Organism biology : plants and animals

Teacher(s)

Quinet Muriel; Rees Jean-François;

Language

French

Content

The activity consists of three parts:
1. Plant Morphology and Physiology
Plant morphology/ Anatomy, growth, and development/ Transport processes in plants/ Resource acquisition and transfer/Plant nutrition and soil interactions/ Plant defense responses/ Responses to internal and external stimuli/ Plant reproduction (angiosperms)
2. Animal Morphology and Physiology
The animal body: structure and function/ Embryonic development/ Nutrition/ Gas exchange/ Circulation and transport of gases and nutrients/ Osmoregulation and excretion/ Movement: muscle function/ Body defenses: the immune system/ Nervous system: neurons, synapses, and signaling/ Sensory systems: sensory and motor mechanisms/ Endocrine system: hormones and regulation
3. BioGo
Conducted in the form of a competition, BioGo is designed to introduce students to naturalist exploration. From a selection of several hundred challenges, students must choose quests that can be answered by submitting a geolocated photograph of the plant or animal corresponding to the quest. Each quest is assigned a number of points, which increase with the difficulty and rarity of the organism. Each student may complete up to approximately 100 quests. Five “jokers” are available, allowing students to cancel up to five mistakes.

Teaching methods

Botany section: lecture and practical work
Zoology section: online course, lecture and practical work
BioGo section (reserved for students taking the full course and not a section):

Evaluation methods

Botany Section

• Practical work: 5 points
  
• Final written exam (covering the entire syllabus): 15 points
  

Practical work is assessed through a laboratory exam held at the end of the term. The final exam, covering both lectures and practical work, consists of open-ended questions, short-answer questions, and may also include multiple-choice questions requiring justification. The laboratory exam may be retaken during the August–September session, but only if the student also retakes the final exam. If the laboratory exam is not retaken, the grade obtained in June will automatically be carried forward to the August–September session.
Animal Biology Section
The grade for the animal biology section is the weighted average of continuous assessment and the final exam. The distribution of marks (out of 20) is as follows:

• Online quizzes: 7.5
  
• In-class certification tests: 7.5
  
• Laboratory work: 2.5
  
• Creative project: 2.5
  

A written exam is scheduled during the examination session. However, students may be exempt from this exam if:

• They achieve at least 50% in the in-class certification tests and at least 50% in each of the three other components; or
  
• They achieve at least 50% in the in-class certification tests, fail one of the other components (below 50%), but the overall average across the four activities is above 75%.
  

When required, the exam accounts for 50% of the grade. In case of failure, only the final exam must be retaken, and the grade will again be calculated using the same weighting scheme.
BioGo
Points earned in this activity are converted into a grade as follows: 10 points = 1/20. For example, 100 points correspond to a grade of 10/20; 150 points to 15/20. Scores above 200 points are capped at 20/20.
Final Grade for the Course (LBIO1112)
The final grade is calculated using the following weighting: 7.5 points for the Botany section, 7.5 points for the Animal Biology section, and 5 points for BioGo.
If any component grade is below 35% of its maximum value, the final grade will correspond to the lowest of the three component grades. Partial grades from the June session equal to or higher than 10/20 are automatically carried forward to the August–September session and do not need to be retaken.

Other information

Attendance at all practical sessions, including those organised online, is compulsory unless an exemption is explicitly granted by the teacher.  In the event of unjustified absence or absence for which justification has not been accepted at a practical session, a penalty will be applied to the final mark. The penalty is proportional to the number of absences.  The same applies to repeated misuse of the equipment provided during practical work. Penalties are definitively imposed and may lead to a final mark of 0/20.
Regular work and a questioning approach to the subject are strongly encouraged.

Bibliography

Biologie, de Raven et al publié chez De Boeck (6e édition, 2023)

Teaching materials

• Partie végétale: Syllabus Biologie végétale disponible à la DUC et diapositives disponibles sur Moodle
• Partie animale: diapositives disponibles sur Moodle

Faculty or entity

> BIOL