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  2. Diversity of Life [SCI2116]

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School: Natural Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Diversity of Life

  • Unit Code

    SCI2116

  • Year

    2015

  • Enrolment Period

    1

  • Version

    1

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

Diversity of Life provides an overview of major groups of organisms, with a strong emphasis on eukaryotes. The unit adopts an evolutionary (phylogenetic) approach, and explores how the relationships among major clades of eukaryotes are revealed in their body structures, genetics and biochemistry. Australian organisms will be emphasised. Note that practical activities in this unit may include the use of animals, animal products and tissues. All activities comply with Animal Welfare legislation and NHMRC Guidelines and, where appropriate, are approved by the ECU Animal Ethics Committee. Alternative activities are available for students with conscientious objection.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass 2 units from SCI1183, SCI1187

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Characterise major monophyletic super-groups within Eukarya on the basis of morphological, reproductive and/or biochemical features.
  2. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the theoretical basis of phylogenetic systematics, including the interpretation of phylogenetic trees.
  3. Describe major evolutionary trends within Metazoa (animals) and Embryophyta (land plants).
  4. Describe the defining characteristics of the Domain Eukarya, and identify the evolutionary changes that distinguish it from Bacteria and Archaea.
  5. Explain current understandings of high-level evolutionary relationships within Eukarya, and discuss the places of traditional taxonomic groupings (e.g. animals, plants and fungi) within it.
  6. Explain how morphological, reproductive and molecular evidence inform understandings of phylogenetic relationships and illustrate the processes of organic evolution.

Unit Content

  1. Coelomate Protostomes (Annelida and Mollusca) and Deuterostomes (Echinodermata and Chordata).
  2. Embryophytes : Bryophytes and early vascular plants.
  3. Eukaryote radiation and super-groups: Alveolates, Stramenopiles, Rhizaria, Amoebozoa, Excavata, Opisthokonta, and Archaeplastida.
  4. General principles of evolution, systematics and classification: monophyly, paraphyly and polyphyly; introduction to methods and interpretation of phylogenetic trees; the fossil record and geological time scale.
  5. Major clades of animals (Metazoa): Parazoa, Eumetazoa, Radiata, Bilateria, protostomes and deuterostomes.
  6. Opisthokonta: Fungi, animals (Metazoa) and their relatives, including mycorrhiza and lichens.
  7. Plants (Archaeplastida): red and green algae, and the origins of land plants (Embryophytes).
  8. Stramenopiles: the 'brown algae', diatoms and relatives.
  9. The origin of Eukaryotes: evolution of the nucleus, and the serial endosymbiont hypothesis.
  10. Vascular embryophytes: Monilophytes, Lycophytes, seed plants and flowering plants.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes, online activities, directed reading.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit plan may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
Laboratory WorkIndividual and group practical work and laboratory write-ups30%
AssignmentLiterature review20%
ExaminationEnd of semester examination50%

Text References

  • ^ Raven, P.H., Evert, R. F., & Eichhorn, S. E. (2012). Biology of plants. (8th ed.). New York, NY: W.H. Freeman.
  • ^ Hickman, C.P., Roberts, L.S., Keen, S.L., Larson, A., & Eisenhour, D.J. (2011). Animal diversity (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
  • Cowen, R. (2013). History of life. Chichester, UK:Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Knox, B., Ladiges, P., Evans, B., & Saint, R. (2010). Biology: An Australian focus (4th ed.). North Ryde, NSW: McGraw-Hill.
  • Reece, J. B., Meyers, N., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., Jackson, R. B., & Cooke, B. N. (2011). Campbell biology (9th ed.). Australian version. North Ryde, NSW: Pearson Australia Group.
  • Adl, S.M., Simpson A.G., Lane C.E., Lukes J., Bass D., Bowser S.S., . . . Spiegel F.W. (2012). The revised classification of eukaryotes. Journal of Eukaryote Microbiology, 59(5), 429-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2012.00644.x.
  • Baldauf, S.H. (2008). An overview of the phlyogney and diversity of eukaryotes. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 46(3), 263?273. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1002.2008.08060

