BIOO - Biology-Organismal

BIOO 162CS  Insects and Human Society: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

Whether fighting for our food, spreading disease, or scaring us in our basement – insects intersect with our lives at every turn. In this course, we will explore the curiosities of the natural world and demystify the scientific process through the tiny lens of insects.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Identify components of the scientific process and demystify science as a discipline
  2. Explain the ecology, behaviors, and critical functions executed by insects\\n
  3. Examine how insects are integrated into different disciplines and careers
  4. Compare and contrast popular science articles to improve science literacy\\n
  5. Reflect on the integration of lessons from biological sciences in daily life

BIOO 220  General Botany: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 170IN. This course focuses on organisms that possess plastid organelles in all their cells, and investigates their function (physiology, biochemistry), diversity, life cycles, and environmental adaptations

View Course Outcomes:

  1. describe the basic organization of a plant cell.\\n
  2. describe the most important enzymatic steps involved in respiration, as well as in carbon dioxide, nitrogen and sulfur assimilation.
  3. define the principal characteristics of different groups of photosynthetic organisms, from green algae to angiosperms (flowering plants).
  4. contrast the life cycles of lower plants (bryophytes), seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms.
  5. become familiar with the various cell and tissue types observed in vascular plants.
  6. summarize the most important developmental events of the angiosperm life cycle, including embryogenesis, germination, vegetative growth, flowering and reproduction.
  7. contrast the actions of the most important groups of plant hormones in metabolism and development.
  8. describe plant reaction to environmental stimuli (light, day length, temperature).

BIOO 230  Identification of Seed Plants: 4 Credits (2 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 170IN. (Sp) Identification of conifers, trees and shrubs, and herbaceous seed plants; determination by use of manuals; vocabulary, classification and nomenclature; and preparation and collection of seed plant specimens. Offered in spring

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Identify various life-forms of Seed Plants
  2. Analyze and properly describe Seed Plants and their constituent parts. (Vocabulary is important to this skill.)
  3. Collect plant specimens and prepare reference-specimens and professional herbarium-specimens of Seed Plants.
  4. Describe the nomenclature of Seed Plants.
  5. Describe the classification of Seed Plants.

BIOO 262IN  Introduction to Entomology: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOL 100IN or BIOB 170IN. General biology of insects including principles of morphology, physiology, behavior, ecology, and control. Includes identification of major orders and common families

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Insect diversity: How to recognize and give scientific names to the major types of insects.
  2. Insect adaptation: You will understand how insects have evolved to adapt to their environments, solving problems having to do with temperature extremes, picky mates, nasty competitors and predators, and humans hell-bent on killing them. \\n
  3. Insect pest management: You will learn about the basic concepts of when and how pest-insect populations are managed. For those majoring in a field where insect control is important, the course will prepare you to move on to a higher level class in integrated pest management.
  4. Insects as beneficial: You will learn about the beneficial effects of insects in their role as (for example) pollinators, biological control agents, and research tools in basic biological studies.\\n
  5. Entomology as a science: You will learn about how entomologists (as scientists) objectively test hypotheses about (for example), the adaptive value of insect behaviors or the effectiveness of particular insect control strategies. You will gain a better understanding of how scientists do their work, and engage in discussions about how science gets objective answers to questions.

BIOO 291  Special Topics: 1-4 Credits ()

Course prerequisites as determined for each offering.

BIOO 310  Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy: 4 Credits (2 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 170IN or BIOB 258. (F) A comparative study of organ systems of vertebrates. Laboratory utilizes representative vertebrate types

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Recognize the major groups of chordates and list anatomical differences among groups.
  2. Identify the major anatomical parts of vertebrate organ systems.
  3. Summarize the function, biological role, and evolution of these systems.
  4. Explain why organ systems vary among vertebrates according to function, adaptation, embryology, and phylogeny.

BIOO 315  Aquatic Insects: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 160 and BIOB 170IN and BIOE 370. (F) This course will introduce students to the evolution, biology, ecology and classification of aquatic insects. This course will provide basic skills to identify and collect aquatic insects, as well as curating an aquatic insect collection. Students will also gain an understanding of the ecology and evolution of aquatic insects

View Course Outcomes:

  1. describe body-form and function of aquatic insects
  2. identify aquatic insects to the family and genus level,
  3. explain evolutionary pathways leading to aquatic insect diversity and their ecological relationships,
  4. collect aquatic insects in the field
  5. prepare an aquatic insect collection.

