2008–2009 - Florida Institute of Technology

BIO 4101 MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (3 credits). Presents the structure, function
and regulation of genetic information. Includes in-depth discussion of nucleic acid
replication, transcription and translation. Introduces uses and applications of nucleic
acids in current research. Prerequisites: BIO 4010.
BIO 4110 BIOCHEMISTRY 2 (4 credits). Lectures and labs involving the
metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and nitrogenous compounds including amino
acids, proteins and nucleic acids. Discusses in detail the regulation of metabolism, biosynthesis
of macromolecules and control of gene expression. Prerequisites: BIO 4010.
BIO 4120 GENETIC ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES (4 credits). Lectures
and labs on the theory and practice of gene splicing and manipulation, the use
of restriction enzymes, plasmid and phage vectors and the cloning of genes. Also
includes nick translation, random primer labeling, colony hybridization and southern
blotting. Prerequisites: BIO 4101, BIO 4110.
BIO 4130 NUCLEIC ACID ANALYSIS (4 credits). Lectures and laboratories
involving the theory and practice of current methods of nucleic acid manipulation.
Techniques studied include restriction site mapping, end-labeling, sequencing,
mRNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, DNA:DNA and DNA:RNA hybridization, PCR
technology and DNA fingerprinting. Prerequisites: BIO 4120.
BIO 4201 IMMUNOLOGY (3 credits). Covers basic immunology and the
fundamental principles relating to clinical immunology. Studies the two functional
divisions of the immune system, the innate and the adaptive immune systems, along
with the cells and the soluble factors responsible for the immune response. Prerequisites:
BIO 4010.
BIO 4210 PLANT PHYSIOLOGY (4 credits). Presents the physiological
processes of plants and their interactions with their environment. Covers water
relations, plant biochemistry, plant development and environmental physiology.
Prerequisites: BIO 1020, CHM 2002.
BIO 4301 CELL BIOLOGY (3 credits). Emphasizes the interdependence of three
systems: a membrane-cytoskeletal system, a system that directs genetic information
into synthesis of cell constituents; and a system integrated into membranes that
converts energy, supplied to cells as nutrients or light, into cell function and cell
synthesis. Prerequisites: BIO 4010.
BIO 4410 COMMUNITY ECOLOGY (4 credits). Studies the composition and
distribution of biological communities and the community responses to climatic and
other abiotic factors. Ecosystems, biogeography, biodiversity, successions, paleoecology,
pollution, conservation. Modular lab exercises stress the experimental design, conduct
and data analysis of community studies. Prerequisites: BIO 2801, BIO 3410.
BIO 4420 PRE-COLUMBIAN ECOSYSTEMS (1 credit). Investigates through
ecology the extent to which pre-Columbian occupants of the Americas influenced
ecosystems. Includes archaeological, anthropological and ecological data that
contributes to understanding the key debates about what is natural in the Americas.
(Requirement: Junior standing.) Prerequisites: BIO 3410.
BIO 4421 NEOTROPICAL ARCHEOECOLOGY (3 credits). Studies the
impact of human activities on past and present ecology. Integrates regional archaeology
with modern ecology to compare sites with and without past human impacts.
Uses field techniques that include forest census in megadiverse environments, sediment
coring and curation of specimens. Prerequisites: BIO 4420.
BIO 4515 ECOLOGY OF CORAL REEFS (3 credits). Broadly examines coral
reefs from reef geology and geomorphology to conservation and management, including
the physical environment, coral and symbiosis, reproduction, demography, community
dynamics, diversity and function, biogeography and evolution, and natural
and anthropogenic disturbances. Prerequisites: BIO 3410, BIO 4410.
BIO 4517 INTRODUCTION TO MODELING FOR ECOLOGY AND
BIOLOGY (4 credits). Includes allometric principles, biological processes within
organisms, population and metapopulation models, competition and symbiosis,
predator-prey relations, community and diversity, and models in evolution, biogeography,
ecosystems and conservation. Prerequisites: BIO 3410.
BIO 4530 BIOLOGY OF FISHES (4 credits). Introduces the structure,
evolution, behavior and ecology of freshwater and marine fishes. Labs examine the
anatomy, physiology and ecology of fishes. Includes field collection trips to local
marine and freshwater habitats. Prerequisites: BIO 3410.
BIO 4550 COMPARATIVE VERTEBRATE ANATOMY (4 credits). Lectures
and labs examine the comparative anatomy of higher animals. Emphasizes the evolutionary
trends of the vertebrates. (Requirement: Junior standing.)
BIO 4601 CORAL REEF FISH ECOLOGY (3 credits). Introduces the structure
of coral reefs and the behavior, ecology and evolution of reef fish communities.
Prerequisites: BIO 4530.
BIO 4620 FISH AQUACULTURE AND MANAGEMENT (4 credits). Surveys
in depth the culture methods of freshwater and saltwater fish species including an
introduction to the theory and techniques necessary for managing wild fisheries
stocks. Labs focus on fish culturing methodology and analysis of wild fish populations.
Includes several field studies. Prerequisites: BIO 1020.
