General Zoology Laboratory Manual (Second Edition)

Author: Liu Lingyun, edited by Zheng Guangmei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: This book is a supplementary laboratory manual for General Zoology (3rd Edition) (edited by Liu Lingyun and Zheng Guangmei, Higher Education Press, 1997). First published in 1978 by Wuhan University, Nanjing University, and Beijing Normal University as a trial teaching material. The contributors included Wang Changgui (Wuhan University) for experiments 13 and 26; Tong Yuanrui (Nanjing University) for experiments 7–9; Xu Zhifang (Nanjing University) for experiments 10–12; Liu Lingyun (Beijing Normal University) for the experimental guidance notes and experiments 1–6; Zhang Yushu (Beijing Normal University) for experiments 27, 29, and 34; and Zheng Guangmei (Beijing Normal University) for experiments 28, 30–33. The laboratory manual has been in use for many years and, with its concise and practical features, has basically met teaching needs. However, it falls short of the current educational reforms, which demand higher standards despite reduced class time. Many contents are outdated or poorly organized, and training in independent work skills still needs improvement, making revision necessary. In March 1997, under the auspices of the former State Education Commission's Committee on Biology Teaching in Higher Education and the General Zoology Textbook Development Group, a revision workshop for the General Zoology Laboratory Manual was held at Beijing Normal University. Participants included Wu Xuemei (Higher Education Press), Huang Shijian (Wuhan University), Chen Jianxiu and Meng Wenxin (Nanjing University), Liu Lingyun, Zheng Guangmei, Song Jie, Liu Yan, and Zhang Zhengwang (Beijing Normal University). The workshop discussed the principles for revising the manual and further refining the teaching content, as well as revising the experimental teaching syllabus. It was agreed that the manual should remain concise, practical, and focused on fundamentals; that the selection of experiments should consider the broad representativeness of materials and the affordability of costs; that each experiment should highlight key points with clear, logical steps, emphasizing training in independent work skills; and that, within the given scope, depth should be appropriately increased while maintaining relevance. In terms of organization, the original 34 experiments were streamlined to 29 to align with the new teaching plan. A "Key Steps for Experimental Operation" section was added at the beginning of each experiment to help students focus on critical procedural details. A "Reference Bibliography" was appended to each experiment, listing key resources for further study, providing guidance for young teachers and diligent students. Three "Appendices" were added at the end of the book, briefly introducing the collection and cultivation of major experimental animals, specimen preparation, and observations of representative animal life cycles, hoping to broaden students' horizons and help them understand how to prepare for experiments, as well as serving as a reference for extracurricular activities. Additionally, in experiments related to microscopes, introductions to several new types of microscopes were added to keep pace with the rapid development of cell and molecular technologies. Due to varying conditions across schools, instructors may choose to teach selectively.