Boston University Department of Biology

BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

Professor Topics Lecture Dates Office Location Office Hours*

Dr. Fred Wasserman Darwinian M, W, F (4-5) or by
Sept 2 Sept 23 BRB 423
few@bu.edu Evolution appt.
Dr. Sean Mullen MWF 11-noon or by
Macroevolution Sept 24 Oct 16 BRB 207
smullen@bu.edu appt.
Dr. Kathryn Spilios Ecology and T (11-12), W (10-11
Oct 19 Nov 10 SCI301 A
kspilios@bu.edu Ecosystems and 1-2) or by appt.
Dr. Michael Sorenson T, Th, F (4-5) or by
Animal Behavior Nov 11 Dec 10 BRB 529
msoren@bu.edu appt.
* office hours during
dates listed

Laboratory Director Administrative Coordinator

Dr. Kathryn Spilios kspilios@bu.edu Ms. Chenille Hogan chenille@bu.edu

Lecture Sections (in SCI109)

A1: Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30-1:50pm A2: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 3:00-3:50pm

Required Materials (see purchasing information posted on Blackboard)

TEXTBOOK (also on reserve in the Science and Engineering Library)
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Sadava D, Hillis DM, Heller HC, Berenbaum M. 2014. Life: The Science of Biology 10 ed. Sinauer
Associates, Inc., Sunderland MA.

COURSE WEBSITE (LaunchPad, which is integrated within Blackboard Learn)

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LaunchPad for Life, 10 ed. has a wealth of study aids, including self-quizzing to help you practice for
exams, animations, flashcards, activities, study ideas, help with math and statistics, and more.

LABORATORY MANUAL
Spilios KE and Godrick EC. 2015. Principles of Biology I. Hayden-McNeil Publishing, Plymouth, MI.

CLICKER
Clicker with required license
We recommend the TurningPoint ResponseCard RF LCD, but you are welcome to use a TurningPoint
ResponseCard that ID# ends in 03 or 04 you prefer (the same card can be used in multiple classes)

Grading and Exam Policies

There are four lecture exams throughout the semester. Attendance at all exams is mandatory. Make up
exams will only be allowed with official documentation of an absence provided within two business days of
the exam. Please contact Chenille Hogan in SCI301 if you need to make up an exam. NOTE: If you miss
an exam and cannot provide official documentation, there will be a 20% deduction on your make up exam.
If you are working with the Office of Disability Services you must provide their documentation to Chenille
Hogan at least two weeks prior to the first exam.
Exam grades will be posted on the course website (Blackboard) approximately three business days after
the exam has been taken.
Both a passing lecture grade and a passing laboratory grade are required to receive credit for this course.
Please see the full grading outline provided in the lab manual.
Your course grade for BI 107 is calculated as follows:
4 Lecture Exams, each worth 15% 60%
Lecture homework, 4 assignments 4%
In-lecture clicker questions 4%
Laboratory (see lab manual for breakdown) 32%
Final Course Grade 100%

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
You are expected to exhibit ethical and honest work habits at all times. The College of Arts and Sciences holds a Zero
Tolerance policy with respect to academic misconduct or misrepresentation. It is your responsibility to know,
understand, and abide by the Academic Conduct Code. If you are at all uncertain about the definition of misconduct,
plagiarism, cheating or academic dishonesty please refer to the student handbook or the university website for a full
description. Please be aware that this issue is extremely serious and any confirmed incidents will be referred to the
appropriate university administrator for additional disciplinary action.

LECTURE HOMEWORK
You should arrive to lecture prepared for class be reading the associated lecture readings. Keep in mind that reading
before lecture is intended to familiarize you with the material, you should thoroughly read again after lecture.

Throughout the semester, we will have 4 lecture-based homework assignments. These homework assignments will be
completed through LaunchPad using a program called LearningCurve. This program is an adaptive system and is set
up like a game your goal is to reach the target point score. Within each question, you will have access to hints and
links to the ebook sections. After each answer, you will receive immediate feedback. You will earn fewer points for
answering a question if you need help before you get it right, but you will never lose points. Once you reach the target
point score, you will earn full credit for that assignment (there is no partial credit). You are welcome to return to the
LearningCurve quiz to study you will notice that your points will continue to increase, but your final grade on the
assignment is based on your points earned at the due date.

Course Syllabus
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Week 1 Sept. 1 Sept. 2 Sept. 3 Sept. 4
Professor Wasserman

Darwinism and the Evidence for Evolution

Darwins Theory; Five Facts, Three Inferences
Topics Evidence for Macro Evolution
Artificial Selection
Evidence for Natural Selection.

