastrous, so to prevent this, we will have intermediate due dates for portions of your collections. Note the following due dates taken for the in-class section. This is presented here to give you an approximation of the timeline followed by on-campus sections. * January 29 - First mini-collection due (10 orders, pinned and labeled, arranged in phylogenetic order, with printed list) - * February 17 - Second mini-collection due - Each collection should have at least 75 families and 20 species identified by now, properly arranged. By this point in the semester you should have at least one half of your collection finished (curated, labeled, arranged phylogenetically, with printed list). If not, you will be frantically trying to finish by the course deadline for all collections. * April - All collections due, curated, labeled, arranged phylogenetically, with printed list and with list of references used to make species determinations. All students participating in this course are required to make a collection of adult insects. (No immature specimens will be accepted). The number of specimens required to satisfy exercise requirements is described below. Collections are worth 100 points, equal to one exam. Each specimen will be worth 1pt. No partial credit will be given. If the specimen is properly curated, labeled, and identified, it will be worth 1 pt. If any portion of the specimen is incorrect, no point will be given. Grading of collections will proceed as follows: 100 pts if the required number of families and correctly identified species, arranged properly, along with a printed list with all names properly spelled. Improperly spelled names will be considered incorrect identifications and a full point will be deducted for each such mistake. If you fail to meet the minimum number of families and species, the grade will be calculated on the basis of percentage completed, so for example if you only submit 50 identified specimens, and your requirement is 100, then your collection will receive a grade of 50 out of 100. Since this is counted as an exam grade and 20% of your final grade, you can see the merit of meeting full collection requirements. Graduate students - must have 125 different insects, including 20 Orders and 40 different specimens identified to species (25 may be CYBER species). 40% of your collection may be CYBER collected. Each specimen will be worth 1pt., and all curating must be correct for credit. As with the other species determinations, pertinent literature must be provided or cited when the collection is turned in. Distance Education ONLY - You may have up to 40% of your collection from cyber-collecting. See course exercises for details. Unacceptable specimens-please do not collect these. The following will not be accepted in your collections. These are either too easily collected, beneficial, or not needed. Honeybees - Apis melliferaLovebugs - Plecia nearctica Bumblebees - Bombus Yellow Jackets - Vespula Bald-faced hornets Mole crickets (unless identified to species) ***Check with us about butterfly species - Gulf Fritillary, Yellow sulphur, Monarch, Viceroy, etc. * Insects that are maintained in colonies, either in the department or locally at the USDA lab or Division of Plant Industry. * Commercially obtained specimens * Specimens from other student collections Species Identifications - are to be accompanied by a formatted list of references and copy of (if not too large) or citation of key(s) that you used to make your determinations. Naming an expert in the field that you consulted will not be acceptable, nor will walking down the aisles of a museum, comparing specimens. If you use the Internet, cite the full web address. References - each student should prepare an alphabetical list of references used to make their determinations. The format will be that of a standard reference citation. If you are using the Internet, give the complete web address (URL). This list should be emailed to me (and will also be handed in as a computer file on a floppy disk), with references arranged alphabetically by author, then by year. Each reference paragraph should be formatted with a hanging indent. All journal names will be cited with full title, no abbreviations. Scientific names shall be italicized and include author's name on labels and when included in reference titles. Your collections should be a matter of pride to you, so do a good job curating and identifying. When collections are turned in, hand in a printed list of all specimens arranged phylogenetically by order, family, genus and species (if appropriate). Arrange Orders according to the classification scheme used in your textbook. Number each specimen to correspond to number on printed list. This will make it easier to grade and to locate named specimens. Completed Collection Due Date - 2 weeks before end of classes. Earlier submissions will be appreciated and accepted. Semester Project In addition to a collection, each graduate student will be assigned an insect family to research (or you may request a family to work on that you are interested in. The objective of this exercise is to produce a literature based checklist of species that probably occur in Florida (or in your state or country), a literature-based key to those species, and a comprehensive reference list for that family which will include old references as well as the latest revisions if such exist. You may choose a family that you are interested in, or I will be happy to suggest one. Words of caution, DO NOT RELY Solely ON THE INTERNET TO COMPLETE THIS. (This will vary according to your access to literature). You will almost certainly have to spend some time in a library (if you have one available)looking up references in old journals. I have placed online examples of what your finished project should look like (see identification keys there). Do not wait until the end of the semester to complete this. You are to turn in a printed copy (mail to me) as well as a copy of the computer files including any figures on a floppy disk or CD ROM if needed. You may use MS Word or WordPerfect for this assignment. Be sure to number the pages, and include your name in the header on each page. Use 12 pt font, and 1.5 line spacing. Italicize all Latin names, and be sure to include authors names with species names. The references should be alphabetized, and each citation should be a separate paragraph with a hanging indent. See example provided by me. When you are finished please mail me a printed copy of your report, as well as a copy of the file(s) you created. These may be sent as email attachments. Your project should include an introductory section describing in general terms what this family is known for, or something of its biology. If it includes medically important species be sure to mention that. Course Web Pages - Additional notes, exercises, and course content may be posted at the online course web site. You should check these pages each week, and I will email you if I have placed new material there for you. Course Prerequisites: ENY 3005, Principles of Entomology, or a course dealing with classification of insects or other arthropod taxa. It is desirable for students to already have a familiarity with common insect orders. Each student must have an Active E-mail account with reliable Internet access. Your computer must have a functioning CD ROM drive with sound capability. Textbook and reference materials: Borror, White, and Triplehorn, Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th edition. (or the newly released 7th edition) Numerous additional reference materials are found on this disk and will also be posted online at our class web site.
