Process Biology (PCB)

Basic concepts and applications of fundamental properties of human inheritance using Mendelian and molecular aspects of genetics.

Cellular biochemistry and physiology with in-depth study of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cellular organelles including their morphology and function. Topics include cellular mobility, growth, bioenergetics, division, communication and regulation. The curriculum is inquiry based and fully integrated with a laboratory that emphasizes active learning strategies.

Basic concepts of ecology at population, community, ecosystem, and landscape levels will be studied in integrated lectures, laboratory, and field exercises.

A study of the principles and theories of heredity including the gene concept, Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance. Basic concepts include: the nature, organization, transmission, expression, recombination and function of genetic materials. Principles are derived for genetically characterizing populations. The curriculum is inquiry based and fully integrated with laboratory experiences which emphasize active learning strategies.

Key behavioral adaptations of invertebrates and vertebrates to their environments will be studied in integrated lectures, laboratory, and field exercises involving such topics as exploration, habitat selection, feeding, reproduction, and social behavior. The adaptive roles of innate and learned behavior will be discussed in relation to different behaviors.

This course involves the study of ecological principles as applied to populations and how they adjust and adapt to different abiotic and biotic factors. Topics include: population genetics, factors influencing population distributions, population regulation, intraspecies interactions, interspecies interactions, community structure, and managing populations. This course is inquiry based and fully integrated with both laboratory and field experiences which emphasize active learning strategies.

Overview of ecological concepts and basic methods of inventorying, monitoring, and conducting research on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Emphasis on hands-on experiences. Methods will include those used in describing climatic, chemical, and physical features as well as biotic features, including field identification. The field emphasis will be on Southwest Florida ecosystems.

Species are not distributed at random but instead occur in living communities of co-evolved populations adapted to specific physical and chemical environments. These living communities and their abiotic environments constitute ecosystems. Ecosystem structure, function, and processes will be studied in this course along with broader landscape and watershed features that influence the distribution of ecosystems in a series of integrated lectures, laboratory, and field exercises.

The application of Evolutionary theory to all sub-fields of the biological sciences (e.g., medicine, ecology, molecular biology, etc.). Patterns and processes of evolution are examined, as is evidence, and the history of evolutionary theory. Application of evolutionary theory to problems is stressed, with a further emphasis on the role of phylogeny across biological discipline boundaries. This course replaces PCB 3673 effective Fall 2016.

Students will study the organs and organ systems of the human body as they operate individually and integrate together. Special attention is devoted to cardiovascular, respiratory, neuromuscular, endocrine, renal and reproductive physiology. The curriculum is inquiry based and fully integrated with activities which emphasize active learning strategies and collaboration.

Study of the function and integration or organs and organ systems of vertebrates and invertebrates. The course and laboratory are fully integrated.

Students will learn how cannabis affects the body. Topics covered include the endocannabinoid system; phytocannabinoid effects; pharmacology; effects of cannabis on organ systems; potential medicinal uses; and a critical evaluation of research in the field.

Species are not distributed at random but instead occur in living communities of co-evolved populations adapted to specific physical and chemical environments. These living communities and their abiotic environments constitute ecosystems. Ecosystem structure, function, and processes will be studied in this course along with broader landscape and watershed features that influence the distribution of ecosystems in a series of integrated lectures, laboratory, and field exercises.

An integrated lecture/laboratory course presenting theory and basic principles of immunology including antigen- antibody reactions immunoglobulin structure, genetics, cellular immunity and immunopathology.

The course will present principles of immunobiology including cellular and humoral immunity, serological antigen-antibody reactions, cytokine function, immune cell development and effector functions, immunogenetics, immunopathology and immunotherapy.

Basic developmental principles that are common to many organisms as well as those that are unique to specific organisms will be identified. The molecular mechanisms involved in the development of various eukaryotic organisms including fungi, animals, and plant will be examined.

An interdisciplinary approach to the examination of inland waters including lakes, streams, marshes, and swamps. Emphasis on the biotic, chemical and geological components of these aquatic ecosystems using Florida wetlands as models. The course is intended for students with interests in biology, environmental studies, and/or interdisciplinary natural sciences.

This course explores the ecological role of algae and cyanobacteria in freshwater habitats. This course is intended for students interested in learning how these organisms support life through their physiological functions and issues related to freshwater harmful algal blooms.

An interdisciplinary analysis of Earth's wetland ecosystems and the environmental issues they face. The structure and function of wetlands will be emphasized in relation to how they are impacted by human activities. Wetland regulations and management are considered.

This course will explore the use of statistical methodology in designing, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting biological research. It will cover descriptive statistics, elements of experimental design, probability, hypothesis testing and statistical inference, analysis of variance, correlation, regression techniques, and non-parametric statistical methods.

