Biology Course Descriptions

BIO 123 Microbiology for Health Professionals: Non-majors course
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: Instructor: Staff
Microbiology for Health Professionals is an introductory course covering the biology of microorganisms that are agents of infectious disease. Practical information about microorganisms will be presented that is critical to understanding patient care and disease-prevention strategies. A survey of bacterial and viral disease, antimicrobial chemotherapy options, the response of the body to infection, andconcepts in epidemiology will all be presented.
BIO 141 Charles Darwin: Life & Impact: Non-majors course
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I (AY) Instructor: Burk
The life and work of Darwin with emphasis on the importance of his ideas in modem biological science, the development of his evolutionary theories, and the reciprocal influence of Victorian society and his work. Study of Darwin's writings is used to exemplify the nature of scientific investigation and the role of the scientist in society.
Prerequisites: No formal biological background is required.
BIO 149 Human Biology: Non-majors course
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Shibata
Survey course designed for nonmajors who have only a high school background in the sciences. Covers the major areas of human structure, function, nutrition and genetics. Examination of both the normal conditions and examples of disorder in this condition. Discussion of related topics of current interest. This course may not be taken for credit toward the Biology major.
BIO 150 Biotechnology and Society: Non-majors course
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: van Dijk
Introduction to the basic principles and applications of recombinant DNA technology. Students can expect to learn about the implications of this technology on agriculture, medicine, and approaches to solving crimes and environmental problems. We will also explore the ethics, legal issues, and societal impacts of the implementation of this technology.
BIO 211 General Biology: Molecular & Cellular: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: I, S Instructor: Reedy
Introduces the conceptual bases of biology and presents in detail the molecular and cellular aspects of metabolism, genetics, and development. Course includes lecture and laboratory.
Prerequisites: The prerequisite for BIO 211 is a one-year high-school chemistry course of sufficient depth and rigor to enable the student to participate in the study of the molecular aspects of biology.
Website: http://mendel.creighton.edu/bio211.htm
BIO 212 General Biology: Organismal & Population: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: II, S Instructor: Burk
Organismal and population biology with emphasis on organismal diversity, structural and functional strategies of organisms, ecological and behavioral relationships, and evolutionary mechanisms. The diversity of adaptive specialization based on the fundamental unity of life is the theme of the course. Course includes lecture and laboratory.
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO212
BIO 317 Genetics: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I, II, S (OD) Instructor: Brockhouse/Cho
Science of heredity and variation. Basic principles of Mendelian genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, human genetics and evolution are examined.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212; P or CO: CHM 208
Satisfies: Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
Website: http://mendel.creighton.edu/bio317.htm
BIO 318 Genetics Laboratory: Semester hours: 1 (3L) Offered: II Instructor: Brockhouse
Laboratory projects designed to illustrate basic genetic principles will be conducted with the aid of bacteria, fungi, and Drosophila as experimental organisms. Offered only in conjunction with BIO 317.
