II. Emphasis on Plant Identification, Habitat (August 12) (100 pts.)
(2) Plant Collection (due August 5) (50 pts.)
(3) Plant Talk (August 5, 9, 11) (50 Pts.)
Each student will be awarded a grade at the end of the session based on the number of points accumulated:
90% = A;
80% = B;
70% = C;
60% = D;
below 59% = E.
If you have issues or emergencies or both, please talk to the instructor. Don’t assume a make-up exam will be available.
- To be able to identify local plants, via a working knowledge of the special language of botany, and the structure of plants.
- To assemble a plant collection of five species, pressed and identified.
- To understand the evolutionary history of plants.
- To appreciate adaptations to aridity.
- To become familiar with the deserts of the world – where they are, and why they are there.
- To think like a scientist. In particular, to explain plant distribution by integrating history, geology, and physiology.
Schedule for Plants of the Desert
ECOL 414/514 – Summer II, 2010
DATE TOPIC/ACTIVITY (Subject to CHANGE)
JULY
12 M Introduction. Plant evolution and basic structure.
14 W Vegetative and flower structure. A look at keys. Introduce website of UA herbarium,
15 Th Plant classification. Trip to the UA Herbarium. Afterwards, discuss plant collections, and assign dates for talks.
19 M Plant structure.
21 W EXAM 1, followed by Guest Speaker: Climatic Change, Whether You Want it or Not, with Tom Harlan.
22 Th Deserts of the World: where and why. Ecological convergence. Guest Speaker: Repeat Photography in a Saguaro Forest, with George Ferguson. Ecol 514 must have grad-level project approved. All students must have talk date assigned.
*24 Sa Late-day field trip to Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 5-10PM
26 M Keying out plants. Ecol 414 students must have plant talk approved.
28 W Guest Speaker: Lightning and Saguaros, with Carl Noggle. Plant adaptations, physiology
29 Th Biogeography, landforms
*31 Sa All-day field trip to Mt. Lemmon
AUGUST
2 M Identify plants from Mt. Lemmon trip. Ecol 514 turns in first draft of research paper.
4 W Uses of desert plants.
5 Th Student talks Part 1; Plant collection due. Campus stroll.
9 M Student talks, Part 2. Guest Speaker: Native plants and native people, with Sonya Norman. (Plant collection returned)
11 W Student talks, Part 3. Review of plant ID and structure.
12 Th FINAL EXAM, including native plant identification; course evaluation
* field trips are optional, but probably the most fun of the class.
Emmenanthe photo © 2003 Lynn Watson via CalPhotos
CLASS MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES
Attendance is required. Students are responsible for all
material and announcements in each class meeting. If you miss or
are late, you must obtain notes from your classmates. State or
religious holidays or Dean of Students absences are exceptions.
For a while, there may be assigned seats so the instructor can learn your names. In order that everyone enjoy and learn from this class, please respect others, including the instructor. Turn off cell phones before entering the classroom. No electronic devices will be allowed during examinations. The University of Arizona expects its students to adhere to high standards of morality and academic integrity detailed at ( http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity)
BOOKS FOR THE COURSE
Required: McGinnies, William G. 1981. Discovering the Desert: Legacy of the Carnegie Desert Botanical Laboratory. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ. Available at UA bookstore, for $17.95.
The following two books will be in the classroom, but it would be handy to own a copy:
Elpels, Thomas J. 2000 (4th edition). Botany in a Day. HOPS Press. 12 Quartz Street, Pony, MT. $18 on Amazon.
Harris, James G. and Melinda Woolf Harris. 2000 (revised). Plant Identification and Terminology: an illustrated glossary. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, UT. $18 on Amazon.
Articles and worksheets by various authors are on the class website:
http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/ecol414_514/
ABOUT EXAM QUESTIONS
Expect questions on whatever we cover, and pay particular attention to anything written on the blackboard, or referred to on worksheets available on the class website.
ABOUT THE PLANT TALK
Near the end of the session, time is scheduled for students to give their course presentation. This is an opportunity for each person to make a 7-minute oral presentation with visual aids on a topic concerning desert plants chosen by you with the instructor’s aid. The time and date of your talk will be chosen on July 22, 2010. The only way to change the time is to exchange times with another willing person and with the instructor’s permission. If you do not give a talk, the only grade you can receive in the course is Incomplete.
Topics will involve one or more plants from the Sonoran, Mojave or Chihuahuan Deserts. Ecol 514 students must restrict their scope to the biogeography of a Sonoran Desert species (see below). Bringing in examples of the plants or their parts makes a more satisfying presentation than just talking about them in the abstract. Duplicate topics will not be allowed, nor will group presentations. A short description of the presentation, as well as its title and at least two good references will be due on July 26, 2010.
Talks should be organized with a beginning, middle and end in mind. Because of the strict time limit, rehearsal beforehand is needed. If you are cooking up something edible, bring final product and examples of materials used to produce it.
Talks will be graded on content, accuracy of information presented, organization, presence and quality of visuals and demonstration materials used.
SUGGESTIONS FOR TALKS:
-- Invasive plants in the Sonoran Desert: real threats or merely xenophobia?
