S204

Biology : Uniformity and Diversity

Study Guide #1

for

(October 2007 Presentation) Dr. Rex Sharman, designer ETPU OUHK

Professor K. C. Ho, course team leader

Maggie Wong Course Coordinator of S204

Contents

Section # Page

1. Introduction : how S204 will fit into Environmental Studies at the Open University of Hong Kong

2. Themes and aims : core concepts and objectives of S204

3. Course organization and philosophy

4. Scope of Study Guide #1

5. Books : Supplied and to purchase

6. Laboratories and Day Schools

7. Student support : tutorials, surgeries, electronic

8. CD-ROMs and videos

9. Assessment

10. Academic schedule / timetable

11. Study skills

∗ Reading and note making ∗ How to make your own summaries ∗ Scientific writing and Investigation Reports ∗ Referencing and acknowledging : avoiding plagiarism ∗ How to use your glossary

12. Study guide for Book 1

13. Study guide for your purchased (setbook)

14. Study guide for Book 2

15. Where next : looking ahead

1. Introduction

It is most important that you study this Guide before your start work on your textbooks. This OUHK Guide has been strongly modified from the OUUK material to suit OUHK needs. S204 is a very big course and without this Guide you will almost certainly get lost in far too

much detail. Please use the Guide as your course companion. It is better to look upon the seven (yes 7!) textbooks that go with S204 as a resource rather than a course. Let me emphasize most strongly at the start, that you, as a student of Biology Uniformity and

Diversity, do NOT need to remember the contents of 7 textbooks!! Such a task would not teach you biology.

It is the aim and function of this Guide to take you on a conducted tour of modern biology. The tour is a planned visit to the landscapes of biological science. From this guided tour you will gain knowledge and, most importantly, an understanding of what biology is, how it works and where it is going in the future. This journey should be exciting and it will be if you have the correct attitude and believe that this course is not a huge exercise in memorization of thousands of ‘facts’ and figures.

S204 is a core course in our BSc and BSc Hons programmes in Environmental Studies. To understand how living things interact with the challenges of the environment we need to understand two outstanding themes from the world of life. These are :

∗ the underlying unity of living things : the essence of life, and ∗ the enormous variety of form and function displayed by life on planet Earth : the word

biodiversity captures this theme beautifully! With the experiences gained from your journey through S204, you will be able to appreciate the importance of the many challenges to and issues facing modern human society in the 21st Century such as :

∗ sustainability ∗ wise use of biological resources ∗ humans as part of life on earth; not as destroyers but as guardians Thus a study of biology underpins our concern with and interest in topics such as :

∗ environmental assessment ∗ environmental health ∗ Environmental Impact Assessment, and ∗ quality of life

1

Clearly, as we move along in the 21st Century we will discover, more and more, that we are

now in the age of biology. The advent of SARS in the early months of 2003 was an unwelcome yet dramatic reminder of the importance of biology to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness.

2. Themes and aims : core concepts and objectives of S204

2.1 Themes Yes there are 7 textbooks to call upon, to visit, and to use as resources when you journey across Biology Uniformity and Diversity, but just three themes are outstanding. These themes are : a) The colossal diversity (variety) of life on earth. b) The common biomolecular ways of doing things (mechanisms) underlying this

biodiversity c) The central importance of investigation to biology and the complementary roles

of observation and experimentation in the ongoing progress of the biological sciences.

Please keep these themes in mind throughout the course. Together, they will help to glue the 7 textbooks together in a unified manner. These themes help you to see the ‘forest’ as you journey past the ‘trees’.

2.2 Aims and objectives At this stage these aims and objectives are rather general. This is OK. Don’t worry about them too much at the very beginning. There is no hurry; no need to memorize them. Just notice them and revisit them from time to time. They will grow on you and with you as the journey unfolds.

Aims a) To show that living things are dynamic organisms b) To show that living organisms can be studied at various levels in a logical order

form the :

∗ molecular ∗ cellular levels of biological organization ∗ whole organism

c) To place the study of biology into a strong investigational context

2

Objectives As said above these are rather general at the early stage and will be added to in a way which deepens their meaning as you develop with the course. After completing your S204 journey you should be able to : 1) Understand the complementary roles of

∗ observation ∗ experimentation / investigation in creating biological ∗ theory knowledge

2) Plan and participate in biological practicals 3) Analyse and report biological data 4) Critically evaluate data and ideas 5) Assess competing / different hypotheses and theories in biology 6) Integrate information from a variety of sources 7) Explain unifying concepts drawn from the various branches of biology 8) Determine and describe links between the biological processes displayed by

selected plants, animals and microbes 9) Develop skills in scientific communication 10) Acquire a lasting interest in biology and ability to use your understanding of

biology in your further studies, your life, your health and your work.

3. Course Organization and philosophy The course is built around 7 textbooks. Now … don’t panic … pause … please believe what I said in the Introduction above. This course is a journey organized around 7 textbooks. It is not a marathon memory exercise! Yes we will visit and use parts of the ‘big 7’ texts. Six are standard textbooks. They come with the course. All are very colourful, graphic, well organized and modern (pub. 2001). These six were written by 28 different authors! Too many in my view because each single one has a ‘pet topic’ and too many ‘pet topics’ from too many biologists can result in too much biology. So, as I said earlier, don’t panic. You have an expert guide to navigate your journey. For the first posting we will visit just the first two. This is all we need to help us make a really good start in S204 and as you may recall from an old Chinese proverb, “the longest journey begins with the first step”.

The seventh text needs to be purchased from the approved book supplier in Hong Kong.

3

This setbook (as well call it at OUHK) is : Jones et al (2003) (Third Edition). Practical skills in Biology. Prentice Hall publication.