Prerequisites: P or CO: BIO 317
Satisfies: Lab requirement
BIO 333 Vertebrate Comparative Anatomy: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: I, S (OD) Instructor: Platz
Lecture and laboratory study of the comparative morphology of representative members of the phylum Chordata. Lectures incorporate the developmental and evolutionary bases of anatomy.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Organsimal Biology requirement
BIO 335 Zoology: (Same as EVS 335)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: II Instructor: Schalles
Biological concepts and principles exemplified by both invertebrates and vertebrates with emphasis on animal diversity, morphology, evolution, and ecological relationships.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Organsimal Biology requirement
BIO 341 General Botany: (Same as EVS 341)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: II Instructor: Vinton
Modern biological concepts and principles exemplified by the plant kingdom with emphasis on plant diversity, taxonomy, and evolution.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Organsimal Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO341
BIO 351 Microbiology: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: I Instructor: van Dijk
Microbiology is the study of organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye. Despite their small size, these organisms are ubiquitous and play important roles in human health, industry, and the functioning of ecosystems. This course is designed to cover a wide range of material in lecture and through laboratory exercises, introducing students to the breadth of microbial diversity and physiology, as well as the basic techniques used in microbiology.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/faculty/treonis/Microbiology.html
BIO 362 Cell Structure and Function: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I Instructor: Austerberry/Reedy
Emphasizes the fundamental importance and experimental underpinnings of knowledge in cell biology. The course consists of four segments: 1) common techniques in cell biology research, 2) basic principles of cell structure and function including membranes, vesicular transport, protein sorting, and the cytoskeleton, 3) how cells multiply, assemble into tissues, and interact with their environment, 4) cell motility, the immune response, and cancer.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO362
BIO 385 Ecology, Geography and Health of Lakes: (Same as EVS 385)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: PS (AY) Instructor: Schalles
A summer field course that examines lakes in the North Central and Rocky Mountains regions of the United States. This course is a combination of lectures and field and laboratory studies of the physical, chemical and biological properties of lakes in a landscape context. The effects of human impacts on lake ecology and ecosystem health are emphasized. The course includes field work at lakes and regional field stations in northern Iowa (Iowa Lakeside Laboratory on West Okobji Lake), the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior in Minnesota, the hyperalkaline Western Nebraska Sandhills, and alpine lakes in the Colorado Rockies (University of Colorado?s Mountain Research Station at Niwot Ridge).
Prerequisites: P: BIO 212 and CHM 205/206
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Lab requirement, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO385
BIO 390 Environmental Science: (Same as EVS 390)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Staff
Course presents a balanced, scientific approach to the study of the environment and stresses the application of ecological concepts within a systems perspective. Topics include ecological concepts, population principles, endangered species and habitats, resources, air and water pollution, environmental health, and global perspectives.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212 or CHM 208
Satisfies: Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/faculty/treonis/EnvironmentalScience.html
BIO 401 Biometry: (Same as EVS 401)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: II Instructor: Cullum
Introduction to statistical theory and experimental design as applied to biological studies. Data acquisition, analysis, and display procedures. Introductory statistical methods emphasizing sampling procedures, measure of central tendency, analysis of variance models, regression, and analysis of frequencies. Lectures supplemented by problem-solving sessions. (Qualifies as laboratory course).
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Lab requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO401
BIO 417 Molecular Biology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I, S (OD) Instructor: Austerberry
Description of contemporary concepts and techniques in molecular biology. Topics include gene structure, coding, regulation, protein synthesis, mutation, recombination, recombinant DNA technology, transposable elements and chromosome structure.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 317
Satisfies: Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
BIO 419 Molecular Biology Laboratory: Semester hours: 2 (1R, 4L) Offered: II Instructor: Austerberry
Laboratory activities using contemporary methods of genomic inquiry. Emphasis on fundamental aspects of gene structure and function.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 317 or 417
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Lab requirement
Website: http://mendel.creighton.edu/419info.htm
BIO 420 Cytogenetics: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: I Instructor: Brockhouse
Cytogenetics is the science of the structure and behavior of chromosomes. We will examine chromosome transmission, rearrangements and structure, and the effects of these phenomena on speciation in plants and animals.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 317
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
BIO 425 Development of Biological Thought: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: PS Instructor: Brockhouse
This travel course will examine the development of the intellectual tools used in the natural sciences, particularly Biology, while visiting many of the institutions and locations in which the advances were made. The course will be held in London, UK and will include both lectures and field trips.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 and 212.
