Course Description
Organismal biology is the study of the evolutionary relationships of major life forms, which is accomplished through the comparison of the structure and function of physiological systems. The focus will be on the diverse adaptations of organisms to their environment.
Course Objectives
This course is designed as an introduction to the structure, function, and physiology of living things. We will study the evolutionary relationships among organisms by comparing and contrasting their adaptive strategies. Our studies will focus on plants, animals, fungi, and other multicellular organisms. Specific course objectives include:
- To introduce the principles of evolution, diversity, anatomy, physiology, ecology, and behavior.
- To demonstrate the utility of the scientific method as a means of acquiring new information and to give you experience in using this method.
- To develop skills in communicating about biology orally and in writing, in using appropriate scientific equipment, and in performing basic computations necessary for completing experiments and analyzing data.
- To gain an appreciation for the diversity of living things and an acquaintance of some local flora and fauna.
Class Information
Announcements
- 8/23/05 - Welcome!
- 8/24/05 - The lab handouts are available for download. Please download and read all three handouts.
- 8/30/05 - The nonvascular plant tax lab handout is online. Please download, print out, and read for Thursday.
- 9/5/05 - The plant histology lab handout is online. Please download and print out for Thursday.
- 9/5/05 - Please read Chapter 31, pages 603-616 for Thursday lab. The quiz questions will come from the chapter.
- 9/13/05 - The transpiration lab handouts are online. Please download, print out, and read both handouts.
- 9/19/05- The plant hormone lab handouts are online. Please have them ready for lab on Thursday!
- 9/27/05 - The vascular plant tax handouts are available for download. You know the drill.
- 9/30/05 - The invertebrate tax handouts are available for download.
- 10/18/05 - The vert tax handouts are available for download.
- 11/1/05 - The osmoregulation handouts are available for download.
- 11/9/05 - The digestion handouts are available for download.
Exam Review Sessions
Lab Work/Reports
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