Biology 377: FIELD BOTANY
Spring 2003
Lecture and Lab: Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 &endash; 4:30 TH328
INSTRUCTOR: Betsy Kirkpatrick
OFFICE: TH 234A PHONE: X3797
EMAIL: kirkpatrick@ups.edu
Course Texts and Supplies Required:
Hitchcock, L. and A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press.
Judd, W.S., C.S. Campbell, E.A. Kellogg, and P.F. Stevens. 1999. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. Sinauer Assoc.
HAND LENS--available at the bookstore.
Recommended:
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing.
Borror, D.J. 1960. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms. Mayfield Publ. Co.
Harris, J. and M. Harris. 1994. Plant Identification Terminology. Spring Lake Publishing.
"WRITE IN THE RAIN" NOTEBOOK -- available at the bookstore (it is western Washington in winter after all).
HAND LENS -- available at the bookstore
Course overview This course is designed to introduce you to the local plants, their systematic relationships, and their natural history as part of communities. As such, it is intended to be a hybrid between a plant systematics course and a plant natural history/ecology course. The lecture will cover concepts and theory; the lab will be devoted to hands-on identification and recognition. Field trips will allow you to practice recognition and keying as well as see some of the natural history we've discussed in lecture.
Course objectives At the end of the course, students should
o recognize most of the species in our local flora (~150 species)
o recognize most plant families in the local flora
o be able to identify unknown plants to species using a comprehensive key
o recognize the principles and ambiguities underlying plant classification
o recognize many of the natural history traits that underlie plant species' distributions
o understand the evolutionary history of tracheophytes
Course content and schedule
The lectures will cover two main areas:
(1) plant evolution (plant morphology, tracheophyte evolutionary history, and an overview of tracheophtye systematics, tools and classifications) and
(2) plant natural history (characteristics of plant groups that influence their success in particular environments).
The lab will cover sight-recognition of over 100 local plant species, family recognition, using a comprehensive key for species identification, and it will include many field trips during which you can practice identification and see natural history first-hand. The focus will mainly be on the established flora of western Washington, both native and introduced. We will start with ferns and gymnosperms in January, followed by winter twig identification, and then move into flowering plants as they begin to flower in more abundance outside. Field species will be supplemented with greenhouse-grown material. Exact destinations and timing for field trips will depend largely on weather conditions in the spring. I hope to offer some optional Saturday or Sunday trips to places we won't visit in the course. Finally, if the weather cooperates and there is sufficient student interest, I'd like to offer an optional all day or weekend field trip to the east side of the Cascades, the Columbia River Gorge, and/or Mt. St. Helens during the spring bloom.
Pay attention to the weather on field trip days! We will go out regardless of the weather and I want you to stay warm and dry as much as possible. Dress appropriately and wear waterproof boots or shoes.
I encourage you to visit as many field sites as you can to practice your identification. I will supply directions to each site we visit so you can go back.
EVALUATION CRITERIA Grades will be based on:
5 quizzes on terminology
15% 2 midterm essay exam covering concepts presented in lecture
20% 4 field identification exams (3 @ 5% + 1@10%)
25% 4 lab keying exams (2 @ 5% + 2 @ 10%)
30% 2 "Weeds Gone Wild" biographies (5% each)
10%
Total
100%
PLACES TO GO SEE PLANTS
Some of these sites are connected to
driving instructions and species lists
Field trip sites
Independent exploration sites
UPS campus and surrounding neighborhood
China Lake (S. 19th just west of Orchard)
Pt. Defiance Park (esp. the native plant garden)
Wapato Park (S. 72nd just east of I-5)
Hylebos Natural Area (Federal Way)
Titlow Beach and Park (west end of 6th)
Tacoma Nature Center (aka Snake Lake)
Dash Point State Park (Federal Way)
Swan Creek Park (Puyallup)
Tacoma Community College (S 12th& Pearl)
Ft. Steilacoom Park (Lakewood)
Kopechuck State Park (past Gig Harbor)
Northwest Trek (Eatonville)
Tacoma Narrows Airport (Gig Harbor)
Saltwater State Park (Federal Way)
Wildwood Park (Puyallup)
Puget Park (N 31st & Proctor/off Ruston Way)
Nisqually Wildlife Refuge (E of Olympia)
McLane Creek (SW of Olympia)
Federation Forest State Park (on Hwy. 410)
Mima Mounds & Scatter Creek (S of Olympia)