2013–2014 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

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 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.) (Q) Prerequisites: BIO 2801, BIO 3410.
BIO 4904 FIELD BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF THE GALAPAGOS
ISLANDS (3 credits). Field biology course in the Galapagos Islands. Emphasizes
climate and evolution processes and patterns. Includes both terrestrial and
marine investigations of the unique biota of the islands. A field fee is required.
Prerequisites: BIO 3410.
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.) (Q)
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.) (Q)
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.) (Q)
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.
232 Florida Tech 2013–2014
BIO 5010 ICHTHYOLOGY (3 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 5011 ORNITHOLOGY (3 credits). Studies the evolution, classification,
biogeography, physiology and life history of birds. Emphasizes conservation and
management of populations focusing on field identification, population dynamics
and habitat interactions
BIO 5012 PROTEIN BIOTECHNOLOGY (3 credits). Introduces the fundamentals
in protein biotechnology in industrial, medical and agricultural applications.
Includes expression of recombinant proteins and analysis, transgenic animal and
transgenic plant for protein production, gene therapy and the current status of the
protein biotechnology industry.
BIO 5016 LABORATORY METHODS FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY (3 credits).
Provides hands-on training of fundamental laboratory skills in molecular biology
and biochemistry for students interested in a career in academic or industrial
research laboratories. Covers the essentials for operating basic laboratory instruments,
preparing solutions and executing complex experiments.
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 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 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 (3 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.
BIO 5029 CHEMICAL ECOLOGY (3 credits). Studies how small molecules
regulate interorganismal interactions. Focuses on the molecular components and
downstream physiological responses of the organisms involved. Examples show
the technologies and techniques available for research in this area along with
potential applications.
BIO 5030 CONSERVATION BIOLOGY (3 credits). Demonstrates the synthetic
nature of conservation biology drawing from the disciplines of genetics, population
biology, biogeography, ecology, wildlife management, human ecology and natural
resource management. Illustrates conservation issues using case studies from a
wide variety of global ecosystems.
BIO 5031 CONSERVATION GENETICS (3 credits). Introduces conservation
genetics. Focuses on population genetic theory and emphasizes molecular methods
to identify evolutionarily significant units, assess genetic diversity, understand the
evolution of small populations and manage threatened populations.
BIO 5034 PALEOCLIMATOLOGY AND PALEOECOLOGY (3 credits). Discusses
how and why climate has changed, and how those changes have influenced ecosystems.
Also covers species migration, speciation, community change and biogeography.
Provides tools to develop climatic and ecological histories.
BIO 5039 PLANT SYSTEMATICS AND BIOGEOGRAPHY (3 credits). Introduces
the systematics and identification of plants of the southeastern U.S. Emphasizes
field identification, how families fit within phylogenetic frameworks and biogeographic
processes that led to modern distributions. Requires five (5) field trips to
local habitats.
BIO 5045 REPRODUCTION AND RECRUITMENT OF MARINE FISHES
(3 credits). Discusses the processes of reproduction and recruitment of marine
fishery species. Topics range from the physiological and behavioral characteristics
of reproduction, to the molecular events of fertilization, to the influences of oceanographic
processes on larval and juvenile life stages.
BIO 5047 ECOLOGICAL PHYSIOLOGY OF FISHES (3 credits). Addresses how
the physiology of fishes is affected and regulated in response to environmental
changes. Fishes inhabit a vast range of habitats that vary with respect to biotic and
abiotic factors. Successful maintenance of populations in challenging environments
requires responsive adjustments in physiology.