Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Plant Physiology Lab (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 3535-01

Course: BIOL 3535-01
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Biology
CRN: 33319

Course Description

Lab to accompany BIOL 3530. One three-hour meeting per week. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a biological science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other biology course. (Fall - Even Years) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Co-requisite(s): BIOL 3530

Required Texts

No text is required for lab. You will receive weekly handouts instead.

Learning Outcomes

  • Carrying out a semester-long project analyzing the relationship between leaf functional traits and climatic niche.
  • Gaining experience with “data mining”, i.e., obtaining functional data from publicly available databases.
  • Gaining experience with software for data processing, analysis, and presentation of results, including Excel and R.
  • Understand the importance of accounting for phylogenetic relationships in comparative analyses.

Course Requirements

Assessment:
Lecture and lab will be graded separately.

Your lab your grade is based on:
  • Weekly graded activities, (5-10 points each x 12) = ~75 points
  • Five manuscript writing assignments, 10-30 points each = ~100 points
  • Oral presentations of the results from your research projects (30 points).

Electronic device use: 
Please be mindful of your use of electronic devices during class time, as unskillful device use distracts not only yourself but others around you. My electronics policy is (I think) simple and fair: if I can tell you’re using a device in a way that is not conducive to learning, I’m going to call on you next.

Use of ChatGPT or other generative AI:
There are a number of assignments in this course (writing assignments, article summaries, and so on) where it is possible to have AI do essentially all of the work for you. We are in uncharted waters with all of this, but I ask you to consider what you are getting out of your education if you outsource your learning like this. Here are my guidelines for this course: you may use AI to revise and improve something you have already written, but having it make something from scratch is unacceptable. If I suspect the latter (trust me, your professors can tell the difference), I reserve the right to assign a zero on the assignment and you have the right to appeal that grade by meeting with me and explaining your process. In such a case, I may ask you to show me the original, pre-AI revision document. Therefore, if you plan to use AI as a tool to help you write, always keep your original work.


Course Outline

Sep 7 | Labor Day – No lab in week 2
Sep 14 | Intro to Project
Sep 21 | Introduction to R – Syntax, Objects, Simple Analysis, and Plotting
Sep 28 | Measuring Leaf Traits with ImageJ
Sep 5 | Measuring Leaf Traits with ImageJ
Oct 12 | Finding and Citing Papers, Building an Introduction
Oct 19 | Fall Break – no lab
Oct 26 | Data Analysis in R Week 1
Nov 2 | Data Analysis in R Week 2/Making a Species Distribution Model
Nov 9 | Methods and Results
Nov 16 | Discussion/Work on Presentations
Nov 23 | Thanksgiving Break – no lab
Nov 30 | Final Presentations
Dec 7 | Final Presentations

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late work is reduced by 10% of the total points possible for that assignment per day and will be considered late once the due date and time for the assignment as posted on Canvas has passed. Due dates/times for all assignments can be found on the syllabus calendar and will be posted on Canvas.

Attendance Policy

In-person attendance is required and expected. If you are unable to attend for a valid reason (illness, family emergency, and so on), please contact me as soon as possible (preferably ahead of time) to make alternate arrangements.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.