Field Biology is a popular science elective, open to all students who have completed a year of high school biology classes. One of the requirements of the class is the development of an insect collection. Two students who had a strong interest in the class spoke with the instructor regarding the development of a non-collecting option which would allow them a comparable experience but did not require the killing of insect specimens. These conversations led to the development of an alternative which required the students to accompany the others on the collecting trips, and would culminate in the development of an identification key to the arthropods of east-central Illinois. The requirements for this option, which became known as the vegetarian option, are outlined below:
An arthropod collection will be required from each student taking Field Biology. Students electing this option will be digitally photographing arthropods (both live and specimens collected by classmates. I will expect students electing this option to develop a taxonomic key to the macro- and microarthropods of east central Illinois. Its contents must have been photographed during the current academic year and must comprise, at minimum, insects belonging to 15 separate orders. I recommend that you aim for inclusion of a minimum of 50 different insect families. This digital key will have a weighting equivalent to that of two examinations - its importance is considerable.
The basic ground rules for your digital key will be as follows: With correct identification and perfect curation (see below) 50 insect families and fifteen insect orders will represent the equivalent of 80 points or a percentage grade of 80%. For each additional order of insects beyond this, you will receive two points, while each additional family will represent one point. An incorrect family or order identification will cost you one or two points respectively. A number of non-insect arthropods can (and should) be included in the collection. Each of these organisms, correctly identified to class (mandibulates except crustaceans) or order (chelicerates plus crustaceans), will be worth one point (two for each different family of spider correctly identified). The maximum point value of your digital key, which can be reached by simple addition of more specimens, will be 100 points (100%). Your digital key will be due at 4:00 pm on Monday, December 9, 2002.
Curation - Any specimen included in your digital key which has been prepared so poorly that it cannot be identified by the criteria of the keys in your textbook or supplementary sources will cost you 1/2 point. In addition, failure to organize your digital key and its associated specimens in thoroughly professional manner or to arrange them in a taxonomically logical way can result in as much as 30 points being deducted from the point value of your digital key. Digital classification keys judged to be of exceptional quality in terms of the contents, preparation and arrangement may be awarded up to an additional 10 points. A minimum of fourteen different digital images of slide mounted specimens (different families) must be included in your digital classification key.
80% of your grade will be based on the identifications and quantity of specimens. 20% of your grade will be determined by the quality of your digital key, its organization, and its navigability.
In order to speed up the grading of your digital key, a check-off sheet of classes, orders and families is included. Please hand in a copy of this sheet with the URL of your digital key. Contents should be checked off and you may want to arrange your digital specimens in a sequence that corresponds roughly to your handout.