BIO 432 Introduction to Immunology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I Instructor: Shibata
This lecture course is designed to present the basic principles and concepts of immunology. Topics such as organization of the immune system, evolution of the immune system, and cellular and molecular mechanisms used by the immune system to protect organisms from disease are discussed in detail. Additionally, course material examines the practical application of immunological experimental advances in basic and medical science.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO432
BIO 435 Field Biology in the Southeastern United States: (Same as EVS 435)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: PS (AY) Instructor: Schalles
Three-week field trip. Exploration of natural communities in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, the South Carolina Coastal Plain, the Georgia coast and barrier islands, and the tropical environments of southern Florida. Emphasis on organisms and their adaptation to the environment, field collection techniques, and ecological relationships. Students will work from and stay in established biological field stations at Highlands, North Carolina, Sapelo Island, Georgia, Lake Placid, Florida, and Key Largo, Florida. (Qualifies as a laboratory course.)
Prerequisites: P: One organismal-level or field course in biology or IC
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 440 Field Biology of the Desert Southwest: (Same as EVS 440)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: PS Instructor: Platz
A field course designed to allow students to study faunal and floral desert adaptations. Students spend 3 weeks living at a field station in San Carlos, Mexico on the Sea of Cortez. Participants utilize field data to determine how small, ectothermic vertebrates utilize external heat sources in order to thermoregulate, culminating in a paper written while at the field station. Bioinventory activities include collecting, preserving and identifying museum quality specimens; trips to nearby Nacapule canyon, night time and day time visits to local tide pools, snorkeling trips including Isla San Pedro and its sea lion colonies. Participating students should be prepared for warm, sunny weather and time both in and out of the water, kayaking and sailing.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 212, and IC
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Lab requirement, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO440
BIO 449 Animal Physiology: (Same as EVS 449)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I, II Instructor: Cullum/Fassbinder-Orth
A study of the functions of vertebrates from the cellular to the whole-organism level. The course covers general principles and mechanisms applying to all vertebrates, as well as the specific physiology of mammals. Subject areas include muscle and nerve function; cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology; digestion; the renal system; hormones; and human reproduction.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212; Jr. standing
Satisfies: Organsimal Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO449
BIO 450 Animal Physiology Laboratory: (Same as EVS 450)
Semester hours: 1 (3L) Offered: I Instructor: Cullum/Fassbinder-Orth
Laboratory exercises designed to illustrate physiological principles and processes in animals. Emphasis is on systems related to metabolism and exercise.
Prerequisites: P or CO: BIO 449
Satisfies: Lab requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO450
BIO 455 Biology of the Protists: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: Instructor: Austerberry
Introduction to the morphologies and survival strategies of the protists (eukaryotic organisms without multiple tissues). Includes parasitic forms of medical importance and both parasitic and free-living forms of scientific, economic and ecological importance.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
BIO 467 Developmental Biology: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: II Instructor: Reedy
Animal development with emphasis on the higher vertebrates. Gametogenesis, cleavagepatterns and basic body plans, organ system formation, embryo-matemal relationships. Control of growth, differentiation, and morphogenesis.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212; Jr. standing
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Organsimal Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO467
BIO 481 Terrestrial Ecology: (Same as EVS 481)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: I, S (OD) Instructor: Vinton
Introduction to the interactions of organisms and the environment, especially the biology of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Individual adaptations, the nature of the environment, population dynamics, and community organization are stressed. Laboratory exercises include field trips to terrestrial habitats.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Lab requirement, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO481
BIO 483 Vertebrate Natural History: (Same as EVS 483)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II, S (OD) Instructor: Platz
Lecture series designed to provide students with a modern overview of vertebrate diversity. Lectures encompass ancestry, major adaptive shifts between classes of vertebrates, geographic distribution based on physiological limits, specialized feeding and locomotor modes, courtship patterns, reproductive strategies, and conservation issues. Recommended as useful prior to enrollment in BIO 440 (Field Biology of the Desert Southwest) and for students seeking a general understanding of vertebrate life, or those who are interested in teaching biological sciences.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 484 Vertebrate Natural History Laboratory: (Same as EVS 484)
Semester hours: 1 (3L) Offered: II, S (OD) Instructor: Platz
Laboratory exercises that will provide experience in the following areas: dissection of representatives of each major vertebrate class with emphasis on the diagnostic differences between groups; identification and preservation of vertebrate specimens. Field trips are available on a limited basis.
