Experimental and theoretical treatment of the functional mechanisms in plants. Survey of invertebrate phyla emphasizing structural characteristics, life histories, and evolutionary relationships. Relationship between animals and their environment. Field and laboratory studies include observations of marine, fresh water, and terrestrial animals. Introduction to structure, function and ecology of insects.
Students prepare insect collections.
The anatomy and physiology of vertebrate tissues, with an emphasis on human tissues. Structure, function, and transmission of genetic material using examples from viruses, bacteria, and eukaryotic organisms. Application of these principles to human inheritance. Introduction to instrumentation used in biological research. The scientific method and experimental design are discussed and used.