AGROSTOLOGY, BIOL 434 and PSPP 454, Fall Semester 2007
Lecture: Friday,
Labs: Friday,
Instructor: Matt Lavin, 308 and 339
To schedule office visits: email
Goals of the course:
· Develop an ability to identify grass species using taxonomic keys.
· Develop a personal collection of grasses and grass-like plants of over 120 species, which will assist you with future graminoid identification.
· Develop an ability to sight identify the four common North American graminoid plant families (Cyperaceae, Juncaceae, Poaceae, and Typhaceae), the 15 common North American grass tribes, and at least 66 common grass genera that are commonly cultivated or of economic or ecological importance in North America. All tribes and common genera within each tribe include:
Tribe Triticeae: Agropyron, Elymus, Eremopyrum, Hordeum, Secale, Taeniatherum, and Triticum.
Tribe Aveneae: Agrostis, Alopecurus, Avena, Beckmannia, Calamogrostis, Deschampsia, Helictotrichon, Hierochloe, Holcus, Koeleria, Phalaris, Phleum, Polypogon, Trisetum, and Ventenata.
Tribe Stipeae: Stipa and Oryzopsis.
Tribe Meliceae: Catabrosa, Glyceria, and Melica.
Tribe Poeae: Bromus, Cynosurus, Dactylis, Festuca, Lolium, Poa, Puccinellia, Schedonorus, and Vulpia.
Tribe Andropogoneae: Andropogon, Sorghum, and Zea.
Tribe Paniceae: Cenchrus, Dichanthelium, Digitaria, Echinochloa, Panicum, Paspalum, Pennisetum, and Setaria.
Tribe Chlorideae: Bouteloua, Buchloe, Cynodon, Eleusine, Schedonnardus, and Spartina.
Tribe Aeluropodeae: Distichlis.
Tribe Eragrosteae: Calamovilfa, Eragrostis, Muhlenbergia, Munroa, and Sporobolus.
Tribe Aristideae: Aristida.
Tribe Arundineae: Arundo, Cortaderia, and Phragmites.
Tribe Danthonieae: Danthonia.
Tribe Oryzeae: Leersia, Oryza, and Zizania.
Tribe Bambuseae: Arundinaria.
COURSE SCHEDULE (please wait until the evening before each lab for the final grass list)
31 Aug lecture: general introduction
31 Aug labs: no labs
7 Sep lecture: introduction grass classification (morphology, terminology) and to the cool season grasses (subfamily Pooideae)
7 Sep labs: introduction to cool season grasses (indoor and outdoor lab)
14 Sep lecture: Poaceae subfamily Pooideae and tribes
14 Sep* labs: focus on tribe Triticeae, and other cool season grasses (indoor and outdoor lab)
21 Sep lecture: tribes Triticeae, Aveneae, and Stipeae
21 Sep* labs: tribe Triticeae (outdoor quiz)
28 Sep lecture: tribes Meliceae and Poeae
28 Sep* labs: tribes Aveneae and Stipeae (outdoor quiz)
5 Oct lecture: review for the 1st comprehensive lab exam
5 Oct* labs: Meliceae and Poeae
12 Oct lecture: review
12 Oct* lab: grass specimens from the subfamily Pooideae (for a review of the tribes and genera)
19 Oct lecture: none
19 Oct labs: 1st comprehensive lab test
26 Oct lecture: introduction to warm season grasses (subfamily Panicoideae)
26 Oct lab: tribes Andropogoneae and Paniceae
2 Nov lecture: subfamily Chloridoideae: tribes Chlorideae
2 Nov* labs: Chlorideae
9 Nov lecture: subfamily Chloridoideae: Aeluropodeae and Eragrosteae (see notes from 2 November)
9 Nov* labs: Aeluropodeae and Eragrosteae
16 Nov lecture: arundinoids, bamboos, and rices
16 Nov* labs: arundinoids, bamboos, and rices
23 Nov lecture: Thanksgiving holiday: no class
23 Nov* labs: Thanksgiving holiday: no labs
30 Nov
lecture: grass-like plant families in
30 Nov lab:
grass-like plant families in
7 Dec lecture-lab: begin 2nd comprehensive lab test at
12 Dec labs: 2nd comprehensive lab test from
*Lab quiz. Each of the 8 lab quizzes will involve the sight identification of about 10-15 grass specimens. Any of the species presented during previous labs are candidates for quiz specimens. The lab quizzes will form one-third of your grade (see below).
Grading: Grades will be derived from 2 comprehensive exams (each worth one-third of your grade) and 7 of the 8 quizzes (collectively worth one-third of your grade - see dates above). The exams and quizzes will comprise fill-in-the-blank questions. The comprehensive exams will each involve the sight identification of about 75 specimens. Primary emphasis will be placed on sight identification of the 4 graminoid families, the 15 grass tribes, and the 66 selected grass genera listed above. Additional emphasis will be placed on the ecological and taxonomic characteristics of the graminoid plant families, tribes, and genera. Success in this class will be achieved by spending time in the lab (or elsewhere) working through the taxonomic keys and identifying the 120+ specimens that are provided during this class. All sight-identification during the exams and quizzes can be aided with the taxonomic keys provided in the lab manual (Grasses of Montana).
Agrostology labs. Specimens of grass and grass-like species will be provided at a rate of about 12 per week. Important morphological and ecological features of the families, tribes, genera, and species will be emphasized. You have the option of preparing these specimens on 'botany' paper (e.g., taping or gluing them to sheets of paper and making notes with each specimen). You can finish this Agrostology course with a set of 120+ of the most common graminoid species, which can serve as a future reference collection for identification. These collection will not be graded.
Prerequisites: a background in general botany including some plant anatomy, morphology, physiology, and basic plant identification (or a high degree of interest in grasses).
Lab manual (please bring to each lab): Grasses of Montana by M. Lavin and C. Seibert. Recommended books (at the MSU Bookstore): 1) Vascular Plants of Montana, by Robert D. Dorn. Mountain West Publishing. 2) How to Identify Grasses and Grass-like Plants, by H. D. Harrington. Swallow Press.
Recommended lab items for indoor lab sessions:
1. 10X hand lens
2. cutting instrument (e.g., knife, scalpel, razor-blade), dissecting needle, or fine-pointed forceps
3. 15 cm ruler
4. 100+ sheets of 8-1/2" X 11" heavyweight "Botany" notebook paper for mounting lab specimens with scotch tape or Elmer’s Glue
The Texas A&M site has good photos of graminoid species (look up families alphabetically at this web site). The USDA/NRCS Plants Database has much excellent information (look up species by typing in scientific or common name in the search box). The Interactive Key to the Grasses of the Columbia Basin provides access to information for the common grass species inhabiting the Columbia River Basin in southeastern British Columbia.
Departments of Ecology and Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology