Soil Biology BIOS 499 and BIOS 599 Spring 2001

Teaching will be in Gale Room 237 Monday 11:00-12:00, Wednesday 11:00-12:00, Friday 9:00-12:00 (-10:00 in weeks with lectures). Book Chapter Tests on Fridays will typically take 30 minutes but extra time will be available.
Text: Coleman D.C. & Crossley D.A. Jr. 1996. Fundamentals of soil ecology. Academic Press.

Week 1   M  Martin Luther King Holiday
   W  Outline and Introduction
   F  Shoot-Root Relations
Week 2   M, W & F Soils
Week 3   M, W Soils
    F  Chapter 1 Test Soils (2 February 9:00 a.m.)
Week 4   M, W Roots
    F  Soils Lab
Week 5   M, W Roots
    F  Roots Lab
Week 6   M  President’s Day Holiday
    W  Depletion Zones

The end of the 21 February lecture will be the deadline for submission and approval of a written title (12 word maximum) for a Term Paper for BIOS 599 students. Any suitable title related to Soil Biology will be accepted. The signature of McGonigle on the written submitted title will indicate acceptance. Attach the signed title to the Term Paper on submission (see below).

Week 6   F  Chapter 2 Test Roots (23 February 9:00 a.m.)
Week 7   M, W, & F Mycorrhizae
Week 8   M  Mid-Term Exam (5 March 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon)
    W  Mycorrhizae
    F  Mycorrhizae Lab (Submission of Mid-Semester Grade)
Week 9   M, W Microbes
    F  Microbes Lab I

The deadline for the Term Paper for BIOS 599 students is 4:30 p.m. Friday 16 March. Put the paper in the McGonigle Mail Box in the Biology Main Office. The paper is to be 1200-1600 words excluding references. Use prose and paragraphs.

Spring Break March 19-25

Week 10 M, W Microbes
    F  Chapter 3 Test Microbes (30 March 9:00 a.m.) then Microbes Lab II
Week 11 M  Microbiotic Crusts
    W  Soil Nitrogen
F  Soil Carbon
Week 12 M,  Redox Conditions
    W, & F Mineral Nutrients
Week 13 M, W Fauna
    F  Chapter 4 Test Fauna (20 April 9:00 a.m.) then Fauna Lab I
Week 14 M, W Fauna
    F  Fauna Lab II
Week 15 M, W Decomposition
    F  Chapters 5 and 6 Test Decomposition (4 May 9:00 a.m.)
Week 16 M  Soil and Agricultural Matters
Week 16 W  Soil and Waste Materials
Week 16 F  Soil and Global Change

Final Exam Friday 18 May, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Gale Room 237

Distribution of Marks   Book Chapter Tests 25%
     Mid-Term Exam 30%
     Final Exam  45%

For BIOS 599 students the Term Paper will be returned on Monday 26 March as Satisfactory or Not Satisfactory. The Term Paper will not contribute to the calculation of marks except that failure to submit a Term Paper or the return of a Term Paper as Not Satisfactory will result in deletion of 10% of the overall mark for the course.

Office Hours: Gale Room 442 Thursday 8:30-11:00