Prerequisites: P or CO: BIO 483
Satisfies: Lab requirement
BIO 485 Marine and Freshwater Ecology: (Same as EVS 485)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I Instructor: Schalles
Introduction to the community structure, biological production, and physical and chemical properties of aquatic ecosystems. The major features of water columns, benthic substrates, and lotic zones will be reviewed and compared.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 486 Freshwater Ecology Laboratory: (Same as EVS 486)
Semester hours: 1 (3L) Offered: I Instructor: Schalles
Introduction to methods for analyzing lake, stream, and wetland habitats. Exercises will examine physical and chemical properties, biological production and food chains, and water quality of freshwater ecosystems.
Prerequisites: CO: BIO 211/212; P or CO: BIO 485 or IC
Satisfies: Lab requirement
BIO 487 Marine Ecology Laboratory: (Same as EVS 487)
Semester hours: 1 (3L) Offered: II Instructor: Schalles
Direct observation of marine coastal habitats (reefs, sea grass beds, mangrove forests, rocky intertidal zones, and offshore waters) at Roatan Island, Honduras. Exercises in the field and campus laboratory sessions will examine physical and chemical properties; marine organisms, and community structure and productivity of marine ecosystems.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212; CO: BIO 485 or IC
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Lab requirement
BIO 490 Seminar in Undergraduate Biology Instruction: Semester hours: 1 (1R) Offered: I Instructor: Staff
Required of all undergraduate Teaching Assistants in those semesters in which they are teaching. Course provides instruction in both course content and its effective communication. Emphasis on laboratory and field skills, preparation of examinations, classroom supervision, and student evaluation.
Prerequisites: P: IC
Satisfies: Lab requirement
BIO 493 Directed Independent Readings: Semester hours: 3 () Offered: I, II, S Instructor: Staff
Assigned readings in the student's area of interest. Course is only an addition to and not a substitution for any portion of the major requirement. No more than 12 semester hours of credit may be accrued in any combination of BIO 493, 495, and 497.
Prerequisites: P: Sr. stdg. or IC
BIO 495 Directed Independent Study: Semester hours: 3 () Offered: I, II, S Instructor: Staff
A program of independent study with emphasis on activities other than laboratory or field research. (Examples include library research or special course attendance.) Course is only an addition to and not a substitution for any portion of the major requirement. 2-4 C and/or L. No more than 12 semester hours of credit may be accrued in any combination of BIO 493, 495, and 497.
Prerequisites: P: Sr. stdg. or IC
BIO 497 Directed Independent Research: Semester hours: 3 () Offered: I, II, S Instructor: Staff
A program of independent study with emphasis on laboratory or field research. Course is only an addition to and not a substitution for any portion of the major requirement. No more than 12 semester hours of credit may be accrued in any combination of BIO 493, 495, and 497.