Genetics will be investigated at the molecular level. Gene structure, function, variation, and control will be studied with respect to animal and plant cell structure and function. The curriculum is inquiry based and fully integrated with laboratory experiences which emphasize active learning strategies.

With a major focus on DNA methodologies, the class explores the application of such techniques in the evolutionary study of Behavioral Biology, especially animal mating behavior and sexual selection. For the laboratory component, students will learn and perform the molecular and computational tools used by behavioral biologists in paternity analysis and molecular identification. These modern research methods will be considered in the context of important questions in sexual selection and mating system evolution. Topics include sexual selection, sexual conflict, sperm competition, promiscuity, female mate choice, female sperm choice, and ejaculate-female interactions.

The course aims at exploring the different theories and applications in current day molecular evolutionary studies and the phases of the process, including taxon and character sampling, phylogenetic methods and bioinformatics tools, diversification estimates and biogeographic reconstructions.

This course provides an opportunity for advanced study of the biology of "reptiles" and amphibians in an evolutionary context. The entire spectrum of reptile and amphibian diversity is studied from the first known fossil amphibians and their ancestors through all living and extinct clades. Anatomical, physiological, and behavioral biology are also examined from an evolutionary perspective; utilizing the principles of cladistic analysis, each system is examined from its most primitive condition to the many unique derived conditions found among living and/or fossil amphibians and reptiles. Current controversies may be featured, and topics span from molecular to organismal and ecological. The course will include the use of dissection and physiological laboratory techniques to study various topics.

Fundamentals of Comparative Immunology encompassing innate immunity, pattern recognition particles, host-parasite evolution and recent research discoveries will be studied.

Chemical and physical properties of the plasma membrane. Investigation of plasma membrane biosynthesis and functions in transport and signal transduction. The curriculum is inquiry based and fully integrated with laboratory experiences that emphasize active learning strategies.

Human and non-human animal sensory systems are studied with an emphasis on molecular, cellular, and organ structural components, transduction mechanisms, and functional outcomes.

Investigation of the demographics, physiology of organ systems, evolutionary, environmental, cellular and genetic correlations of the aging process and on the resultant limitations in performance and quality of life in humans.

Limnology is the scientific study of inland waters, which are increasingly threatened by human activities, for their biological, water quality and geological properties. This course is intended for students with interests in biology, environmental studies, or interdisciplinary natural sciences.

Introduction to modeling software and methods needed to collect, organize, and interpret data critically. For beginning graduate researchers.

Overview of major concepts in ecology with an emphasis on mathematical analytical techniques. Topics include: flows of energy and matter; temporal dynamics; community structure and dynamics; and human impact on ecosystems. Course structure includes lecture, laboratory and field studies and discussion of relevant literature.

This course provides an in-depth examination of established molecular cell biology and cell physiological processes, and the potential implications for the disruption of typical cell processes. Current cell and molecular biology methodologies used to elucidate molecular cell mechanisms will be detailed in this lab integrated course.

An integrated lecture/laboratory course presenting principles of immunobiology including cellular and humoral immunity, serological antigen-antibody reactions, cytokine function, immune cell development and effector functions, immunogenetics, immunopathology and immunotherapy.

This course examines different research design methodologies and the various statistical analyses that can be used in biological fields. Students learn different approaches to research and the associated quantitative analyses, emphasizing a student’s ability to understand principles and assumptions of different procedures, mathematical formulas and proofs. Students also learn how to report and describe results using standards currently employed in biology.

This course provides an introduction to the theoretical and practical basis for understanding key experimental techniques used in modern molecular biology research. The students receive practical hands-on experience in selected techniques. In parallel, the lectures provide molecular principles and mechanisms underlying the experimental techniques. The experimental techniques include basic recombinant DNA techniques, real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), microarray, protein analysis, recombinant protein production and purification, protein-protein interaction, protein localization, and gene transfer in eukaryotic systems. In addition, hands-on training in genomics and proteomics is provided through the use of modern bioinformatics software. The students are expected to gain critical skills to design relevant molecular experiments to address biological questions and to evaluate experimental data and conclusions.

An advanced exploration of evolutionary theory as a unifying concept of all life science. Students will understand a detailed evolutionary framework as the basis for understanding all differences and similarities among organisms, biological patterns, and biological processes. Focus is on topics such as sexual selection, natural selection, population genetics, phylogenetics, and optimality in the study of evolutionary mechanisms. Basic theory is used in the context of applicable methodologies to study empirical evolutionary problems.

Human and nonhuman animal sensory systems are studied with an emphasis on molecular, cellular, and organ structural components, transduction mechanisms, and functional outcomes. Topics will include photoreception, nonvisual photoreception, infrared imaging, magnetoreception, olfaction, gustation, pain, pheromones, audition, and electroreception.