Biol 247e, f SPTP: Forest Ecology

Forest ecology provides the biological foundation for the sustainable management of forests. This course will provide an introduction to the ecological composition, structure, and function of forest ecosystems. Lectures will emphasize interactions between the living and non-living components of forests, the role of forests in global ecology, and the management of forest resources. Labs will have a strong field component and will examine the ecology of local forests with techniques commonly used by forest ecologists and land managers. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites: Biology 101,102.

Biol 247c, d SPTP: Comparative Animal Physiology (a.k.a. Environmental Animal Physiology)

How have animals adapted to life in ‘extreme’ environmental conditions like sub-freezing temperature (penguins), high pressure (angler fish), low oxygen (diving mammals), high salinity (brine shrimp), even hydrothermal vents (tube worms)? This course addresses environmental physiology, a discipline concerned with how animals are physiologically adapted to their unique environments. Physiological systems covered include gas exchange, circulation, osmoregulation, thermoregulation, metabolism, and the endocrine and neural control over these systems. This course surveys adaptations at the molecular, cellular, organ, and organismal levels across diverse vertebrate and invertebrate phyla. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites: Biology 101, 102.

Biol 312: Developmental Biology In this course we examine the fundamental processes and principles that govern the development of eukaryotic organisms from fertilization to senescence. Developmental processes are considered at the molecular, cellular and organismic levels of organization. An emphasis is placed on understanding early development events in invertebrates (sea urchins, snails and fruit flies) and vertebrates (frogs, chickens and humans). Laboratory projects involve the observation of living embryos and research on the differential expression of genes during development. Three hours of lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites: Biology 101,102. Recommended: Biology 245, 246 or 250.

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