Ch 1.2
Ch 1.3
Ch 21.1
Readings
Blackboard:
Darwin
Evidence for Evolution
Natural Selection

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory No Labs This Week

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 2 Sept. 7 Sept. 8 Sept. 9 Sept. 10 Sept. 11
Professor Wasserman
Evolutionary Processes
Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
Causes of Microevolution
Genetic Drift, Gene Flow, Mutation, Non-Random Mating
Topics
Origin of Species
Prezygotic and Postzygotic Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms
The Species Concept
No Class Dispersal, Colonization, and Vicariance
Ch 21
Ch 23
Blackboard:
Readings Hardy-Weinberg
Species
Speciation
HHMI Biointeractive The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture AND LearningCurve quiz on LaunchPad (due 9pm Sept 11)

Module 1: Plant Evolution and Ecology (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab); Monday labs must
Laboratory
sign up for an alternate lab this weekcome to SCI301

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 3 Sept. 14 Sept. 15 Sept. 16 Sept. 17 Sept. 18
Professor Wasserman

Adaptive Radiation
Character Displacement
Topics Allopatric, Sympatric and Parapatric Speciation
Directional Selection, Stabilizing Sel., Diversifying Sel.
Human Evolution

Ch 23
Ch 33.5

Blackboard:
Readings
Species
Speciation
Human Evolution

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory Module 2: Evolution and Population Genetics (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 4 Sept. 21 Sept. 22 Sept. 23 Sept. 24 Sept. 25
Professor Wasserman Mullen
Macroevolutionary patterns and
major events in the history of life
on earth. How do we explain large-
scale patterns in the history of life?
Major events in the history of life
Topics Human Evolution Adaptive radiation
Exam 1 Exam 1 Extinction
Section A1 Section A2 Geologic and extraterrestrial
forcing factors
Class will be Class will be Contingency and determinism
divided by last divided by last Ch 25: The History of Life on Earth
names rooms names rooms
Blackboard:
TBA TBA
Macroevolution
Blackboard:
Readings from Wonderful Life
Readings Human Evolution
by Stephen Jay Gould.
HHMI Biointeractive - Changing
Planet: Past, Present, Future.
Deep time and the history of life.
Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory Module 3, lab 1: Scientific Writing and Avian Niche (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 5 Sept. 28 Sept. 29 Sept. 30 Oct. 1 Oct. 2
Professor Mullen
Macroevolutionary patterns and major events in the history of Phylogenetics and historical inference.
life on earth. How do we explain large-scale patterns in the Trees and tree-thinking.
history of life? Systematics and the Phylogenetic
Major events in the history of life Revolution
Topics
Adaptive radiation Why does evolutionary history matter?
Extinction How do we use phylogenetic trees to
Geologic and extraterrestrial forcing factors make historical inference?
Contingency and determinism
Ch 22: Reconstructing and Using
Ch 25: The History of Life on Earth; Ch. 27.1: How did the
Phylogenies; Ch. 31.1: What
Eukaryotic Cell Arise?
Characteristics Distinguish the Animals?
Blackboard:
Blackboard:
Macroevolution
Sorting shells constructing mollusk
Readings Readings from Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould.
phylogeny
The metaphor of replaying lifes tape and the contrast of
All in the family exploring
determinism and contingency.
phylogenetic relationships
HHMI Biointeractive - Changing Planet: Past, Present,
Journey into Phylogenetic
Future. Deep time and the history of life.
Systematics: Introduction to cladistics
Lecture readings before each lecture lecture; Working with the Data, Ch. 22, pg 457 Does Phylogenetic
Homework Analysis Correctly Reconstruct Evolutionary History? Working with the Data, Ch. 31, pg. 631
Reconstructing the Animal Phylogeny.
Laboratory Module 3, lab 2: Avian Niche Field Lab (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 6 Oct. 5 Oct. 6 Oct. 7 Oct. 8 Oct. 9
Professor Mullen
Phylogenetics and historical inference.
Trees and tree-thinking. Evolution of Development
Systematics and the Phylogenetic Origin of novelty and morphological change
Topics Revolution How do we go from c. 20,000 genes to the entire complexity
Why does evolutionary history matter? of life? How has evolutionary change in the genetic control of
How do we use phylogenetic trees to embryological development produced variety of form?
make historical inference?
Ch 22: Reconstructing and Using
Ch 19 (19.3 and 19.4)
Phylogenies; Ch. 31.1: What
Ch 20 Genes, Development & Evolution
Characteristics Distinguish the Animals?
Blackboard:
Blackboard:
Sorting shells constructing mollusk
Readings HHMI Biointeractive The Making of the Fittest: Evolving
phylogeny
Switches, Evolving Bodies
All in the family exploring
HHMI Biointeractive The Making of the Fittest: The Birth
phylogenetic relationships
and Death of Genes
Journey into Phylogenetic
Systematics: Introduction to cladistics
Lecture readings before each lecture; Working with the Data, Ch. 22, pg 457 Does Phylogenetic
Homework Analysis Correctly Reconstruct Evolutionary History? Working with the Data, Ch. 31, pg. 631
Reconstructing the Animal Phylogeny