Prerequisites: P: Sr. stdg. or IC
BIO 511 Microbiology in the Environment: Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: II Instructor: Staff

Satisfies: Lab requirement
BIO 512 Microbial Ecology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Staff
Microbes are ubiquitous, and due to their physiological breadth are involved intimately with nearly all ecosystem processes, including decomposition and plant growth. The purpose of this course is to explore the roles of microbes in soil, aquatic, and human ecology. We will also explore the origins of life on the planet and how microbial activity has modified the global environment. We will discuss the application of microbiology to issues in biotechnology and biomediation. The current literature will be explored through in-class discussions and a comprehensive written assignment. Two Saturday field trips will allow students to compare the role of microbes in natural and human-dominated ecosystems.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211, 212 and 351
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 513 Microbial Ecology Laboratory: (Same as EVS 513)
Semester hours: 1 (3L) Offered: II Instructor: Staff
Microbial Ecology Laboratory will explore the ubiquitous nature of microbial life in common and functionally important habitats such as soils, and in extreme and unusual habitats, such as anoxic sediments and alkaline lakes. The diverse roles played by microbes in biogeochemical cycling will be the central theme of course activities. Trips to field locations including freshwater lakes and native grasslands will be combined with laboratory skills building. Methods for sampling microbial communities, assessment of microbial activity, enrichment culture, and aseptic technique will be emphasized.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 and 212; CO: BIO 512
Satisfies: Lab requirement
BIO 517 Current Topics in Genetics: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I Instructor: Brockhouse/Cho
A lecture/discussion course which examines contemporary issues in genetics. Topics include, but are not limited to molecular and genetic aspects of autoimmune disease, aging, behavior, cancer, development, evolution, genomics, proteomics, etc. In addition, methods which accompany such studies, such as bioinformatics and in silco biology, will also be examined. Both faculty and students will be involved in presenting information.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 317
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
BIO 523 Environmental Toxicology: (Same as EVS 523)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I (AY) Instructor: Schalles
Principles of environmental tolerance, bioenergetics and nutrition, homeostasis, and toxicology and disease will be developed and related to the organismal, population and community levels and to comparative responses to environmental disturbance. The course uses a reading/ discussion format.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 532 Current Topics in Cellular and Molecular Biology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Austerberry & Reedy
Molecular mechanisms controlling the growth and differentiation of eukaryotic cells, including gene expression, cell growth and division, signal transduction, development, germ cells, immunity, and cancer.
Prerequisites: P or CO: Two courses from BIO 317, 362, 417, and CHM 381
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO532
BIO 539 Ecology of Zoonotic Diseases: (Same as EVS 539)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I Instructor: Fassbinder-Orth
Over the past few decades there has been a resurgence of zoonotic diseases such as SARS and Avian Influenza. Why do zoonotic diseases emerge, and what factors lead to epidemics? This course will address these questions, and apply an ecological approach to an understanding of epidemiology in wildlife populations.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 and 212 and one of the following: BIO 351 or BIO 390 or BIO 432 or BIO 481
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 549 Environmental Physiology: (Same as EVS EVS 549)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Cullum
Impact of environmental changes and environmental extremes on animals and their physiological mechanisms. Examines primarily vertebrates and their responses to variations in temperature, pressure, and salinity. Basic physiological principles associated with each adaptive response covered in lecture and reading assignments.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 449
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Organsimal Biology requirement
Website: http://biology.creighton.edu/courses/BIO549
BIO 551 Current Topics in Microbiology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: van Dijk
A lecture/discussion course focused on current issues in the field of microbiology. Topics may include but are not limited to the molecular and genetic aspects of host-microbe interactions, microbial ecology, microbial biotechnology, or bio-defense. We will focus on model microbial systems to illustrate the basic strategies bacteria use to accomplish specific requirements, and through paper discussions students will also be exposed to the latest research trends and some of the current techniques used in genetics and molecular biology.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 351 and one of the following: BIO 317, BIO 362 or BIO 417
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
BIO 559 Special Topics in Physiology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Cullum
This course provides an in-depth examination of one or more physiological topics through a combination of lecture, discussion and student presentations. Reference materials will include textbooks, book chapters, review articles and the primary literature. Topics may include but are not limited to aspects of environmental, comparative and evolutionary physiology, as well as mammalian and human physiology. In most semesters the focus will be on current research, but historical aspects of some subjects may also be addressed.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 449 or IC
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Organsimal Biology requirement
BIO 561 Entomology: (Same as EVS EVS 561)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: I (AY) Instructor: Burk
Introduction to insect biology with emphasis on the major insect groups. Anatomy, physiology, and behavior of insects and their ecological, agricultural, and medical importance.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 562 Introduction to Neurobiology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I Instructor: Shibata
Introduction to the fundamental concepts of comparative neurobiology and the neural basis of behavior. Topics covered include the cell biology of the neuron, neural systems, sensory systems, motor systems, sensory-motor integration and higher brain functions, the interactions between hormones, brain and behavior, and human neurobiology. Lectures emphasize the comparative approach of studying the structure and function of nervous systems by using both invertebrate and vertebrate model systems to illustrate how the brain controls behavior.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement or Organsimal Biology requirement
BIO 563 Introduction to Neurobiology Laboratory: Semester hours: 2 (6L) Offered: I Instructor: Shibata
Introduction to neurobiological and behavioral research methods using experimental techniques to understand functional aspects of neurophysiology and the neural basis of behavior.
