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Slime Molds

Readings

Introduction to the Slime Molds- UC Berkeley Museum
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/slimemolds.html

Slime Mold Factsheet- Cornell University
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactSheets/slimemold/slimemold.htm

http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Eumycetozoa

Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/g0zJfjt4xfG5ca

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- distinguish between plasmodial and cellular slime molds

- discuss the life cycle of plasmodial and cellular slime molds

- discuss altruism, cheating, and kin recognition in the life cycle of cellular slime molds

Plant-mycorrhizal fungi interactions

Readings

Symbiosis Mycorrhiza and Lichens
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect26.htm

Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/1jjuM1QpoCit0i


Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- list important plant macronutrients

- disucss nutrient uptake in plants

- discuss the basic characteristics of fungi

- discuss why fungi are unusual and important

- distinguish between sexes and mating types

- distinguish between ectomycorhhiza and endomycorrhiza

Rhizobia-Legume Interactions

Readings

General

Rhizobia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizobia

Scientific Literature

Here are some papers from the scientific literature examining this system. We don't expect you to understand everything in these papers, but we would like you to see the diversity of approaches that moderm scientists are using to study this system.

Lifestyle alternatives for rhizobia: mutualism, parasitism,
and forgoing- symbiosis
http://people.umass.edu/lsadler/adlersite/kiers/Alternativelifestyles1.pdf

Host sanctions and the legume–rhizobium mutualism-
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v425/n6953/abs/nature01931.html (then click on "full text"

A mechanistic molecular test of the plant-sanction hypothesis in legume–rhizobia mutualism
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VR3-4WPS9PP-1&_user=2605799&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1100808123&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000055350&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=2605799&md5=491bf0585068046d9ae2f49e3bb7a905

Powerpoint Presentation

Plant-Microbe Interactions: Rhizobia/Legumes
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/AZNj5BIH5bqGC8

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- discuss how and why participants in an apparently mutualistic relationship should be "selfish"

- describe the pattern of nodule formation

- discuss the importance of nitrogenase and leghaemogolbin for nitrogen fixation

- discuss circumstances under which plants would like to limit nodulation or nitrogen fixation by rhizobia

- discuss "partner choice" and "santioning" in this system

- intepret data and draw conclusions in experiments examining rhizobia-legume interactions

Writing Assignment # 4

Reading

A Mutual Affair- http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/a-mutual-affair/

Assignment

This article by Olivia Judson from the New York Times discusses a number of interesting issues in mutualisms. In this class we have discussed the roles that microbes play as parasites, predators, competitors, and mutualists.

Using the knowledge you have gained during this course, and from reading the assignmed article, discuss the variety of ecological roles through which microbes affect humans. For each of the ecological roles that you discuss in your paper, we would like you to mention at least one interesting or "cool" thing that you have learned about the behavior of microbes in those interactions.

Your essay should be a minimum of two pages and a maximum of three pages in length.

Important Dates

Tuesday November 24th- Rough draft due

Thursday November 26th- Eat excessive amounts of turkey (or tofurkey)

Thusday December 3rd- Workshop papers (and remind Dr. McG that it is his Mom's birthday)

Tuesday December 9th- Final draft due

Microbial Diseases

Readings

Understanding Microbes in Sickness or Health- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease

http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/microbes/PDF/microbesbook.pdf

Websites

Nanobugs- http://www.nanobugs.com/
This website, designed for kids, is cool/cute/creepy but it might give you some basic background on important microbial diseases.

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- discuss reservoirs for diseases
- discuss how microbes can enter their hosts
- discuss strategies microbes use to adhere, colonize, and invade their hosts
- discuss ways that microbes evade host defenses
- discuss the production of virulence factors
- discuss the endysymbiotic origin in mitochondria
- define pathogenicity islands
- define PROMISCUOUS and use it in a sentence

Global Climate Change Webinar

Here is the link to the Climate change webinar that Dr. San Francisco talked about.

http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall09/NOAA/webseminar1.aspx