Laboratory Module 4: Phylogenetic Trees (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 7 Oct. 12 Oct. 13 Oct. 14 Oct. 15 Oct. 16
Professor Schneider

How do we go from c. 20,000 genes to the

entire complexity of life? How has
Topics
evolutionary change in embryological
development produced variety of form?
Exam 2 Exam 2
HOLIDAY NO Section A1 Section A2
Ch 19 (19.3 and 19.4)
CLASS (Tuesday is Ch 20
a Monday Class will be Class will be
Schedule) divided by last divided by last
Blackboard:
names rooms names rooms
HHMI Biointeractive The Making of the
Readings TBA TBA
Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving
Bodies
HHMI Biointeractive The Making of the
Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes

Lecture readings before each lecture AND

Homework LearningCurve quiz on LaunchPad (due
9pm Wed Oct 14)

Laboratory No labs this week

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 8 Oct. 19 Oct. 20 Oct. 21 Oct. 22 Oct. 23
Professor Spilios
Introduction to Ecology
Ecosystems, the big picture
Topics The causes of our global climate
The Biosphere how it all works
A survey of the biomes

Ch 54: Ecology
Ch 58: Ecosystems and Global Ecology (58.1,
Readings
Blackboard: 58.2, and 58.3)
Vergs et al., 2014

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory Module 5, lab 1: Diversity and Ecosystem Health (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 9 Oct. 26 Oct. 27 Oct. 28 Oct. 29 Oct. 30
Professor Spilios
Community Ecology how do populations
interact?
Topics Life Histories and Population Ecology
The movement of energy through a
community
Ch 57: Community Ecology (57.1, 57.2, and 57.3)

Blackboard:
Readings Ch 55: Population Ecology
Youngsteadt, 2008
Estes et al., 2011

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory Module 5, Lab 2: Diversity and Ecosystem Health (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 10 Nov. 2 Nov. 3 Nov. 4 Nov. 5 Nov. 6
Professor Spilios

Biodiversity and Conservation Biologyis

Topics Species interactions and coevolution
there a problem? What do we do?

Ch 56: Species Interactions and Coevolution Ch 59: Conservation Biology

Blackboard: Blackboard:
Readings Preisser and Elkinton, 2008 Haddad et al., 2015

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture AND LearningCurve quiz on LaunchPad (due 9pm on Fri Nov 6)

Laboratory Module 6, lab 1: Chemical Communication (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 11 Nov. 9 Nov. 10 Nov. 11 Nov. 12 Nov. 13
Professor Spilios Sorenson
historical background: Animal Behavior (Pavlov, Skinner)
versus Ethology (von Frisch, Lorenz, Tinbergen)
Topics species-specific behavior versus individual variation
(nature AND nurture)
Exam 3 Exam 3 Tinbergens four questions
Section A2 Section A1
Class will be Class will be
divided by last divided by last
names rooms names rooms Ch 53.1 (1093-1096) What are the origins of behavioral
Readings TBA TBA biology?

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory Module 6, lab 2: Chemical Communication (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 13 Nov. 16 Nov. 17 Nov. 18 Nov. 19 Nov. 20
Professor Sorenson

evidence for the genetic basis of behavior developmental effects on behavior

Topics
how changes in single genes influence behavior forms of imprinting and learning

Ch 53.2 (1096-1098) How do genes influence

behavior?
Weber JN, Peterson BK, Hoekstra HE (2014) Ch 53.3 (1098-1102) How does behavior
Readings
Discrete genetic modules are responsible for develop?
complex burrow evolution in Peromyscus mice.
Nature, 493, 402405.