-- If you come to the class with strong interest in a particular plant that is found or grown in the desert, consider using it in your talk
--If you intend to teach recognition of desert plants to a school class, developing a plant list with illustrative material can be helpful
--Desert plants as food, for fiber, for dyes, for medicines, for construction material, in decoration, gardening, crafts, or landscaping
--Growth of one or more desert plants (if you start from seeds, start immediately)
--Role of desert plants in wildlife habitat or food
--Prehistoric or historic uses of desert plants by humans
--Longevity or vulnerability of desert plants in the wild
--Comparison between U.S.A. desert plants and those in other deserts of the world
--Diseases or predators on desert plants
Agave photo © 2003 Lee Dittmann via CalPhotos
ABOUT THE PLANT COLLECTION
The plant collection will help you acquire specific information about desert plants of your choice. It will consist of 5 different pressed, dried desert plants organized into one notebook with labels. (I suggest a 3-hole binder with clear, not matte-finish, plastic sleeves for the pressed plants.) The species you select should include at least 3 Arizona natives. All species should be arid-adapted. The UA Herbarium is a good place to go for help with keying out plants and checking their identification. You can also borrow a herbarium plant press.
Required information with each plant:
--correct scientific and common names for family, genus and species
--pressed, dried plant sample
--where, when and by whom collected
Suggested information with each plant:
-- drawings and sketches
-- photographs of the plant and its habitat
-- measurements of plant parts
-- personal observations of the plant’s life history
-- notes from readings or interviews about the origins, affiliations, uses or cultivation requirements of the plant
The Plant Collection will be graded on:
craftsmanship (how well material is organized and prepared and
presented) 40%; accuracy 60%. All collections will be due on August 5, 2010. They will be returned August 11, 2010 and may be used during Exam II.
FOR THE ECOL 514 STUDENT
In addition to the Ecol 414 activities, Ecol 514 students will write a 3-5 pp. paper expanding the Plant Talk topic, which you are obligated to restrict to the topic of desert plant biogeography. In particular, you should pick a Sonoran Desert species, explain its present distribution, and provide evidence to this effect. This paper, with references and in appropriate, typed format, demonstrates your graduate level competence. You must make an appointment no later than July 22, 2010, to agree on your topic with the instructor. The first draft is due by Monday, August 2, 2010, and will be returned with critique if revision is needed. The final draft will be due the same day as your oral presentation.
FOR THE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENT
Students with Disabilities:
If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me.
I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in
the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related
accommodations are necessary, please
register with Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and
notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. We
can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.
References for Further Understanding
There are many truly wonderful books about the Sonoran Desert
and all its denizens. The following are a sampling. Some
you will only find in UA Library’s Special Collections or in
private libraries, but occasionally a regional press will reprint one
of the classics.
Baldwin, Bruce G. et al. 2002. The Jepson Desert
Manual; Vascular Plants of Southeastern California. University of
California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Benson, Lyman. 1982. The Cacti of the United States & Canada. Stanford University Press.
Benson, Lyman and Robert Darrow. 1981. Trees and
Shrubs of Southwestern Deserts. University of Arizona Press,
Tucson, AZ.
Bowden, Charles. 1986. Blue Desert. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Bowden, Charles. 1987. Frog Mountain Blues. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Bowers, Janice. The Mountains Next Door. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Broyles, Bill. Our Sonoran Desert. Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, AZ.
Buchman, Stephen L. & Gary P. Nabhan. 1996. The Forgotten Pollinators. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
Duffield, Mary and W.D. Jones. Plants for Dry Climates. 1981 and later editions. H.P. Books, Tucson, AZ.
Felger, Richard and Mary Beck Moser. 1985. People
of the Desert and the Sea. University of Arizona Press, Tucson,
AZ.
Gibson, Arthur C. and Park S. Nobel. 1986. The Cactus Primer. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
Hartmann, William K. 1989. Desert Heart: Chronicles of the Sonoran Desert. Fisher Books.
Haury, Emil. 1978. The Hohokam, Desert Farmers and
Craftsmen: Excavations at Snaketown, 1964-65. University of
Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Hodgson, Wendy. 2001. Foodplants of the Sonoran Desert. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Hornaday, W.T. 1908. Campfires on Desert and Lava. Scribner’s and Sons, NY.
Humphrey, Robert R. 1974. The Boojum and Its Home. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Kearney, T.H. and Peebles, R.H. 1960. Arizona
Flora. Second edition. University of California Press,
Berkeley, CA.
Krutch, Joseph Wood. 1985. The Desert Year. Viking Press.
Lazaroff, David W. 1993. Sabino Canyon: the
Life of a Southwestern Oasis. University of Arizona Press,
Tucson, AZ.
Lowe, Charles H. 1964. Arizona’s Natural
Environment. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, (from The
Vertebrates of Arizona.)
McGinnies, William G. 1981. Discovering the
Desert: Legacy of the Carnegie Desert Botanical Laboratory.
University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Nabhan, Gary P. 1986. Gathering the Desert. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Nabhan, Gary P. 1982. The Desert Smells Like
Rain: a Naturalist in Papago Indian Country. North Point
Press, San Francisco, CA.
Phillips, Steven J. and Patricia, Wentworth Comus.
2000. A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ.
Pumpelly, Raphael. 1918. My Reminiscences v. I and II. Henry Holt and Co., NY.
Shreve, Forrest and Ira L. Wiggins. 1964.
Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert. Stanford University,
Stanford, CA.
Spellenberg, Richard. 2003. Sonoran Desert
Wildflowers. A Falcon Guide. The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT.
Turner, Raymond, Janice Bowers, Tony Burgess.
1995. Sonoran Desert Plants: an Ecological atlas.
University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Turner, Raymond, Robert H. Webb, Janice E. Bowers, James
Rodney Hastings. 2003. The Changing Mile Revisited.
University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Van Dyke, John C. 1976. The Desert. Arizona
Historical Society, Tucson, AZ. Original publication 1904.
Wilder, Joseph C. ed. 1997. Dry Borders: Binational Sonoran Desert Reserves.
Journal of the Southwest, V. 39, no. 3 & 4. Southwest Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Abronia photo © 2003 Charles E. Jones via CalPhotos
ECOL 414/514 – Summer II, 2010 --Plants of the Desert: Syllabus