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BOTANY 130 & 130-L

Plants in the Hawaiian Environment

Instructor: Angela Nishimoto, M.S.	Office: `Imiloa 107
E-mail: anishimo@hawaii.edu	Phone: 236-9107

Description:

This course is an introduction to the dispersal of plants to Hawai`i, their evolution, and the subsequent impacts upon them by human activities. Laboratory work includes basic plant structures and functions, identification of native and introduced plants, and the importance of tropical and sub-tropical plants. Class field trips will consist of visits to botanical gardens and field sites of botanical interest. Botany 130 is a lecture/laboratory/ field trip course.

Course goals:

To have some understanding of plant genetics and evolution, which underlie changes in plant morphology.
To be able to be able to identify important plants of Hawai`i.
To learn about human impacts on the flora of these islands.
To develop the use of writing as a tool in learning and reflecting. Opportunities to write are provided in the essay questions during exams and field trip reports.
To develop critical thinking skills on scientific issues. Opportunities to think critically are built into the structure of the course through test questions and presentations of different viewpoints.

Course objectives:

To know the basic structures of higher plant forms: leaf, root, stem, and flower/fruit, and their functions in the life of the plant.
To be able to define the terms, native and introduced, as they apply to plants.
To be able to identify forty to fifty significant plants of Hawai`i by sight.
To be able to explain how the Hawaiian Island chain developed, and the impact of plant dispersal, which determined the types of plant life found on the islands.
To be able to describe some of the significant environmental factors in Hawaii, the resulting vegetation zones and how they influenced the adaptations and distribution of native plants.
To learn about the history of human activity in the islands, starting with the Polynesian people, progressing to later-arriving western (and other) peoples and the impact of these human migrations on the plant life of the islands.
To know about environmental issues involving plant resources and to develop strategies for their preservation.

Requirements this course satisfies:

Windward Community College: Natural Science, Biological Science

Prerequisites:

None

Recommended preparation:

Successful completion of, or concurrent registration in, English 100.

Texts:

Hawaii: A Natural History by S.J. Carlquist

Plants and Flowers of Hawai`i by S.H. Sohmer & R. Gustafson

Exams:

There will be three lecture exams given during the semester. If you are not clear about the dates of these exams, you should consult the course schedule. Exam make-ups will be permitted only in the case of an emergency (documented with a doctor’s note). If the date of a lecture exam is changed, I will announce this ahead of time. You are responsible for this, and all other information, given during class time.

There will be two lab practicals administered in the course of the semester. If you miss a lab exam, you may not be allowed to make it up. Please behave responsibly in this matter.

Points for course work:

Lecture exams (3 @ 100 points each)	300 points
Lab practicals (2 @ 100 points each)	200 points
Lab drawings (4 @ 25 points each)	100 points
Field trip reports (5 @ 10 points each)	50 points
Poster project (including oral presentation)	50 points
TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS	700 points

Grading:

Grades will be determined by the total number of points earned, not by a class curve. Therefore, it is possible for everyone in the class to get an “A”! You will receive grade updates after each exam.

90-100%	A
80-89%	B
70-79%	C
60-69%	D
< 60%	F

Extra credit:

Though it is best to focus on performing class assignments well, there will be occasional opportunities to earn extra credit points. These will generally consist of field work or gardening activities.

Field trips:

The field trips are an integral part of this course. You will have opportunities to experience plants at various locales. Attendance at labs and field trips are a must. I will allow one excused absence for a missed field trip. After the first absence, any subsequent non-attendance of field trips will result in a deduction of points. Absences for more than one field trip may result in a non-passing grade for the course.

Service learning:

Service learning is an available option, to be performed in lieu of the poster project. The student will be required to work a minimum of 20 hours over the course of the service learning project, keeping a record of time worked. Furthermore, the student will write a short paper (~3 pp.) at the conclusion of the service learning period.

Course schedule:

Week	Lecture Topics	Reading	Lab Activities
1	Introduction; Geology	C-1; S/G-Intro.	Orientation; Field trip (TBA)
2	Climate; Dispersal	C-2,3; S/G-History	Field trip (TBA)
3			Roots
4	Problems; Adaptive Radiation	C-4,5; S/G-Biology	Stems
5	EXAM 1; Arborescence	C-6	Leaves
6	Flightlessness; Loss of Disp.	C-7,8; S/G-Evolution	PRACTICAL 1
7	Loss of Comp; Land Shells	C-9,10	Flowers & Fruits
8	Honey Creepers; Lobeliods	C-11,12	Field Trip (TBA)
9	Silverswords	C-13	Field Trip (TBA)
10	EXAM 2 ; Coast	C-14; S/G-Veg/Plnts	Field Trip (TBA)
11	Dry Forest	C-15; S/G-Veg/Plnts	Field Trip (TBA)
12	Wet Forest ; Epiphytic Veg.	C-16,17; S/G-Veg/Plnts	Field Trip (TBA)
13	Bogs; Alpine Zone	C-18,19; S/G-Veg/Plnts	Field Trip (TBA)
14	Leeward Chain	C-20-23; S/G-Veg/Plnts	Field Trip (TBA)
15	Leeward Chain	C-24-27; S/G-Veg/Plnts	Field Trip (TBA)
16	Poster Presentations		PRACTICAL 2
	EXAM 3

*NOTE: This schedule is subject to change, depending upon the needs of the class.


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