BIOL 3335: POLAR BIOLOGY – Life at the Extremes Fall 2021
Dr. Robert Sanders 215-204-2056 email: robert.sanders@temple.edu
347A Biology-Life Sciences website: sites.temple.edu/bobsanders/
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:30-4:30; Friday 9:30-10:30; and by appointment
CLASS MEETING: SERC 108B Tu/Th 2:00-3:20 Note that this is an IN-PERSON course
Prerequisite: Biology 1111 and 2112 with a grade of C or better.
Course Description: ‘Polar Biology – Life at the Extremes’ is an introduction to polar environments and the biology of aquatic and terrestrial organisms adapted to live in the Arctic and Antarctic. Similarities and differences between the poles as well as anthropogenic impacts on these remote environments will be addressed
Temple And Covid-19: Temple University’s motto is ‘Perseverance Conquers’ and we will continue to meet the changing circumstances of the COVID pandemic with flexibility and resilience. Working together as a community to deliver a meaningful learning experience is a responsibility we all share.
Attendance and Your Health: To achieve course learning objectives, students must attend and participate in classes. However, if you feel unwell or if you are under quarantine or in isolation because you have been exposed to the virus or tested positive for it, you should not come to campus or attend in-person classes or activities. It is the student’s responsibility to contact their instructors to create a plan for participation and engagement in the course as soon as they can do so, and to make a plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion, when illness delays their completion.
Learning Objectives: The primary goals of this class are to have students gain:
(1) a deeper understanding of the changing polar environment.
(2) an appreciation for the unique characteristics of organisms that live in these extreme environments.
(3) a familiarity with reading, understanding, and critiquing primary scientific literature.
(4) an ability to synthesize and apply information from the course to better understand global challenges in a changing world.
This course is Canvas-based. It is each student’s responsibility to check the website and their Temple e-mail account regularly for messages, assignments & any schedule changes.
Recommended Text: Paperback version of The Biology of Polar Regions by D.N. Thomas, et al. 2008; reprinted 2013. This book is not required. It is a bit dated and there are no readings that won’t be covered in lecture. Readings from scientific journals also will be assigned.
Civility & Temple’s Code of Conduct (CoC): Violations of the CoC include but are not limited to: academic dishonesty and impropriety, including plagiarism and academic cheating; interfering or attempting to interfere with or disrupting the conduct of classes or any other normal or regular activities of the University (http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.12).
Disability Disclosure: Any student who has need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. In addition, Disability Resources should be contacted at 215-204-1280.
Student/Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities: The University’s policy can be
…. accessed through the following link: http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02.
Grades: Grades are based on the distribution that follows. The final exam is not cumulative per se, but the earlier course material will be needed to understand and discuss material presented later in the course, i.e., the exam builds on information presented earlier. Make-up tests will be given at the instructor’s discretion, and ONLY if absence is excused in advance or is due to an emergency. On-time attendance for all class activities is expected.
….. Tests (2) …………………….. (total) 46% Paper synopses ……………………… 16%
….. Final exam……………………………… 28% Discussion participation …………. 10%
Discussions: Each student should contribute to each discussion. On-time attendance is critical to a good discussion dynamic – tardiness will be reflected in participation grades. For each paper we read for discussion, all students should come to class with their synopsis prepared and with notes that can answer the following questions: 1. What are the specific goals of the study? 2. What methods did the authors use to meet their goals and why were those methods chosen? 3. What are the main conclusions and implications/significance of the research? 4. What are the strengths of the study? 5. What are the weaknesses/limitations of the study? 6. What could the authors do next to build on their study? 7. How does this paper relate to other material we’ve read or heard in lecture this semester?
The expected schedule of topics follows. It is a guide that may change over the semester. However, the dates of tests and the exam will not change.
| DATE | TOPIC | READING |
| Aug 24 | 1- Introduction – Polar climates and environments | Ch. 1 |
| Aug 26 | 2- More Polar Climates and Climate Change | Ch. 10 |
| Sept 4 | 3- Adaptation & Survival in Polar climates | Ch. 2 |
| Sept 6 | Discussion of assigned paper; Synopsis 1 due | |
| Mon Sept 10 | Last Day to Drop | |
| Sept 11 | 4- Terrestrial habitats | Ch. 3 |
| Sept 13 | 5- Terrestrial and specialized habitats | |
| Sept 18 | 6- Life in the interior of ice sheets | |
| Sept 20 | Discussion of assigned paper; NO Synopsis | |
| Sept 25 | TEST 1 | |
| Sept 27 | 7- Inland waters – Lakes, Wetlands, Streams | |
| Oct 2 | NO CLASS | |
| Oct 4 | 8- Open ocean habitat & organisms (Finish 7 first) | Ch. 6 |
| Oct 9 | NO CLASS | |
| Oct 11 | Discussion of assigned paper; Synopsis 2 due | |
| Oct 16 | 9-More Oceans | |
| Oct 18 | 10- Sea Ice | Ch. 7 |
| Oct 23 | 11- Sea Ice, continued | |
| Oct 25 | Discussion of assigned paper; Synopsis 3 due | |
| Oct 30 | 12- Marine Benthos | Ch. 8 |
| Nov 1 | 13- Marine Benthos, continued | |
| Nov 6 | Discussion of assigned paper; Synopsis 4 due | |
| Nov 8 | TEST 2 (Nov 12 Last Day to Withdraw) | |
| Nov 13 | 14- Birds & Mammals | Ch. 9 |
| Nov 15 | 15- Birds & Mammals | |
| BREAK | FALL BREAK Nov 17 -25 | |
| Nov 27 | 16- Anthropogenic Disturbances | Ch. 11 |
| Nov 29 | Discussion of assigned paper; Synopsis 5 due | |
| Dec 4 | 17- Anthropogenic Disturbances | |
| Dec 6 | 18- Conservation and Wildlife Management | |
| Dec 18 | FINAL EXAM 1:00 – 3:00 P.M. |