As Graduate Students these additional readings are listed for your knowledge base.
Additional Selected References:
Assignments and Methods by which the Student will be Evaluated and Grades Determined Grading: Your grade will be determined by an accumulation of points earned from all exercises. Your adult insect collection will count for 20% of your overall grade. Exercises will count for 50%; semester project will count 30%. (See details on collection requirements). Each topic may have a short written exercise to be completed. (these may include crossword puzzles or questions). You may turn these in (via email, FAX, or form submission). Points will be awarded according to degree of accuracy and completeness. Late submissions (not completed by end of semester) will receive a score of 0 (zero). Exams will be announced a week in advance, and will consist of short identification exercises, short essays, or practical exercises related to class topics. These will be posted online and you will be notified if and when they occur. All tests and exercises are comprehensive. In all exercises, collections, and written assignments, spelling will count. A misspelled name is incorrect, and on an exam or ID will be treated as a wrong answer. Additional Information: The course is delivered as a web page formatted from Power Point presentations. If you follow the course as it is presented on the CD you will see that there are usually brief comments (audio files) and exercises designed to introduce you to a particular topic. This is intended to make you aware of particular topic, to provide you with background information, and to stimulate ideas and thinking about the week's subject. Class exercises: We will utilize a variety of methods to introduce you to insect classification. Among the tasks that you will be expected to accomplish will be curating exercises using a variety of mounting techniques, identification of many of the families of insects that occur in Florida, using species keys to identify Florida insects, completing several written exercises including crossword puzzles, producing a variety of drawings to illustrate morphological characters, the creation and expansion of one or more dichotomous identification keys, compiling literature searches on one or more group of insects using computer searching of CD-ROM literature database to produce list of Florida species and tentative key to Florida species, and researching an original species description. These exercises should be submitted as directed by me. Insect Collection: Develop and use a variety of collection techniques that will assist you in collecting a greater diversity of insects; Develop curatorial skills that will teach you professional insect mounting and labeling techniques;
University of Florida Honesty Policy Regarding Cheating and Use of Copyrighted Materials Academic Honesty As a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, every student has signed the following statement: "I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University. " We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standard of honesty and integrity." Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation. University Counseling Services Resources are available on-campus for students having personal problems or lacking clear career and academic goals which interfere with their academic performance. These resources include:
Software Use All faculty, staff and students of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damage and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken, as appropriate. Information for Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities are encouraged to register with the Office for Student Services to determine the appropriate classroom accomodations. Any student requesting classroom accomodations must be registered with the Dean of Students Office, P202 Peabody Hall, 392-1261 (TDD - 392-3008), and have documentation on file in the office of Student Services in order to receive classroom and/or examination accomodations. For students with hearing disabilities trying to contact an office that does not list a TDD, please contact Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8771. UF Policy on E-mail "Official University business email will be communicated to students using the University GatorLink email account. That is, official email will be sent exclusively to GatorLink UserName@ufl.edu. The preferred email address recorded for all students will be the GatorLink address. This is the email address displayed in the online phonebook. Students may continue to use the forwarding mechanism to deliver their email to other mail services, if they wish. However, it is the student's responsibility to insure that the forwarding address is current so that they receive official communications from the University."
|