As the title suggests this book is your companion in the lab work. It will also help in your writing assignments. You will find that Jones et al (2003) is actually quite a ‘good friend’. More about this text #7 and the basic six later (section 5 below).

CD Roms A very nice CD Rom entitled Guide to Living Organisms (GLO) and another called the Digital Microscope (DM) are used as resources to back up the texts. You should enjoy these too. But remember, as with the textbooks, the CD Roms are simply different ‘vehicles’ or agents to help you on your journey. You are not expected to remember all the details, facts, terms and ideas shown in the CD Roms. These electronic tools aim to help you on your way in a visual style.

Philosophy As you will have deduced by now the course S204, Biology Uniformity and Diversity is based on a philosophy of biology which emphasize the twin themes of unity and diversity. What do biologists mean by a statement such as this? In essence, biologists are saying that despite the huge range of types of living organisms that do exist on earth, there is a unity. This unity comes from the way certain fundamental metabolic processes, which enable life to keep going, function. Cellular respiration is one such life processes. The structure and function of DNA is another. If you have already done S122, you would have met these ‘core’ ideas, these metabolic features of unity, many times before. So imagine yourself as a biologist. How would you design, organize, structure a course to teach these twin themes of unity (or uniformity if you like) and biodiversity? Yes, you would have viewpoint based on these themes and what they mean to biology, running through the entire course. Thus this viewpoint or philosophy runs through the course from Book 1 to Book 6. This philosophy may get buried from time to time in heaps of detail, but it should always be looked for and be in your mind as you journey. This is a bit like ‘shades’ or sunglasses when you tour a tropical holiday spot : have them on all day to protect yourself from too much glare. In a way, the philosophy of S204 can reduce the glare of too much light from too much detailed knowledge.

From this course philosophy comes a teaching strategy. The strategy aims to help you to see things as you journey. To do this, the strategy uses some tools and techniques aimed at enhancing your learning. Be alert to the teaching strategy and the tools it uses. They aim

4

to help you so notice them, respond to them, use them and enjoy them. In particular notice :

∗ Descriptive titles e.g. “What is a species’ p.7 in Book 1 and ‘Response to Winter …” (p.3 in Book 2)

∗ Section by section summaries ∗ Plenty of spaces on margins of textbook pages : yes, these are your spaces too –

you are invited to write here in Chinese or in any way that helps your learning

∗ Powerful, colorful and clear diagrams ∗ Bold font within text for key terms ∗ SAQs (Self-Assessed Questions) come in the Book by Book text Guides ∗ Built in Q&A (as bullet points in little green circles) within the text … these try to

make you stop and think as you journey (read with a purpose!)

∗ A glossary with connections to where it is described and explained in more detail via particular textbooks.

Some students may react to this strategy by thinking, incorrectly, that these textbooks are ‘hard’ because they are trying to make you work and do more than just read. To make the philosophy a success and to enhance your learning in a ‘distance mode’ course in biological science, these tools and techniques are essential. Please welcome them. They are there to help not hinder you.

To complete our introduction to course organization and philosophy here is a Table summarizing the textbooks and their single most outstanding concept.

Table 1 : Texts for S204

# Title (colour) Top concept(s)

1 Introduction to Diversity (blue) Diversity begins

2 Generating Diversity (gold) Survival and Evolution

3A* The Core of Life Vol. 1 (pink) Cells, membranes and metabolism

3B* The Core of Life Vol II (pink) Cell to cell communication and DNA in action

4 Microbes (mauve) The small & mighty e.g. viruses & biotechnology

5 Plants (green … what else?!) Water and life : photosynthesis and plant pathogens

6 Animals (orange) Insects, parasites and vertebrates

7+ Practical skills in Biology Your ‘how to’ companion!

5

* For us, in OUHK, we will refer to Volume 3 as text #3A and 3B. They come in separate volumes in fact. But don’t worry. Your guide will keep all this “overkill” (too much biology) under control! + Purchased by you from the OUHK book agents.

4. Scope of this Study Guide #1 This is your first Study Guide. It comes with your ‘first posting’ and has three main aims :

a) To introduce the course to you – i.e. to help you to get the correct attitude and philosophy, right from the start!

b) To show you what to do in and with the first two textbooks that come with the course. So, later, in parts 12 (Study Guide for Book One) and 14 (Study Guide for Book Two) you can follow this advice.

c) To outline and explain how your purchased textbook entitled Practical Skills in Biology can be used as your travel friend and advisor along the journey through S204.

5. Books : supplied and to purchase As you can see from Table 1, six textbooks are supplied with the course and one to purchase. In fact, since Book 3 comes in two volumes (which I have called, for convenience , 3A and 3B) there are 7 texts supplied and one to purchase : eight all together. This may sound like a horror story, a journey too big to manage. But if you follow this Study Guide #1 and the two others which will follow later (covering Books 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6 and the set text on skills) these 8 books will be lucky. They will help you to see the big picture of modern biology. I will now make some important comments on the individual textbooks and focus on their relative importance. In addition, I will indicate which chapter and sections are of particular importance.

Table 2 gives you a nice summary of the status of each textbook and the core (essential) chapters within each text.

Table 2 : Textbook survey : status and core chapters (Books 1 to 3B) *

# Status within S204 Core chapter(s) (ideas) Special point

1 Top text : sets the stage 1 (order out of diversity) Chapter 3 strongly

6

for all others and the whole course

2 (singled cell eukaryotes) links with your set text (skills)

2 Support text (ST) i.e. – develop themes from #1

2 (food, feeding & digestion)

3 (Natural selection) 4 (4.5 especially) 5 (5.2 & 5.4 especially) 6 (6.2, 6.6 & 6.7 especially)

3A ST (as above) 1 (1.3 compared with 1.4) 2 (2.2 & 2.4 esp) 3 (3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.7, 3.9,

3.10, 3.11 esp) 5 (all sections)

Chapter 60 in skills text

3B ST (as above) 6 (6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.7, 6.8, 6.11)

8 (all) 9 (9.1, 9.2, 9.4, 9.8) 10 (10.4 & 10.5)

Chapter 52 in skills

* Books 4, 5 & 6 will be covered, in the same way as done in Table 2 here, when Study Guide #2 comes out with the Second posting.

