Courses

 

BIOL3300 Ecology

Relationships among living organisms and their environments at the individual, population, community and ecosystem level. 

BIOL 3250K Ecosystem Ecology

Students in ecosystem ecology will study how energy and material flows and cycles through both the living (plants, animals, microbes) and non-living (soils, atmosphere) components of natural systems. Classes and lab exercises will be used to examine the influence of biological, geological and chemical processes. Students will consider factors that alter ecosystem function including human activities, from the molecular to the global scale.

BIOL 4420 Plant Physiology

Plant physiology is the study of plant function. Students will learn how plants obtain, transport and utilize water, mineral nutrients, and organic molecules. Students will be introduced to mechanisms used in defense against pathogens and herbivores and learn how environment and hormones control plant growth and development. Students will examine each process at the biochemical, cellular and organismal level. Laboratory studies will introduce students to contemporary approaches used in the study of plant physiology.

 

BIOL3380 Evolutionary Biology

Students will study the fundamental questions of evolutionary biology, and focus on how processes such as natural selection, mutation, and drift form the genetic basis of evolutionary change. Students will investigate the role that adaption, speciation, and genome evolution have played in the diversification of Life on Earth over time. Students will explore the application of evolutionary principles, such as phylogenetic inference, to human health, disease, and conservation efforts.

BIOL1107 Principles of Biology I

The course is an introduction to cell and molecular biology as well as molecular and population genetics. Students who successfully complete the class should be able to describe the fundamental biology of the cell, including cellular anatomy and cellular metabolic processes in both plants and animals. Students will also use molecular genetics to describe the basis for heredity and how this is expressed in populations as well as how it informs evolutionary principles.

BIOL 1108 Principles of Biology II

This is the second course in a two-semester sequence covering the fundamental principles of biology. Students will explore the evolution and diversity of life in this course. Students will have additional focus on organismal anatomy and physiology as well as learning basic principles of ecology.