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory Module 7: Keystone Predators (online prelab quiz due by beginning of lab)

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 12 Nov. 23 Nov. 24 Nov. 25 Nov. 26 Nov. 27
Professor Sorenson
behavioral ecology
Topics economic analyses of behavior, optimal
foraging
Thanksgiving Recess
Ch 53.4 (1102-1106) How does
Readings
behavior evolve?

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture

Laboratory No Labs This Week

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 14 Nov. 30 Dec. 1 Dec. 2 Dec. 3 Dec. 4
Professor Sorenson

circadian rhythms social behavior

Topics migration and homing mating systems and sexual selection
signals and communication kin selection

Ch 53.5 (pp. 1106-1113) What physiological

mechanisms underlie behavior?
Horton BM, Moore IT, Maney DL (2014) New
Ch 53.6 (pp. 1113-1117) How does social
Readings insights into the hormonal and behavioural
behavior evolve?
correlates of polymorphism in white-throated
sparrows, Zonotrichia albicollis. Animal
Behaviour, 93, 207219.

Homework Lecture readings before each lecture AND LearningCurve quiz on LaunchPad (due 9pm on Fri Dec 4)

Laboratory Final Lab Exam

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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Week 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 8 Dec. 9 Dec. 10 Dec. 11
Professor Sorenson

Topics Exam 4 Exam 4

Section A2 Section A1

Class will be Class will be NO CLASS

divided by last divided by last
names rooms names rooms
TBA TBA
Readings

Homework

Laboratory No labs this week

These LEARNING OBJECTIVES are provided to help you prepare for the course, and to give you
an indication of what specific knowledge and skills we expect you to possess after the course is
over. We encourage you to be familiar with these learning objectives; they will give you an overall
roadmap for the course as well as let you know our expectations for each unit.

Unit 1: Darwinian Evolution (Prof. Wasserman)

1. Define science. Give examples of what is science and what is not science.
2. Define what we mean by evolution via the process of natural selection.
3. Compare macroevolution and microevolution. List evidence for each.
4. Determine if a population is in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium.
5. Debate the definition of a species.
6. Explain how new species form over evolutionary time.
7. Determine if humans are evolving.

Unit 2: Macroevolution (Prof. Mullen)

1. Describe how earth history has affected lifes history. Describe the major geological and
extraterrestrial events that affected lifes history. Relate geological and extraterrestrial
events to both extinction and adaptive radiation.
2. Explain what is meant by contingency and determinism in explaining the evolution of
biodiversity.
3. Explain the evidence that all life is related by a history of common ancestry and descent.
Explain the logic underlying the inference of phylogenetic history.
4. Explain how changes in genes lead to changes in development and the origin of novel
phenotypes (morphology, behavior, etc.).
5. Understand how gene expression is regulated and how the time and location of gene
expression in developing embryos is controlled.
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 Boston University Department of Biology
BI 107 Principles of Biology I Fall 2015
6. Explain the role of changes in the time and place of gene expression in the evolution of
novel morphological features and the evolution of the disparate animal body plans.
7. Explain in clear and concise terms how evolution works: beginning with mutations in the
DNA, through changes in development, the production of variable phenotypes, and natural
selection. Also explain the role that chance plays in evolution what about evolution is
random and what is deterministic.

Unit 3: Ecology and Ecosystems (Prof. Spilios)

1. Describe the physical processes that give rise to the seasons and global climate patterns.
2. Discuss how climate change could impact the distribution of ecosystems.
3. Describe how ecologists study populations and what the mathematical calculations can tell
us.
4. Compare and contrast the different categories of species interactions, and analyze the role
of coevolution within each.
5. Define how energy flow, biomass distribution, and species interactions shape an ecological
community.
6. Describe how chemical elements cycle through the biosphere.
7. Describe how biologists predict changes in biodiversity, possible impacts on biodiversity,
and what is being done to protect it.

Unit 4: Animal Behavior (Prof. Sorenson)

1. Outline Tinbergens four questions about behavior and explain how each question focuses
on different but complementary explanations for why animals behave the way they do.
2. Understand the importance of evolutionary and ecological perspectives for understanding
the behavior of any given species and the diversity of behavioral phenotypes observed in
different organisms.
3. Distinguish between proximate and ultimate explanations of behavior.
4. Describe scientific evidence linking genetic variation to differences in behavior.
5. Explain the proximate effects of hormones and nerve cells in regulating behavior.
6. Explain how development, including imprinting and learning and interaction with
environmental conditions, influences behavior.
7. Explain the evolutionary origins of complex social behaviors such as mate choice,
cooperation and altruism.

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