Book to purchase : your setbook As mentioned in Section 5 above you should purchase one setbook. This book contains valuable advise on many ‘how to’ aspects of biology. I regard the setbook to purchase as a vital part of your course. Please obtain your copy. I give a detailed account of the features of this setbook in a special section below, section 13.

6. Laboratories and Dayschools

At OUHK we provide at least four (4) dayschools or ‘Long labs’, as we often like to call them. You may find some reference to ‘Home Experiment Kits’ and Investigative Work Booklets at

various places in S204. These do not apply to us here in Hong Kong. It is the practice at OUHK, based on many, many years of experience in science education done in the ‘distance mode’, that ‘Home Experiment Kits’ are NOT a good idea for us. Our lab work will be done in our campus labs on 3/F of the Homantin campus. Those of you who have done other courses at OUHK such as S122, S121, S328 etc will understand this approach to lab work in the sciences.

7

Our ‘on campus’ approach is based firmly on two important points :

∗ increased learning opportunities and ∗ increased safety

Thus ignore any reference to ‘home kits’ and lab-type investigations using such ‘home lab’ equipment. We will provide dayschools on Saturdays from 1400 to ~2100hr. At present, at least 4 are planned. In addition, we will offer a series of ‘short labs’ run on selected evenings from 18:30 – 21:00hr.

Optional or compulsory? The dayschools are most important and a minimum attendance of 3 out of 4 (or more) dayschools will be required for a pass in S204. The evening ‘short labs’ will be optional but, of course, desirable. Remember, these lab supports are designed for you to help you. The philosophy and aims of S204 place an emphasis, where possible, on the investigations which

have made biology. During SARS (March – May 2003), the live nature of biology as a problem – solving science came strongly into focus. Recall some of these activities and investigations, e.g.

∗ virus particles : what, where, how, when … ∗ how long could the atypical pneumonia virus survive outside a human organism? ∗ how did coronavirues spread? ∗ where did it come from : rats, cats or scats (droppings from civets in China) ∗ was coronavirues like ‘bird flu’? ∗ how do we boost our immunity systems …? ∗ how can biologists and medical people work with engineers to design safe buildings,

offices, lifts … Clearly, lab work is a core component of biology. Likewise, so are the investigational skills of :

∗ locating biological information (e.g. IT in biology!) ∗ evaluating biological data : reliable, enough …? ∗ presenting biological facts, ideas, theories, deductions ∗ writing clear biological reports ∗ reading biological literature ∗ working within communities of scientists ∗ communicating in a multimedia society …

and so on

The dayschools, labs and even tutorials and email exchanges are all key parts of doing

8

biology and becoming a good biologist.

7. Student Support : tutorials, surgeries, electronic In addition to the lab support we have the well known face to face tutorials and surgeries. Your tutor will lead these. As a qualified professional biologist your tutor has been appointed to fit this new S204 course and to link what we read and study in the textbooks, to what happens here in Hong Kong. So to get the most out of S204, you are strongly encouraged to come to these optional face to face supports. The Course Coordinator (CC) will, from time to time, hold workshops and give lectures to highlight some of the course themes.

Beyond the f2f supports come the electronic. Constantly growing in importance, the electronic support systems will feature WebCT, email contact, web page visits (The CC has a web page within the OUHK faculty system : visit it to get some useful & interesting background … there is even a video about Hong Kong environmental biology. You can see

this Hong Kong Habitats ‘TV show’ anytime you want to …. just visit my web page. During tutorials and dayschools, the S204 support staff will ‘take you through’ aspects of those CDRoms, I mentioned in Section 3 above. This will reinforce such important teaching & learning skills as how to use your GLO (Guide to Living Organisms) CDRom and how to ‘play’ with the Digital Microscope.

8 CDRoms, Videos & TV shows I have mentioned the CDRoms several times now but because they unite with other multimedia components of S204 and because I want you to see these as ‘electronic books’, I give them special emphasis in Section 8. Please look upon your CDRoms as on demand electronic companions! See them many times. Ask questions about them. Carry them to your tutorials and get your tutor to explain, to clarify, to expand, to localize any aspect of the CDRom content that you require. This will help to make them interactive. And interactive your way!

As well as the CDRoms there are both OUUK and OUHK videos and some TV shows (TVB Sunday programmes). Some of these S204 videos will be available in our OUHK library. Others will be broadcast on TVB as well. Please ask at the OUHK library counter for these and view them at your pace at a time to suit you. Two locally made (OUHK productions)

9

videos in the Hong Kong Habitats series are also available and will be shown several times on TVB. Look out for these. They contain some beautiful footage of plants and places in our Hong Kong including :

∗ Chung Kwok Nin Fa (Chinese New Year Flower) on the hills above High Island Dam, Sai Kung Country Park, and

∗ cyanobacteria both in (yes inside) and on rock – this gives a fascinating insight into the world’s oldest life form right here on the natural and man-made rock surfaces of Hong Kong.

You will be given a TV timetable as a separate handout later. Please mark the programmes in your diary and try to see these productions : let the beautiful hills, streams, rocks and coasts come into your homes!

