Principles of Biology: the Biosphere

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Discuss the relationships between the biotic and abiotic components of the biosphere, their interactions, and the impact of human activities on the biosphere;
2. Discuss the diversity of life through phylogeny and evolutionary histories of the major lineages;
3. Discuss the factors that affect the size and growth of populations;
4. Discuss interactions between species, including trophic interactions;
5. Discuss the energy flow through food chains and the global energy budget;
6. Discuss ecological disturbances and succession;
7. Describe global climate patterns and the distribution of biomes;
8. Describe biogeochemical cycles and how they are impacted by human activities;
9. Discuss global warming and climate change;
10. Discuss the global ramifications of biological diversity and biological processes;
11. Examine the relationship between form and function in plants and animals;
12. Describe, compare, and contrast the anatomy and physiology of major body systems in plants and animals;
13. Identify and describe plant, animal, and microbial species, as well as cells and tissues through the use of dichotomous keys and other biological methods, such as dissections;
14. Use common laboratory equipment;
15. Use compound and stereomicroscopes to examine cells, tissues, and organisms, including the preparation of wet mounts;
16. Interpret and present observations and results from lab experiments;
17. Critically analyze scientific data and observations.