PROFESSOR: Dr. Gerhard Gries (gries@sfu.ca)                    OFFICE: B9237 (Phone: 291-4392)

LECTURES:

The basic challenge for all organisms is to survive long enough to produce offspring for the next generation. Some organisms are more successful than others, but none is more successful than insects. Biological Sciences 417 is designed to explore some of the reasons for this success. We will also look for areas that can be exploited by man in his efforts to control pest species, as well as areas that can be strengthened to conserve the many beneficial species.

No text books will be required; supplementary readings will be assigned from various sources.

Lectures will cover the following main topics: significance of entomology, insect development, insect hormones, mechanisms of insect olfaction, insect nutrition, adaptations to adverse conditions (cold hardiness), insect flight (physiology and biochemistry), foraging and host selection, insect/plant interaction, chemical ecology of insects, biological control, integrated pest management.

LABORATORY:

The laboratory will consist mainly of five project labs, as follows:

1. An insect rearing project which will last the entire semester.
2. A project in which you will determine the attractiveness or repellancy of an agent to insects. You will be expected to design your own experiment, analyze the data appropriately, and write up the results as a scientific paper.
3. An acute toxicity project in which you will gain some experience in testing lethal agents against insects for their acute toxicity effect.
4. A sampling or survey project designed to acquaint you with some of the problems involved in assessing insect populations.
5. A consulting entomology project in which you will be given certain material and information and asked to make reasonable decisions and recommendations. (Your reputation as a professional entomologist will stand or fall on this report).

A new project will be started roughly every other week. In the week a project starts, you will meet in the laboratory at a regularly scheduled time, where there will be a short introductory session. Thereafter, you will work on your own, with assistance from the TA or instructor as required. Unless otherwise specified, reports should be written in the same manner as a scientific paper although it is understood that neither the literature nor the experimental work will be very extensive.

In addition, there will be 3 other scheduled labs: one on the identification of insect species, a film and photography session, and a lab to familiarize you with coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detector systems. Attendance is also required at all Departmental Seminars when insects are the subject. Think of those seminars as part of the 417 laboratory.

GRADING:

- Laboratory Projects: 5 reports at 20 marks each
- Midterm Exam: 35 marks
- Final Exam: 65 marks
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Total Possible: 200 marks