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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
T. McCay This course has an evolutionary theme and investigates the diversity of vertebrate animal life. Emphasis is on evolutionary origins and phylogenetic relationships, basic structure and function at the organismal level, development and reproduction, behavior, zoogeography, and interrelationships with the environment. The major vertebrate animal groups are studied, including local species. Each student is required to conduct an independent field research project. The credit-bearing laboratory BIOL 255L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 255. Prerequisite: BIOL 211 or permission of instructor.
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3.00 Credits
Staff Students majoring in biology may, with approval of the department, pursue special problems involving independent, advanced training in areas not adequately covered by formal course work.
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3.00 Credits
N. Pruitt All animals are faced with similar fundamental problems, namely, acquiring and using energy, exchanging nutrients and wastes with the environment, balancing water and electrolytes, and reproducing. This course is about how animals address these problems in the context of the varied (and sometimes extreme) environments in which they live. With evolution as a unifying theme, both the general principles of animal function (the similarities among different animals) and the exceptions to the general rules are investigated. Topics include size and scaling, energy metabolism, temperature tolerance and regulation, gas exchange, water and osmotic regulation, and animal communication. General principles of animal physiology are also explored using examples of animals that live in extreme environments. The credit-bearing laboratory BIOL 311L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 311. The laboratory involves hypothesis-guided experimentation with quantitative analysis of data. Prerequisites: BIOL 211 and 212.
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3.00 Credits
K. Belanger, B. Hoopes This course introduces students to the molecular approaches used to study fundamental processes in biology. Lectures focus on understanding the use of techniques for cloning, analyzing, and manipulating genes in the study of biological problems. The credit-bearing laboratory BIOL 321L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 321. The laboratory is an investigative project that uses many of the techniques discussed in lecture. Prerequisite: BIOL 212.
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3.00 Credits
K. Belanger, J. Meyers This course examines fundamental processes in animal and plant development, including fertilization, the establishment of embryonic polarity, the determination of cell fate in the early embryo, and the mechanisms by which cells generate the specific organizational pattern of a developing embryo. Additionally, potential medical applications resulting from the study of developmental biology are considered. Emphasis is on understanding experimental systems (including sea urchins, fruit flies, frogs, and mice) and approaches (molecular genetics, biochemistry, and classical embryonic manipulations). The credit-bearing laboratory BIOL 324L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 324. Independently designed laboratory projects and oral presentations of current literature are required. Prerequisite: BIOL 212.
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3.00 Credits
F. Frey This course emphasizes eukaryotic photosynthetic protists and plants. Evolutionary changes and phylogenetic relationships are examined using cytological and structural features, life histories and reproductive strategies, symbioses, electron micrographs, molecular phylogenies, historical geology and plate tectonics, fossils and paleoecology, plant-animal interactions, ecology, and competition. Organisms studied include cyanobacteria, photosynthetic algae, spore-producing land plants, and seed plants. Students are required to lead class critiques of the literature, and perform an independent research project as an integral part of the course. The credit-bearing laboratory component BIOL 325L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 325. Prerequisite: BIOL 211 or 212, or permission of instructor.
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3.00 Credits
K. Belanger Every living organism is comprised of one or more cells. This course examines how cells grow, reproduce, and maintain themselves, and how cellular activities contribute to the organization and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Course topics include investigating the function of specific organelles and the cytoskeleton, intracellular protein transport, mechanisms of cell cycle regulation and programmed cell death, and cell-cell interactions. The course requires students to critically examine primary journal articles and complete writing assignments that utilize recent primary literature to explore cell structure and function. The credit-bearing laboratory component BIOL 326L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 326. The laboratory emphasizes the integration of molecular and genetic techniques with fluorescence light microscopy to ask novel questions about eukaryotic cells. Prerequisite: BIOL 212.
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3.00 Credits
J. Meyers Multi-cellular plants and animals develop from totipotential stem cells that are capable of making both every cell type within the organism and also preserving the information needed to make additional generations. In addition, stem cells within the body contribute cells to organs throughout life and can in many cases regenerate large amounts of tissue following damage. This course examines the biology behind stem cells, both embryonic and adult cells in plants and animals, focusing on the genes and pathways that make stem cells unique in their proliferative and differentiating capacity. Additionally, this course explores the basis for regeneration, including both stem cells and cellular dedifferentiation, and examines what may limit regeneration in certain systems where it does not occur. It also explores what happens when tight control over cell proliferation and differentiation is disrupted, leading to cancer. The course includes reading from the primary literature, and will require oral and written critical analysis of the literature. The credit-bearing laboratory component BIOL 327L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 327. Prerequisite: BIOL 212.
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3.00 Credits
J. Watkins This course examines the role of plants in the ecological world by studying the biological and historical factors affecting the structure of plant communities, with an emphasis on field and lab work. The topic is approached by viewing plants as individuals, members of populations, communities, and as key integrators of ecosystems. The course examines individual plants from a functional perspective by relating morphological and physiological traits with biological and biochemical processes, to understand spatiotemporal patterns of plant distribution in their natural environments. Beyond the individual, the course explores population and community dynamics and combines this knowledge to understand better the organization of plant communities and the roles they play as master integrators of entire ecosystems. The course includes reading from the primary literature as requires oral and written critical analysis of the literature. The credit-bearing laboratory BIOL 328L must be taken concurrently with BIOL 328. Prerequisite: BIOL 211 or permission of instructor.
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3.00 Credits
C. Cardelús Ecosystem ecology is the study of both the organisms (biotic) and the environment (abiotic) as an integrated system and the processes that link them: energy transformations and biogeochemical cycling. Emphasizing plant systems, the course introduces students to fundamental ecosystem processes such as primary productivity, decomposition, nutrient cycling, plant-soil interactions, and energy balance. Students also study the major element cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) and how these vary among ecosystems as different as the arctic tundra and tropical rainforest. An important theme of the course is the relationship between ecosystem processes and pressing global environmental issues such as global warming, biodiversity loss, and rising carbon dioxide levels. The credit-bearing laboratory, BIOL 329L, must be taken concurrently with BIOL 329. Prerequisite: BIOL 211 or ENST 100/ CORE 127.
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