Course ID: | BIOL 1104. 3 hours. |
Course Title: | Organismal Biology |
Course Description: | In this general biology course, students will study organisms
from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. Emphasis is on
structure and function, pathways and transformation of energy and
matter, and the importance of biodiversity. Students will apply
core biological concepts to contemporary challenges, emphasizing
interactions between humans and their environment. |
Oasis Title: | Organismal Biology |
Duplicate Credit: | Not open to students with credit in BIOL 2104H |
Semester Course Offered: | Offered fall and spring semester every year. |
Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
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Course Objectives: | This course provides non-science majors with an overall idea of how evolutionary and ecological processes work and shape organisms and their interactions with the environment. This course introduces the value of scientific knowledge by letting students apply basic biological concepts to scenarios that relate to their own health and wellness or the health of the natural communities around them. By the end of this course, students will be able to analyze and apply scientific information to everyday situations, analyze figures and communicate their results, critically examine information, and solve problems using facts. This course aims to provide society with citizens who can incorporate facts into their everyday decision-making.
Environmental Awareness Statement:
Human activity has altered and continues to dramatically alter the natural environment. Organismal Biology teaches the general concepts of heritable diversity in how individuals and populations respond to environmental stressors, including heat, dehydration, and environmental pollution. By linking the evolution and distribution of this diversity to observed and predicted changes in the environment caused by accelerating biogeochemical and other nutrient cycles, the course will explore through specific and generalized examples how species respond to this change by shifting their distribution, phenotype, or abundance. |
Topical Outline: | 1. Organismal traits and classification
2. The role of DNA, RNA, and proteins in generating trait diversity
3. How organisms respond to environmental stressors including heat, desiccation, and more
4. Energy production and metabolism under ideal conditions
5. Climate change stressors affecting energy for growth and reproduction
6. Evolutionary mechanisms
7. Phylogenetic understanding
8. Protist diversity
9. Fungal diversity
10. Plant diversity
11. Animal diversity
12. Ecological interactions: positive, negative, and more
13. Anthropogenic habitat loss and climate change
14. Conservation biology
15. Climate velocity and organismal response
16. Management of biodiversity in a changing climate |