BIO 4625 CRUSTACEAN AQUACULTURE (3 credits). Studies the basic
biology, life history and culturing techniques of the major commercially important
crustaceans. Labs culture selected decapod species. Prerequisites: BIO 3510.
BIO 4641 BIOLOGY OF MARINE MAMMALS (3 credits). Studies the evolution,
classification, ecology and general life history of marine mammals. Prerequisites:
BIO 1020.
BIO 4710 MARINE BIOLOGY (4 credits). Lectures and labs on the nature of
life in the ocean and in coastal environments. Reviews taxonomic diversity, ecological
roles and adaptations of the five kingdoms. Includes physiological mechanisms, locomotion
and migrations, defenses against predation, sensory reception, productivity,
feeding, reproduction and symbiosis. Prerequisites: BIO 3510.
BIO 4720 MARINE ECOLOGY (4 credits). Covers the structure and function
of marine biotic systems from the organism (life histories) to community and ecosystem.
(Requirement: Senior standing.) Prerequisites: BIO 2801, BIO 3410.
BIO 4905 OCEAN AND REEF ECOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA (3 credits). A
field course examining the biodiversity and ecology of temperate and tropical marine
habitats in Australia. Studies the comparative analysis of the phycological, invertebrate
and vertebrate biota, and the physical components of marine ecosystems of
southeast Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. Corequisites: BIO 4915.
BIO 4915 EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY OF AUSTRALIAN ECOSYS-
TEMS (3 credits). Examines the origins and adaptations of the unique flora and
fauna of Australia. Emphasizes climatic and geological shaping of modern communities.
Discusses the influence of continental drift, glacial cycles, nutrient availability and
human impact on populations. Prerequisites: BIO 1020. Corequisites: BIO 4905.
BIO 4990 BIOLOGY FORUM (1 credit). Critical analysis of primary literature
and review articles in the biological sciences by oral presentation and small group
discussion. (Requirement: Instructor approval.)
BIO 4991 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 1 (3 credits). Research experience
under the direction and supervision of a member of the biological sciences
faculty. (Requirement: Instructor approval.)
BIO 4992 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 2 (3 credits). Research experience
under the direction and supervision of a member of the biological sciences
faculty. (Requirement: Instructor approval.)
BIO 4993 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 3 (3 credits). Research experience
under the direction and supervision of a member of the biological sciences
faculty. (Requirement: Instructor approval.)
BIO 5005 COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY OF INVERTEBRATES (3 credits).
Introduces graduate students to the methods by which invertebrate metazoans perform
life functions, as well as the similarity underlying these methods. Draws on the
rich diversity of invertebrate body forms, and compares major and minor phyla.
BIO 5010 ICHTHYOLOGY (4 credits). Provides graduate students a background
in ichthyology and fish biology. The first part follows classical ichthyology by covering
systematics and evolution of fishes. The second part focuses on biological and
ecological adaptation of fishes to different environments.
BIO 5015 POPULATION ECOLOGY (3 credits). Examines factors responsible
for variations in population structure, and strategies employed for within and among
population interactions. Emphasizes evolutionary ecology.
BIO 5017 TROPICAL PLANT COMMUNITY ECOLOGY (3 credits). Investigates
the origins and functions of tropical plant communities. Includes soils, climate,
distribution of biodiversity, niche structure, animal/plant interactions and conservation.
Emphasizes the effect of global climate change on the communities.
BIO 5020 FIELD ECOLOGY 1 (3 credits). Field course identifies the plant
communities characteristic of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Examines the
factors responsible for the control and dynamics of these community types in the
field. The field trip is conducted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A
field fee is required.
BIO 5021 FIELD ECOLOGY 2 (3 credits). Intensive four-week field examination
identifies the plant communities in the central and southern Rocky Mountains and
the plateaus and deserts of the southwestern United States. A field fee is required.
BIO 5022 CORAL REEF ECOLOGY (3 credits). Two-week field examination in
the Bahamas. Familiarizes students with patterns of abundance and distribution of
the common species of coral reef fishes. Emphasizes species identification and field
methods of investigating reef fish ecology. A field fee is required.
BIO 5023 FIELD ECOLOGY 3 (3 credits). Field examination of the structure
and function of selected tropical rainforest ecosystems. A field fee is required.
BIO 5024 FIELD ECOLOGY 4 (3 credits). Three-week course, two weeks of
which are conducted in Kenya. Familiarizes students with patterns of abundance,
distribution, habitat requirements and behavior common to vertebrate species of
African savannah ecosystems. A field fee is required.
BIO 5025 ECOLOGY OF SALT MARSH AND MANGROVE (3 credits). Discusses
the ecology of salt marsh and mangrove systems. Emphasizes how organisms
adapt to the alternating inundation and exposed environment, and how physical and
biological factors interact to determine the population and community structures.
BIO 5028 DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL STUDIES (4 credits).
Comprehensively reviews experimental and observational methods and analysis
tools commonly encountered in ecology. Emphasizes the practical application of
research designs to ecological problems and different fields of ecology.
Course Descriptions 167