9. Assessment

9.1 TMAs Students often worry when they see this word assessment. If you have done S122 (or S328 or other environmental courses) you would have come to understand that ‘assessment’ means much more that marking to give you a grade. Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMAs) serve two important functions :

∗ teaching and ∗ assessment Notice that I have put the teaching (and learning) function first. This is for a reason. TMAs are one of your key modes of interaction between yourself and the University. Think of it like this :

Student's TMA

CC

Tutor

As you now know, S204 is a huge course. TMAs will help you interact with your texts, your labs, your tutors, your CC and even your classmates. In S204 we will have 7 TMAs. For a pass in the OCAS of S204 you will be assessed directly on the best 5 out of the 7 TMAs provided.

10

We do not plan on having CMAs in S204. TMAs will adopt a range of styles within their question structure including :

∗ essay-type writing ∗ short-answer questions ∗ data interpretation questions ∗ exercises based on GLO & DM ∗ report writing from lab work ∗ analysis of scientific papers ∗ acknowledging / referencing skills ∗ planning essays & reports ∗ critical use of web-based material ∗ re-expressing textbook passages in your own words

You will be given guidance on these at tutorials and your setbook (Practical Skills in Biology) contains many helpful chapters on the above styles and how to develop the associated skills. (See Section 13 below). I will also cover these skills in Section 11 of this Guide. Your 5 best TMAs will contribute up to 50% of your final grade. This is called your OCAS (Overall Continuous Assessment Score).

9.2 Examination A final examination of 3 hours duration will be offered at the end of the course. The exam, like the OCAS from the TMAs, will contribute 50% of the total course marks. This means that your TMAs have an equal importance with the final exam. The TMAs will be designed to help you prepare for the Exam : a sort of continuous assessment and continuous study system. The final exam will be organized into three parts as shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Exam structure for S204

Part Max mark (%) Style of Questions

I 45 Short answer with a choice of questions covering core topics from Textbooks 1 to 6.

II 25 Data interpretation with links to lab and field work

III 30 (15 + 15) Two essay type (extended writing) with a good choice and covering the various styles of scientific writing listed in 9.1 under TMAs

11

As with other OUHK courses, you will be given a specimen paper which will show you the style and layout of the examination. Since some topics are core (at the heart of S204 biology) they may appear in both the specimen and the exam papers. As you might guess, the exact wording of the question will not be the same.

Example Topic : The species in biology (see pages 5-8 in Book 1) Specimen Exam Question for, say, Part I of the Exam : “Define species” Final exam (same topic but different wording in the question) “Account for problems with the species concept” What do we mean by define and account for? The term define means ‘give the meaning of’ The phrase account for means ‘give reasons for’. This is just one example. In Section 11, I will elaborate. Later, during tutorials and other f2f sessions, tutors will help you will these different ways of approaching (examining) topics in biology.

10. Academic Schedule and Timetable Key for table : *core chapter or section

Presentation Schedule October 2007

Block Week Start

Date Book

Chapter # (comment

on the sections) Study Activities

TMA due

date

1 1 Oct

2007 chapter.1*

Tutorial 1 and Briefing to

the Course 2 Oct 07 (Tue)

2 8 Oct chapter.2 Tutorial 2

20 Oct 07 (Sat)

3 15 Oct chapter.3

A

4 22 Oct

1

chapter.3 Surgery:

3 Nov 07 (Sat)

12

5 29 Oct chapter.1 Tutorial 3

17 Nov 07 (Sat)

6 5 Nov chapter.2*

TMA01

8 Nov 07

(Thu)

7 12 Nov chapter.3* Surgery:

1 Dec 07 (Sat)

8 19 Nov chapter.4 (4.4 *)

9 26 Nov chapter.5 (5.1 & 5.4 *)

Dayschool 1

10 Nov 2007 (Sat) 1400 to

2100hr

Rm B 309 OUHK

10 3 Dec

2

chapter.6* (6.6 & 6.7

*)

11 10 Dec chapter.1

TMA02

13 Dec 07

(Thu)

12 17 Dec chapter.2*

13 24 Dec chapter.3* (3.2, 3.3,

3.4, 3.7-3.10 *)

14 31 Dec chapter .4 & 5* (focus

on 5)

Short lab 1

5 Jan 08 (Sat)

1830 to 2130hr

Rm B 309 OUHK

15 7 Jan

2008

chapter.6* (6.2, 6.4,

6.5, 6.7 & 6.12 *)

16 14 Jan chapter.7 & 8) Surgery:

19 Jan 08 (Sat)

TMA03

17 Jan 08

(Thu)

17 21 Jan chapter.8

18 28 Jan chapter.9

19 4 Feb chapter.9

B

20 11 Feb

3

chapter.10 (10.5 *)

13

14

21 18 Feb Chapter .1

22 27 Feb chapter .2 (2.3, 2.4 &

2.5*)

23 3 Mar chapter.3* (3.2, 3.5,

3.6*)

Tutorial 4

15 Mar 08 (Sat)

24 10 Mar chapter.4 (4.1, 4.4,

4.6-4.8*)

Dayschool 2

8 Mar 08 (Sat)

1400 to 2100hr

Rm B 309 OUHK

25 17 Mar chapter.5* (5.2, 5.3 &

5.4*)

26 24 Mar Chapter .6*

TMA04

28 Mar 08

(Thu)

27 31 Mar

4

chapter.7 (7.7*)

28 7 Apr chapter.1 (1.5 & 1.6*)

Short Lab.2

5 Apr 08 (Sat)

1830 to 2130hr

Rm B 309 OUHK

29 14 Apr chapter.2* Tutorial 5 TBC

30 21 Apr chapter.2 later part

Short Lab.3

26 Apr 08 (Sat)

1830 to 2130hr

Rm B 309 OUHK

31 28

April

chapter.3 (*3.3-3.6;

3.7-3.8*)

TMA05

2 May 08

(Fri)

32 5 May chapter.4 (*4.2 &

4.6*) Tutorial 6 TBC

33 12 May chapter.5 (*5.3 &

5.7*)