^ Mandatory reference

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

SCI2116|1|1

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School: Natural Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Diversity of Life

  • Unit Code

    SCI2116

  • Year

    2015

  • Enrolment Period

    2

  • Version

    2

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

Diversity of Life provides an overview of major groups of organisms, with a strong emphasis on eukaryotes. The unit adopts an evolutionary (phylogenetic) approach, and explores how the relationships among major clades of eukaryotes are revealed in their body structures, genetics and biochemistry. Australian organisms will be emphasised. Note that practical activities in this unit may include the use of animals, animal products and tissues.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must have passed 3 units from SCI1125 Professional Science Essentials, SCI1183 Origins and Evolution of Life , SCI1187 Form and Function in Biology.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Describe the defining characteristics of the Domain Eukarya, and identify the evolutionary changes that distinguish it from Bacteria and Archaea.
  2. Explain current understandings of high-level evolutionary relationships within Eukarya, and discuss the places of traditional taxonomic groupings (e.g. animals, plants and fungi) within it.
  3. Characterise major monophyletic super-groups within Eukarya on the basis of morphological, reproductive and/or biochemical features.
  4. Describe major evolutionary trends within Metazoa (animals) and Embryophyta (land plants).
  5. Explain how morphological, reproductive and molecular evidence inform understandings of phylogenetic relationships and illustrate the processes of organic evolution.
  6. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the theoretical basis of phylogenetic systematics, including the interpretation of phylogenetic trees.

Unit Content

  1. General principles of evolution, systematics and classification: monophyly, paraphyly and polyphyly; introduction to methods and interpretation of phylogenetic trees; the fossil record and geological time scale.
  2. Coelomate Protostomes (Annelida and Mollusca) and Deuterostomes (Echinodermata and Chordata).
  3. The origin of Eukaryotes.
  4. Eukaryote radiation and super-groups: Alveolates, Stramenopiles, Rhizaria, Amoebozoa, Excavata, Opisthokonta, and Archaeplastida.
  5. Stramenopiles: the 'brown algae', diatoms and relatives.
  6. Plants (Archaeplastida): red and green algae, and the origins of land plants (Embryophytes).
  7. Embryophytes : Bryophytes and early vascular plants.
  8. Vascular embryophytes: Monilophytes, Lycophytes, seed plants and flowering plants.
  9. Opisthokonta: Fungi, animals (Metazoa) and their relatives, including mycorrhiza and lichens.
  10. Major clades of animals (Metazoa): Parazoa, Eumetazoa, Radiata, Bilateria, protostomes and deuterostomes.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes, online activities, directed reading.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit plan may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
Laboratory WorkIndividual and group practical work and laboratory write-ups30%
AssignmentLiterature Review20%
ExaminationEnd of semester examination50%

Text References

  • Baldauf, S.H. (2008). An overview of the phlyogney and diversity of eukaryotes. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 46(3), 263?273. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1002.2008.08060
  • Adl, S.M., Simpson A.G., Lane C.E., Lukes J., Bass D., Bowser S.S., . . . Spiegel F.W. (2012). The revised classification of eukaryotes. Journal of Eukaryote Microbiology, 59(5), 429-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2012.00644.x.
  • Reece, J. B., Meyers, N., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., Jackson, R. B., & Cooke, B. N. (2011). Campbell biology (9th ed.). Australian version. North Ryde, NSW: Pearson Australia Group.
  • Cowen, R. (2013). History of life. Chichester, UK:Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Knox, B., Ladiges, P., Evans, B., & Saint, R. (2010). Biology: An Australian focus (4th ed.). North Ryde, NSW: McGraw-Hill.
  • ^ Nature Education (2014). Principles of biology (living edition, July 2014 update). Cambridge, MA : NPG Education. Note: This text must be purchased directly from the publisher's website.

^ Mandatory reference

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

SCI2116|2|2