Biology Course Offerings Fall/Winter 2014-2015

1. Biology Course Offerings Fall/Winter 2014-2015 BIOL 2336: Biology of Seedless Plants To grow a plant, you start with a seed, right? In fact, the first plants on Earth, that built up the Oxygen-rich atmosphere on which we depend, had no seeds, and many survive to the present day. Meet these pioneers of life on land in Class, in the Lab and in the Field this Fall! BIOL 3436: Conservation Biology The protection of Species & Spaces at risk. As our human population grows, habitats are fragmented, and the diversity of wildlife declines. We’ll examine strategies for promoting conservation and stewardship that build on both the acknowledgement of “nature’s services” and the appreciation of nature “for its own sake”. BIOL 3566: Evolution Evolution operates at several scales and acts to explain biodiversity, speciation, development, physiology, sex, and death. We see it in the ongoing “arms race” between pathogens and their hosts, and the apparent “fit” between organisms and their environments. We will show how several lines of evidence converge to help us understand and appreciate the diversity of life. “There is grandeur in this view of life… [in which].. endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Charles Darwin 1859 BIOL 4107: Limnology The study of inland waters: lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands --their formation, physical and chemical attributes and the ecology of aquatic plants, animals and microorganisms. We’ll explore the global supply and distribution of freshwater and the management and protection of freshwater systems.