C

34 19 May

5

chapter.6 (6.4, 6.5 &

6.8*)

Dayschool 3

10 May 08 (Sat)

1400 to 2100hr

Rm B 309 OUHK

Surgery: TBC

35 26 May chapter.2 review &

revision

36 2 Jun chapter.1 (1.1 & 1.5*)

37 9 Jun chapter.2*

Dayschool 4

7 Jun 08 (Sat)

1400 to 2100hr

Rm B 309 OUHK

Tutorial 7 TBC

TMA06

9 Jun 08

(Mon)

38 16 Jun chapter.3 (3.2*)

39 23 Jun chapter.4 *

40 30 Jun chapter.4 Surgery: TBC

41 7 Jul chapter.5 *

42 14 Jul

6

chapter.5 (5.3*) Revision Tutorial: TBC

Surgery: TBC

TMA07

18 Jul 08

(Fri)

*: core chapter or focused section of the book

Book 1 Introduction to Diversity

Book 2 Generating Diversity

Book 3 The Core Of Life, Volumes I & II

Book 4 Microbes

Book 5 Plants

Book 6 Animals

When you examine this Academic schedule and timetable (TT), please keep the following points in mind : a) The TT is based on 42 weeks b) Our OUHK TT replaces any similar TT to which reference may be made in your

textbooks or CDROms supplied from the UK. c) Although core chapters and key sections have been identified (with a *), please also at

least scan the other chapters and sections. Often a careful inspection of a Figure or

15

photograph and its caption will give you the main idea.

Examples EG#1 : Fig 1.1 on p.3 of Book 1 gives us the idea (concept) of biodiversity in a South American rainforest. In fact some similar photographs (except for the jaguar!) could be given for Hong Kong forest at places like the Kowloon Reservoir.

EG#2 : Fig 1.3 on p.7 of Book 1 shows us that defining a species is not always easy and colour in butterflies may not be a strong criterion. Other features may be essential too. These two Figures give you ideas. So when you are busy please spend time to look at and think about Figures and diagrams. Perhaps write your own comments in the wide margins

beside the Figure. I do this. It helps you to interact with your text. This interaction promotes your learning. So try it please. Let’s now elaborate upon and develop some of the study skills that can help you on your journey through the textbooks.

11. Study skills for S204 In this important section we will take a more detailed look at key topics related to enhancing your learning and improving your skills as a student of biology. Indeed, some of the points covered here are generic i.e. they apply to study in general. Our topics will include :

∗ Reading and note making ∗ Summary making strategies & methods ∗ Writing in biological science ∗ Referencing and acknowledging sources of data and ideas ∗ Using a glossary

Let’s look at each topic in turn.

11.1 Reading and note making Reading is an active process. This is especially the case when you face a new textbook. To maximize the activity, always read with a purpose in mind. By having a purpose you can focus. With a purpose and focus you can remain active and reading does not put you to sleep. In this way you can make the book work for you. How can this be done? One very good way (technique) is to ask the book a question.

Let’s take an example from Book 1. Example : The species concept. The term species is a core concept in biology. So ask Book 1 to tell you what a species is. I suggest you follow

16

these steps. 1) scan the CONTENTS of Book 1 : do you see the word species? 2a) visit pages 1-8 … searching for the word species

OR 2b) go straight to the index on p.138 … yes the very back of Book 1! See some page

references for species 3) go to p.7 and see 1.2.1 ‘what is a species?’ 4) now highlight the phrase : ‘a group of organisms … interbreed to produce fertile

offspring’ … have you found this on line 8 from the top of p.7 5) look for a discussion of the problems (worries) with this definition of a biological

species (p.7 …) 6) Notice line 2 up from the bottom of p.7. Here we have the idea of interbreeding again.

In my words the acid test for establishing a species is the ‘breeding test’, i.e. if two organisms cannot interbred successfully they are not of the same species population. Do you recall any similar ideas from S122. I hope so!

So what have we been doing in our reading and note making? Yes we have been active. We have interacted with the textbook. We have made the book work for us. Perhaps you have noticed something else too. I said note making, not note taking. In my view, too many teachers say ‘take notes’. This is not as interactive as ‘make notes’. I hope you become an active note maker with S204. Do this and you will do well!

11.2 Making summaries Let’s get one principle clear at the start. The aim of making a summary is to help you learn. The act of making a summary is part of the learning process. Look at it like this :

Passage/sectionin text

your summary

your effort

to make itsmaller

this summary making process is a learning process

The product is the summary. But the aim was learning. When you are given (“free” as it were) a summary it is usually not as helpful in your learning and memorization process as the summary made by you. In short, it is the process rather than the product that helps you the most. When you use (visit, question, read, scan etc) your text you will notice some summaries. These are good. However, to enhance your learning and understanding try to make some summaries of your own. Then compare yours with the one supplied by the text.

17

Even this act of summary comparison is an active process. This too, will help you learn.

11.3 Scientific writing and Reports on your Investigations Writing up your science is an essential skill. During the process of scientific writing we begin to think about our science. What looked ‘simple’ before we began to explain it in words can become more complicated and challenging. In S204, two main types of scientific writing will be emphasized :

∗ The essay type explanatory or descriptive account of your study and ∗ The lab report on an investigation Both types will train you for and be exercised within the exams. Let’s look at each type in turn

11.3.1 The essay type account To create a good essay (TMA or exam longer answer), we need to :

∗ examine the exact wording of the question ∗ identify key words ∗ organize relevant material : facts, figures, diagrams, illustrations, graphs … etc. ∗ plan how to put the material together in a logical order and in a way that answers the

question

∗ your plan should have : • introduction • middle organized into paragraphs & selected Figs, and illustrations, data etc. • conclusion

The introduction and conclusion should have some connections.

