BIO3: Integrated Organismal Biology (4 Units)

Overview

Builds on BIO1 and BIO2 to address how diverse organisms (plant, animal, and fungal) solve life’s challenges through physiological, morphological, behavioral and other adaptations and strategies. 4 units: 3 lecture, 1 discussion.

Topical Description and Schedule

Key Topics

Students will example multicellularity and cell communication, cell organization into tissues and organs, and examples of how organisms across the tree of life address challenges such as sensing and responding to the abiotic and biotic environment, acquiring resources, maintaining homeostasis, preventing disease, and reproducing.

Special Focus
  • Greater emphasis than the current series on fundamental cellular and physiological innovations across the tree of life without a systematic survey of diversity.
  • Students gain insights into organismal evolution and diversification.
Discussion and Labs
  • Small-group discussions reinforce lecture material.
  • Future CURE labs will complement structured experiences in BIO1L and BIO2L.

BIO3 Lecture and Discussion Topics

  • The Scientific Method and applications to biology at the organismal level: How do we know what we know in biology?
  • Aggregation and complex multicellularity: How do cells aggregate and how do multicellular organisms develop specialized cells and tissues, and why?
  • Cell Signaling: How do cells receive, process, and respond to information?
  • Homeostasis: How do organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate and maintain optimal conditions?
  • Sensing the environment: How do organisms sense, transduce, and respond behaviorally and physiologically to a variety of external or internal signals?
  • Resource Acquisition: How do multicellular organisms acquire resources and deliver them throughout the organism, and remove wastes and toxins?
  • Immunity: How do organisms protect themselves from pathogens?
  • Reproduction:  How does a multicellular organism replicate itself?
  • Integration: How are genetic and molecular changes within the organism linked to population and ecosystem level responses to environmental change?