LS3204 : Biology Laboratory-VII (Spring 2016) | Academic Portal of IISER Kolkata

Details of LS3204 (Spring 2016)

Level: 3

Type: Laboratory

Credits: 3.0

Course Code	Course Name	Instructor(s)
LS3204	Biology Laboratory-VII	Anindita Bhadra, Annagiri Sumana

Preamble
Ecology lab

Syllabus
Part I: Sampling techniques: Introduction to line transect, quadrat and point sampling methods. 1. Experiment 1: Use of line transects on the transit campus to estimate the density of cows and goats in the transit campus area. 2. Experiment 2: Use of point sampling to estimate the density of Parthenium in the main campus area. 3. Experiment 3: Using Google Earth maps to estimate the land use pattern of the IISER-K main campus. 4. Experiment 4: A questionnaire-based survey of local people to estimate the economic value of the transit campus as a grazing area for cow and goat owners and use of previous years data to compare this with the main campus. Part II: Introduction to the principles of community Ecology, and using honey bees as a model system to study some aspects of this topic. 1. Experiment 5:Making a flower map of the field station and the area around it. 2. Experiment 6: Estimating the colony demands in three honey bee colonies by counting brood cells and estimating food stored by counting pollen and honey cells. 3. Experiment 7: Estimating foraging rates of the honey bee colonies by sampling outgoing and incoming foragers and testing the preference of foragers for nectar and pollen by using artificially created uniform flowers patches with differing resources. Part III:Estimating biodiversity 1. Experiment 8:Sampling water from newly formed water bodies in the main campus and the existing pool near JCB to compare their biotic and abiotic characteristics. 2. Experiment 9: Sampling aquatic bird diversity in the two locations. 3. Experiment 10:Comparing pollution levels between three areas on the BCKV/WBUAFS campus using lichen patches on trees. Note: Almost all the experiments will involve field work, and would be carried out during the week following the class in which the principles of the experiment would be introduced and the design of the experiment would be discussed. Students would be encouraged to come up with the experiment design, with inputs from the instructors. The data would be discussed in the next class, and statistical analyses suggested. The reports would be due in another weeks time. Part IV: Project The students will work in pairs on an idea of their own. The project should be on a topic included in the ecology syllabus of CSIR NET. The students will be given a total of 4 weeks time to complete the project. The instructors will discuss the ideas and the development of the project with the students on a one-to-one basis from time to time. Assessment: Each lab report will be marked out of 6 (10 X 6 = 60) Project presentation and video = 40

Syllabus

Part I: Sampling techniques: Introduction to line transect, quadrat and point sampling methods.
1. Experiment 1: Use of line transects on the transit campus to estimate the density of cows and goats in the transit campus area.
2. Experiment 2: Use of point sampling to estimate the density of Parthenium in the main campus area.
3. Experiment 3: Using Google Earth maps to estimate the land use pattern of the IISER-K main campus.
4. Experiment 4: A questionnaire-based survey of local people to estimate the economic value of the transit campus as a grazing area for cow and goat owners and use of previous years data to compare this with the main campus.

Part II: Introduction to the principles of community Ecology, and using honey bees as a model system to study some aspects of this topic.
1. Experiment 5:Making a flower map of the field station and the area around it.
2. Experiment 6: Estimating the colony demands in three honey bee colonies by counting brood cells and estimating food stored by counting pollen and honey cells.
3. Experiment 7: Estimating foraging rates of the honey bee colonies by sampling outgoing and incoming foragers and testing the preference of foragers for nectar and pollen by using artificially created uniform flowers patches with differing resources.

Part III:Estimating biodiversity
1. Experiment 8:Sampling water from newly formed water bodies in the main campus and the existing pool near JCB to compare their biotic and abiotic characteristics.
2. Experiment 9: Sampling aquatic bird diversity in the two locations.
3. Experiment 10:Comparing pollution levels between three areas on the BCKV/WBUAFS campus using lichen patches on trees.

Note: Almost all the experiments will involve field work, and would be carried out during the week following the class in which the principles of the experiment would be introduced and the design of the experiment would be discussed. Students would be encouraged to come up with the experiment design, with inputs from the instructors. The data would be discussed in the next class, and statistical analyses suggested. The reports would be due in another weeks time.

Part IV: Project
The students will work in pairs on an idea of their own. The project should be on a topic included in the ecology syllabus of CSIR NET. The students will be given a total of 4 weeks time to complete the project. The instructors will discuss the ideas and the development of the project with the students on a one-to-one basis from time to time.

Assessment:
Each lab report will be marked out of 6 (10 X 6 = 60)
Project presentation and video = 40

References

Course Credit Options

Sl. No.	Programme	Semester No	Course Choice
1	IP	2	Elective
2	IP	4	Elective
3	IP	6	Not Allowed
4	MR	2	Not Allowed
5	MR	4	Not Allowed
6	MS	6	Core
7	RS	1	Not Allowed
8	RS	2	Not Allowed

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Details of LS3204 (Spring 2016)

Course Credit Options