∗ produce a rough draft (desirable if you have time) but in the planning stage you can re-organize points and select the best (most apt) illustrations

∗ write the final version : ‘write’ here implies by hand (be neat) or by word processor Your TMAs will be designed to help train you in these skills. You will even be given marks for your plan .. if it shows clear evidence of thought. Before we move onto look at the lab report, I would like you to study the many different types of scientific writing that are important in biological science. Here follows a list of terms used to describe these different types of writing and their meanings.

Terms Meaning Account for Give reasons for ** Analyse Separate into component parts / factors

18

Assess Say how important it is * Compare Show similarities, differences : say which is better Consider Take into account, weigh advantages and disadvantages Contrast Assemble and define the differences between ** Criticize Say how an argument stands up to scrutiny * Define Give the meaning of Demonstrate Show how, prove with examples * Describe Write in detail about the characteristics of Differentiate Explain the differences between, distinguish * Discuss Describe the important aspects, pointing out the pros and cons Evaluate Judge the important or success of * Examine Investigate, enquire into * Explain Make clear, give reasons for How far …? Present and evaluate evidence for and against * Illustrate Give examples ** Interpret Say what is meant by Outline Indicate the important aspects, omit minor detail Relate Show the connections between State Set down briefly the main points * Summarize Bring together the main points To what extent …? How true is it to say that …; give evidence Trace Show the development of * The more popular and important styles ** The more challenging approaches; but also the more rewarding e.g. when you

interpret, say, some raw data from a lab experiment or field measurement, you are creating knowledge!

11.3.2 The Scientific Report You will need to ‘write up’ your lab work and field work from time to time. One good outcome of this report writing is that it gives you the opportunity to link textbook ideas with your practical experiences. From this, good understanding can grow. Usually, a report in biology will follow a set structure using the following headings :

1) Title : short, but descriptive and attractive e.g.

“Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of Bak Choi samples from the Homantin wetmarket” is much better than simply.

19

“TLC” … a good biology student should ask TLC of what, where etc! (see p.374 of your skills textbook)

2) Abstract (a short summary) 3) Key words (a line up of 3-8 key words to cover the report scope) e.g. deducing from our

title above these could be key words.

TLC; Bak choi, chlorophylls, xanthophylls, photosynthetic pigment ratios 4) Introduction (aims & main objectives) 5) Materials & Methods (what you used and how you conducted the

experiment/investigation) 6) Results (Description of the ‘facts’ and the display of your data in Tables & or graphs 7) Discussion (Hard to write because you ‘talk about’ / think and write about what all your

work and results may/can mean. Conclusions, too, at the end of your Discussion. 8) References (a list in alphabetical order of any published or other work that is not yours,

that you referred to. Please visit your Skills text for more hints on this important topic. Chapters 15-18 and especially 17 are very helpful. Use them!

11.4 Referencing and Acknowledging : avoiding plagiarism This important part of study skills is given a special section. The idea was, as you will have seen, mentioned above in section 11.3.2. In scientific writing we try to honestly acknowledge (or to ‘cite’) our sources of ideas. This is done throughout your textbooks. Look at p.130 in Book 1 (References and Further Reading … you do not need to mention further reading but you should mention your references) and the extensive acknowledgments on p.131 & 132 of Book 1. Other texts have their equivalent.

In S204, the habits of referencing (at the end) and citing (mentioning within the body of your essay, TMA or report) must become part of your writing style. The need to reference (and cite) should apply to webpages as well as textbooks. You should even acknowledge your CDRoms too! If you take (i.e. copy) a diagram or graph from your S204 texts then this is OK, but acknowledge it and cite (state) where you obtained it. If you modify or simplify a Fig this is really welcome. It demonstrates that you are thinking not just copying! But, again, acknowledge this and write something along these lines in your essay / TMA, near the Fig, e.g.

Fig X (in your work) was based on / modified from Fig 1.19 p.26 in Book 1 S204 Introducing Biodiversity by Ridge & Pound (2001).

20

If you adopt these habits early i.e. for TMA#1 then your tutor (and CC) will be happy and you will get into the swing or style of S204 biological writing strongly at the beginning.

What is plagiarism? In a word it is copying someone else’s words and pretending that they are your own. These days with the computer age in full force, plagiarism is hard to control. People take and copy from other webpages … but remember that for S204 your tutors (and CC) will know the subject very well and will notice plagiarism when it become serious. The main reason that I make a fuss about plagiarism is that it hinders rather than helps you. It is much better to try to interact with your textbook materials and build confidence in yourself as you struggle to use your own words, as you make an effort to express biology in your own words. This does not mean that you need to invent new technical terms. No, no, no not at all. It simply means don’t copy, especially someone else’s TMA!

11.5 Glossary : your ‘dictionary’ of terms! S204 comes with a 55 page glossary. It is organized in alphabetical order and has a cross-reference to a place in your textbooks where the term was first used and or discussed in some detail. Use this booklet as a tool and stimulus to learning. We hinted at this in sections 11.1 & 11.2. The glossary can speed up your hunt for a term and help focus your reading. You may even like to make up your own expanded and ‘customized’ glossary built around the key words that you meet during the course. Do you need to know and be able to recall all these terms in the S204 glossary? No! We will identify some of the more important terms as the course develops. Indeed, you will come to see that some terms are more basic than others and help you to understand others more completely e.g. osmosis (p.35 in glossary) is the core idea (and term) behind water potential (p.54 in glossary). From here we now move onto to look at Study Guide for Book 1, your setbook (Skills) and Book 2. We then conclude this Study Guide #1 with a glance at what lies ahead in the remainder of your course.

12 Study Guide for Book 1

12.1 The central importance of Book 1 Book 1, Introduction to Biodiversity contains core material that provides a solid foundation for the whole S204 course. In other words, Book 1 is a top text!

