A study of the functions of vertebrate organ systems, with emphasis on the human body. Topics will include the circulatory, digestive, nervous, muscular, hormonal, sensory, and excretory systems. Laboratory work will emphasize experimental techniques used to analyze functional activities of animals. The important physiological functions in higher plants are the focus of this course. In the laboratory an emphasis is placed on both theoretical and practical aspects of cell and tissue culture as tools in modern biology.
Students have an opportunity to design laboratory projects using tissue culture techniques.
Topics covered in the laboratory include initiating primary cell cultures, isolation and culture of single cells, cloning methods, gene transfer techniques, and regenerating plants from cell culture by micropropagation. A survey of phyla containing parasitic species. Emphasis is placed on structure, life cycle, physiology, and immunity. A study of the interactions between organisms and their environment that determine their distributions and abundances in nature. Attention is given to topics pertaining to evolutionary adaptations of species, population dynamics, community structure and function, and ecosystems analysis.