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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
Using the principles of evolutionary biology and experimental ecology, this course examines the processes that control the diversity, abundance and distribution of marine organisms. Major marine communities, including estuaries, the rocky shore, sandy beaches, salt marshes, coral reefs, and the deep sea are discussed in detail.
Prerequisite:
Biology 101 or Geosciences/Maritime Studies 104, or permission of instructor
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3.00 Credits
Biology 200-level independent study. Each student carries out independent field or laboratory research under the supervision of a member of the department.
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3.00 Credits
Biology 200-level independent study. Each student carries out independent field or laboratory research under the supervision of a member of the department.
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3.00 Credits
Developmental biology has undergone rapid growth in recent years and is becoming a central organizing discipline that links cells and molecular biology, evolution, anatomy and medicine. We are now beginning to have a molecular understanding of fascinating questions such as how cells decide their fate, how patterns are created, how male and females are distinguished, and how organisms came to be different. We have also discovered how the misregulation of important development regulatory genes can lead to a variety of known cancers and degenerative diseases in humans. In this course we will examine these and related topics combining a rich classical literature with modern genetic and molecular analyses.
Prerequisite:
Biology 202 or permission of instructor
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3.00 Credits
An advanced ecology course that examines how organisms interact with each other and with abiotic factors. This course emphasizes phenomena that emerge in complex ecological systems, building on the fundamental concepts of population biology and ecosystem ecology. Lectures and workshops explore how communities and ecosystems are defined, and how theoretical, comparative, and experimental approaches are used to elucidate their structure and function. Field laboratories emphasize hypothesis-oriented experiments, some of which will continue with laboratory analyses; field trips introduce the diversity of natural communities and ecosystems in New England. Extensive use will be made of the 75-year database of the Hopkins Memorial Forest. Students will engage in a self-designed term project.
Prerequisite:
Biology/Environmental Studies 203 or 220
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3.00 Credits
This course is concerned with understanding the biology of the nervous system, focusing primarily on the cellular bases of neuronal function. Lectures will cover such topics as nerve resting and action potentials, ion channels, neurotransmitters and synapses, and the neural correlates of behavior in organisms with simple nervous systems. Reading original research papers and discussing them constitutes an important part of the course. Some of the topics that may be covered include: transmitter release mechanisms, ion permeation through channels, plasticity in the nervous system, and various clinical disorders. Laboratories are designed to introduce the students to modern techniques in neurobiology including extracellular and intracellular recording, histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry.
Prerequisite:
Biology 205 or Biology 212
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3.00 Credits
This course offers a critical analysis of contemporary concepts in evolution. We focus on the relation of evolutionary mechanisms (e.g., selection, drift, and migration) to long term evolutionary patterns (e.g., evolutionary innovations, origin of major groups, and the emergence of diversity). Topics include micro-evolutionary models, natural selection and adaptation, sexual selection, kin selection, co-evolution, speciation, and the inference of evolutionary history.
Prerequisite:
Biology 202 or Biology 212
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3.00 Credits
This course explores the regulation of cellular function and gene expression from a perspective that integrates current paradigms in molecular genetics, intracellular trafficking, genomics, and synthetic biology. Topics include: the roles of protein modifications/interactions and lipids in signal transduction, transcriptional and post-transcriptional control, chromosome instability, cellular degradation pathways, epigenetic mechanisms including gene silencing, programmed cell death, and the appropriation of organelle transport pathways by HIV. A central feature of the course will be discussion of articles from the primary literature, with an emphasis on the molecular bases for a variety of human pathologies such as cancer and aging. The laboratory will consist of a semester-long project that incorporates recombinant DNA techniques, quantitative PCR analysis of transcriptional patterns, bioinformatics, and fluorescence-based approaches to examine defense mechanisms common to the innate immune systems of plants and animals. Evaluation will be based on three take-home tests, in-class discussion of papers, laboratory notebook/report, an independent lab research project, and a grant proposal.
Prerequisite:
Biology 202
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3.00 Credits
Plants are one of the most successful groups of organisms on Earth and have a profound impact on all life. Successful use of plants in addressing global problems and understanding their role in natural ecosystems depends on fundamental knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which they grow, develop, and respond to their environment. This course will examine the molecular physiology of plants using an integrative approach that considers plants as dynamic, functional units in their environment. Major emphasis will be on understanding fundamental plant processes, such as photosynthesis, growth and development, water transport, hormone physiology, and flowering, from the molecular to the organismal level. Environmental effects on these processes will be addressed in topics including photomorphogenesis, stress physiology, mineral nutrition, and plant-microbe interactions. Discussions of original research papers will examine the mechanisms plants use to perform these processes and explore advances in the genetic engineering of plants for agricultural, environmental, and medical purposes. Laboratory activities stress modern approaches and techniques used in investigating plant physiological processes.
Prerequisite:
Biology 202
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3.00 Credits
Development can be seen as a tradeoff between genetically-determined processes and environmental stimuli. The tension between these two inputs is particularly apparent in the developing nervous system, where many events must be predetermined, and where plasticity, or altered outcomes in response to environmental conditions, is also essential. Plasticity is reduced as development and differentiation proceed, and the potential for regeneration after injury or disease in adults is limited; however some exceptions to this rule exist, and recent data suggest that the nervous system is not hard-wired as previously thought. In this course we will discuss the mechanisms governing nervous system development, from relatively simple nervous systems such as that of the roundworm, to the more complicated nervous systems of humans, examining the roles played by genetically specified programs and non-genetic influences.
Prerequisite:
Biology 212/Neuroscience 201
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