12.2 The CDRom, Guide to Living Organisms (GLO) Like Book 1 the GLO is a key resource for S204. Be willing to see and to use your GLO often.

21

12.3 What to do in Book 1 Please follow these steps and aim to complete all tasks within the time allocated in the Academic Timetable (section 10 above)

12.3.1 Word review and revision The words that guard your understanding of Book 1 are listed below. You should have met them all in S122. Don’t forget that your S122 textbook contains a good glossary Revisit these terms using either your S122 text, your Book 1 S204 or your S204 glossary or all of these :

aerobic DNA periodic table (names and symbols of common elements)

anaerobic eukaryotes asexual reproduction heterotroph photosynthesis autotrophy ion prokaryotes carbohydrate meiosis RNA cell membrane sexual reproduction cell division mitochondrion species cell respiration mitosis taxonomic hierarchy chlorophyll natural selection chloroplast oxidation / reduction

12.3.2 Overview of Book 1 : examine the text and notice that Book 1 is based on

∗ biodiversity and how biologists give an ordered system to this huge variety of life (Chapter 1)

∗ biodiversity in the Kingdom Protoctista i.e. the unicellular organisms and their related decendants which are not true plants, animals or fungi (Chapter 2)

∗ the essence of the biological investigation : hypotheses through observing and testing to interpretating and concluding (Chapter 3)

12.3.3 See your GLO CDRom. Yes see it all from start to finish for the first but not the last time.

12.3.4 See your video programme #1 : Investigating life on a small scale (This is a 30 minute video). It takes you into the world of the single called organisms (Protoctista) which

22

feature in Chapter 2 of Book 1.

12.3.5 Learning via SAQ’s A range of SAQ are given. These cover chapters 1, 2 and 3. You have now seen the GLO and, I hope, the video #1 already. This viewing will help you visualize the organisms and ideas referred to in the SAQs. It is not necessary to do all of these questions, but since Book 1 is a ‘core’ text you should do as many as you can. There is feedback to the SAQs. I like to use the term feedback rather than answers, because the aim of the SAQ is to facilitate your interaction with the text and from this interaction help your learning. It would be a good idea to further discuss the feedback with your tutor and classmates at a tutorial or dayschool at a later date.

13 Study Guide for your (purchased) Setbook

13.1 A skills and practical companion Your purchased text by Jones et al (2003) Practical Skills in Biology (3rd Ed) pub. Prentice Hall, is best used as a companion. We will refer to this companion as Skills. It is not a set text to be learnt by heart. It is to be used more like a manual; a sort of users guide to biology. You will not need to use all chapters. In our Dayschools & Short Labs we will based a lot of our practical investigations around this book. Don’t forget too, that we are doing biology here in Hong Kong and that we will often make use of local materials and local examples. A reference to this was made already. Recall our Bak choi and Thin-layer chromatography in Section 11 above. For lab reports and field work in environmental biology, we may need to use the tools of statistics. Your Skills text has six chapters (61-66) on the topic of data analysis and descriptive statistics. Be willing to consult and to use these helpful chapters. If you have not done maths or stats before, these chapters will be a friend indeed!

13.2 Top topics in your Skills book Please now scan the contents of your Skills text. Three main groups of topics occur :

∗ intellectual skills e.g. ‘making’ note, using the internet and writing essays ∗ investigational (practical) skills e.g. lab safety, measuring, using SI units and

sampling

∗ investigational protocols, procedures and techniques applied to actual biological material e.g. enzymes and chromatography of food leaves

Some topics are outstanding but all may be important. A lot depends on your existing skill level and pre S204 experiences. Examples of outstanding topics are likely to include the following chapters (ch) :

23

ch. 2 On time management ch.4 ‘Making’ (my word) notes e.g. mental maps (Fig. 4.2) ch.6 Exam skills ch.10 Using the Web (note the key point and good advice on p.53; do not assume that

everything on the web is true or even legal!) ch.16 Writing essyas ch.20 Health & safety in the lab ch.29 Basic fieldwork (I will add to this a lot to suit the Hong Kong environment) ch.32 Making notes of practical work! ch.41 Microscopy ch.50 Calibration ch.52 Enzyme studies ch.60 Chromatography ch.61 Transforming raw data ch.63 Presenting data ch.66 Choosing & writing statistical tests Visit at least some of these chapters early in the course. This will give you a feel for the scope of this Skills companion for the journey through S204. 13.3 Please read pages xii-xiii entitled ‘For the student’. I like the authors good advise on transferable skills. These go well beyond S204 and even show you how to create your own CV … good for job seekers!

14. Study Guide for Book 2

14.1 How does Book 2, build on Book 1? Book 2 is almost twice as fat as Book 1. Please do not let this shock you. As I said in the Introduction to this Study Guide #1, the textbooks are a resource rather than a course. It is not intended that you study all of Book 2. The purpose of Book 2 is to expand your understanding of how biodiversity is made. This is the underlying thinking behind the Book 2 title, Generating Diversity. As you have seen in the Academic timetable given above in Section 10 of this Guide, only certain chapters are defined as core and only certain sections within chapters are described as being especially (esp) important for you. Only one chapter is totally focused on building on this theme of biodiversity introduced in Book 1. This is Chapter 3, generating diversity. The big idea of this central and essential chapter of Book 2,

24

is natural selection. Do you recall this fundamental concept from S122? Let’s help you here. Natural selection is about nature (i.e. the external environment) selecting out those organisms within a species population which are fittest to survive and reproduce. Where does this biological fitness come from? Yes, you know … from the

genome of the individual members of a species population. Genome : is a term relating to the genetic make-up of an individual. Natural selection operates on the genome in a selective way. This basic biological process (which is at the heart of biology) of natural selection makes or creates biological diversity. This is what the authors of Book 2 mean by “generating diversity”. Keep this core idea firmly in your mind as you use Book 2.