Prerequisites: P or CO: BIO 562
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Lab requirement
BIO 567 Cellular And Developmental Neuroscience: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Shibata
This course will provide an introduction to processes regulating the development of the mammalian central nervous system. Attention will be given to how classic research findings in the field of developmental neuroscience have formed the modern understanding of the formation, functioning, and repair of the central nervous system.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 562 or IC
Satisfies: Molecular/Cellular Biology requirement
BIO 571 Animal Behavior: (Same as EVS EVS 571)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: I, S Instructor: Burk
Evolutionary aspects of animal behavior, including physiological bases of behavior, social behavior, behavioral ecology and genetics of behavior.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 211 & 212
Satisfies: Organsimal Biology requirement
BIO 572 Animal Behavior Laboratory: (Same as EVS EVS 572)
Semester hours: 2 (3L) Offered: II Instructor: Burk
Introduction to animal behavior research methods using structured observations and experiments in laboratory and field settings.
Prerequisites: P: BIO 571
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Lab requirement
BIO 573 Behavioral Endocrinology: Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: II Instructor: Staff
Introduction to the fundamental concepts of comparative behavioral endocrinology with emphasis on how hormones modulate behavior and how behavior affects hormone release. Topics include 1.) Sex determination and sexual differentiation of the brain, 2.) Cellular and molecular mechanisms of hormone action in the brain, 3.) Sexual dimorphisms in brain structure and function in animals and humans, 4). Hormonal control of male and female sexual behavior, 5.) Social influences on hormones, brain and behavior.
Prerequisites: P: One upper-division BIO course; Jr. standing
Satisfies: Organsimal Biology requirement
BIO 580 Current Topics in Ecology: (Same as EVS 580)
Semester hours: 3 (3R) Offered: Instructor: Vinton
The focus of this course will be advanced topics in ecology, with an emphasis on the concepts and current approaches in ecosystem ecology. Primary literature will serve as a key resource for students. The structure and function of several model ecosystems will be explored in detail, with particular attention to the concepts of biodiversity, productivity, decomposition and nutrient cycling. In addition, the degree of human alteration of ecosystem structure and function as well as consequences for global ecological processes will be presented.
Prerequisites: P: BIO/EVS 390 or 481 or 485
Satisfies: Certified Writing, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement
BIO 581 Evolution: (Same as EVS EVS 581)
Semester hours: 4 (3R, 3L) Offered: I, S (OD) Instructor: Platz
Lectures and discussion designed to provide junior and senior students with a broad understanding of the science of evolutionary biology. Organized in three parts, each takes a chronological approach: (A) evolutionary theory, (B) mechanisms of evolution, (C) the implications and consequences of theory and mechanism; and as part of both the lecture and laboratory experience in (C, above) topics in evolutionary medicine will be covered. Laboratory sessions include computer modeling exercises to illustrate the mechanisms of evolutionary changes, an excellent film series, discussion opportunities designated to explore in more depth questions and topics associated with speciation, biodiversity and human evolution as well as a review session prior to each exam.
Prerequisites: P: One upper-division BIO course or Jr. standing
Satisfies: Lab requirement, Population/Ecology/Evolution requirement