These courses may be taken in any order. At least two of the courses will be taught each semester. If you are a current student and have only taken one of the two semesters of General Biology and need to take a second semester next year, consult with your advisor to determine which of the new semesters you will need to take in order to fulfill the two semesters of General Biology that you are required to take. Because students may not be as familiar with the courses that are taught on an alternate-year basis, we provide a more lengthy description of these courses here. Descriptions of other courses can be found in the course catalog or speak with the instructor if you want more information.
Aquatic ecosystems are some of the most intricate and intriguing found in nature.
Within the last decade we have been finding out that healthy lake, stream, estuary, and ocean ecosystems are essential to the healthy functioning of natural and human systems on planet Earth. Aquatic Biology as a course takes a detailed look at the components, function, and roles of aquatic ecosystems, from the physics and chemistry of water to the taxonomy, biology, and ecology of the organisms, from fish to algae, that have adapted to living in water, and also examines the interrelationships between organisms and their unique aquatic environment. The management of both fisheries and aquatic ecosystems will also be emphasized in the course. This is an integrated approach to vertebrate embryology and comparative anatomy, relating their characteristics phylogenetically. Laboratory includes microscopic examination of various representative vertebrate embryos and the dissection of a variety of representative vertebrates.