14.2 CDRoms and Videos Please remember that the GLO is designed as an ‘on demand’ visual electronic resource. You are invited to revisit, to reuse it at anytime. Yet the GLO was first mentioned in the Guide to Book 1, but it may help you visualize ideas from Book 2, e.g.

∗ dormancy in winter (‘opt out’ strategy of some organisms – see section 1.4 of Book 2) ∗ teeth types in different types of feeders (Chapter 2 of Book 2) Please look upon your GLO as a kind of virtual electronic biological library. Use it as a visual zoo or botanic garden. The video entitled : Investigating suspension feeders (20 minutes long) helps you with Chapter 2 : a chapter about dealing with food. Again, you are encouraged to see it on demand. The CD Rom & Video use is flexible but I recommend that you watch these early on. This visual journey will alert you to how these ‘electronic friends’ can help you as an individual learner.

14.3 What to do in Book 2 Please follow these steps and try to complete them according to the timetable given in Section 10 (Academic Timetable) above.

14.3.1 Word alert Please visit the following key words (which you should have met before in S122) and check their meaning before you begin more detailed reading in Book 2. Have your glossary with you too and visit both the text page and glossary for :

∗ natural selection (p.89, Book 2) ∗ fitness (p.90, Book 2) ∗ gene pool (p.92, Book 2) all in chapter 3, Book 2 ∗ genetic drift (p.95, Book 2) ∗ mutations (p.102, Book 2)

25

∗ supergene (p.104, Book 2) ∗ biological evolution (p.110, Book 2)

14.3.2 Read pages 89-110 in Book 2 and as you read notice the following points in particular :

a) that the modern theory of natural selection is still based on Darwinian thinking going back to 1858 (p.89)

b) The peppered moth, Biston betularia, shown in Fig. 3.1 (p.91) is a classic case of how natural selection (NS) can operate. Think about this carefully. Natural selection by bird predators on the dark & light colored moths does not generate a new species. All NS does is shift the gene frequencies. Certain alleles are favored by the environment. In other words, certain alleles of a gene controlling moth color are selected out.

c) VS operates on individuals within a gene pool i.e. on populations d) Sometimes genes have > two forms i.e. > 2 alleles. These are called polygenes. The

shell color and patterns in the little snail Copaea are beautiful examples of this (Fig. 3.2, p.92)

e) Genetic variation comes from two primary sources :

∗ recombination of alleles during sexual reproduction (the reason why sex is sensible!?) and

∗ mutation f) Sexual reproduction is of great evolutionary importance but it has its disadvantages

(p.102 and Chapter 4, especially 4.4!!!)

g) NS is, today, described as biological evolution. Notice that the concept is the same although the words biological evolution are now in fashion! (p.110)

Now that we have done some work on this core Chapter 3 (Genetic Diversity) we can journey to consider some more basic topics in biology :

∗ gaining the energy and nutrients needed to survive and to reproduce. What is this topic about? Yes it focuses on getting and using food (Chapter 2)

∗ defence, especially against microbial killers or pathogens (Chapter 5, especially 5.2 & 5.4) and

∗ living a long life or reaching your biological potential (Chapter 6, especially 6.2, .6.6 & 6.7)

14.3.3 Read all of Chapter 2, pages 37-87. This may appear to be a lot but it is not. Why, because it builds on your existing S122 knowledge of herbivores, carnivores, feeding and digestion.

26

14.3.4 Defence : staying alive to reproduce (Chapter 5) This topic is very relevant to Hong Kong people. It gives us a useful biological background to fighting the flu and of course, SARS and all the related viral enemies of modern life. The chapter is about 50 pages in length. Scan these and then read Section 5.2 and 5.4 carefully. Later, we will invite you to do some SAQs based on this reading.

14.3.5 Long Life (Longevity) (Chapter 6) Please visit pages 201 to 235 and notice these points in particular : a) The diversity in longevity Table 6.2, p.204. Here we find a comparison of lifespans in

some animals. Contrast :

∗ butterflies ∗ cod (fish) ∗ tapeworms and ∗ humans

This table is interesting, but I would have liked to see trees too. Why, well some famous trees can live for >1000 years e.g. the Kauri (Agathus australis) in New Zealand.

b) Death is adaptive!? (p.206 line 3 up from the bottom). What do you think about this? Do you agree. You do not have to.

c) Trade-offs between longevity and reproduction Fig. 6.6 summarizes this idea. Inspect it on p.209

d) Fighting, reproducing and longevity Inspect Fig. 6.13 p.215 for a neat look at this idea. What do you think about the behavior of male elephant seals : sensible or questionable? Could there be a better way of life?

e) Why waste time and energy reproducing or is reproduction good for you? Read 6.3.3 (page 217-220) and examine Fig. 6.15 (p.217) especially. Can you write your version of an answer to this question? Please try to deduce a conclusion based on Fig. 6.15. This sort of activity will be in Part II of your final exam : you will be given some data like this graph and be invited to iinterprete it and then draw a conclusion. This is very much part of doing biology these days. So try please!

f) Genes for a long life! (See 6.5, p.225). If the fruit fly Drosophila has such a gene, perhaps we do too!

g) Does sex keep you alive? Read 6.5.3 pages 226-231 and compose a conclusion of your own. Bring this to your tutorial classes!

27

15 Where next? From Block A (Books 1 & 2) we will continue our journey in biology by looking at topics such as

∗ cell structure and function ∗ protein biochemistry ∗ membranes ∗ metabolism and ∗ microbes

All this can wait until we give you the Guide to Block 2 i.e. Books 3A, 3B and 4. Let’s complete our work in Block A by doing some SAQs and looking at the feedback.

28