BIOO 412  Animal Physiology: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 160 or BIOB 260; and any Chemistry course; Junior or Senior standing recommended. (F) General homeostatic physiology of animals with emphasis on mammals. Selected body systems are covered with major emphasis on the integration of body processes. Offered in the fall

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Demonstrate a broad foundation and understanding of basic principles of animal physiology, with an emphasis on the structures, functions, and chemical processes necessary to maintain homeostasis.
  2. Express biological concepts correctly, thoroughly, and concisely.

BIOO 415  Ichthyology: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 310 or BIOO 412. (Sp) Junior standing. Characteristics, classification, evolution, and life histories of major groups of marine and freshwater fishes, with an emphasis on North American freshwater fauna. Laboratory emphasizes identification, morphology, life history, and distribution of Montana species. Offered in spring

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe the key characteristics of fishes and summarize their evolutionary history.
  2. Describe the physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations that fish have for swimming, breathing, osmoregulating, thermoregulating, reproducing, migrating, capturing prey, and avoiding predators
  3. Describe the characteristic features of major aquatic environments and the adaptations that fish have for surviving and reproducing in each.
  4. Describe the role of glaciation in influencing present day distribution of fishes.
  5. Summarize the key conservation issues surrounding management of fishes around the globe.
  6. Describe the key internal and external anatomical features of fish and how they function.
  7. Identify the fishes of Montana by family and species.

BIOO 418  Ecological Physiology of Aquatic Organisms: 3 Credits (1 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 412 and currently in a Biological Sciences Major or Consent of Instructor. (F) Provides a strong foundation on the physiological processes and systems that drive organismal responses to changes within the ecosystems they inhabit, with an emphasis on aquatic organisms. Students will learn to perform and interpret physiological measurements as well as read and discuss current scientific literature that connects physiology with wildlife management and conservation biology. Offered in the fall

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe the physiological processes important to maintaining homeostasis in animals experiencing changes to environmental salinity, oxygen, or temperature, or food availability. (knowledge -> comprehension)
  2. Describe physiological adaptations of aquatic versus terrestrial animals and animals adapted to environmental extremes and show how these adaptations improve performance under the conditions that have driven their selection. (knowledge -> comprehension)
  3. Apply knowledge of physiological processes to determine the mechanisms underlying limitations in organismal performance under environmental extremes (application).
  4. Apply knowledge of animal physiology to predict the physiological responses of species to environmental extremes and the mechanisms underlying performance improvements gained through adaptations. (application)
  5. Critically review scientific reports and publications.
  6. Search the scientific literature to come up with appropriately sourced information to fill personal knowledge gaps.

BIOO 433  Plant Physiology: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing, BIOB 160 and one of the following: CHMY 211, CHMY 321, or CHMY 123. Physiological processes of higher plants, including photosynthesis, water relations, mineral nutrition, and development

BIOO 435  Plant Systematics: 3 Credits (1 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 170IN and BIOO 230 Introduction to the local vascular plant flora emphasizing characteristics of the common families and genera. Lab concentrates on plant identification of common angiosperm plant families in Montana; preparation of about 120 reference specimens taken from the local flora

BIOO 437  Plant Development: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 220 or BCH 380 or consent of instructor. This course studies the specific plant functions allowing a zygote to develop into an embryo. It further analyzes development of the embryo into a vegetatively growing plant, then a process known as 'floral transition' allowing the plant to "switch" from vegetative to reproductive growth, and finally investigates the formation of floral organs allowing completion of the plant's life cycle
-Department of Plant Sciences/Plant Pathology.

BIOO 460  Plant Metabolism: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 220 or BCH 380 or consent of instructor. (Sp) In-depth overview of plant metabolism: photosynthesis including C4 and CAM pathways; intermediary carbon metabolism (sucrose and starch synthesis and degradation); lipids; nitrogen and sulfur assimilation and metabolism; amino acid biosynthesis; secondary metabolism (terpenoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds)

View Course Outcomes:

  1. describe and analyze the biochemical and biophysical processes involved in the use of light energy by plants, as necessary for carbon dioxide assimilation and carbohydrate biosynthesis.\\n
  2. describe the biochemical details of nitrogen and sulfur assimilation by higher plants.
  3. identify the key steps in the biosynthetic pathways allowing biosynthesis of the 20 protein amino acids.
  4. identify differences in the biochemical properties of the important groups of plant secondary metabolites.
  5. analyze original scientific publications.

BIOO 465  Insect Identification: 4 Credits (2 Lec, 4 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 262IN and one of the following: BIOB 100IN, BIOB 160 or BIOB 170IN. The identification of insects and related terrestrial arthropods. Evolutionary patterns reflected in modern insect diversity will be used to illustrate classification methods. Taxonomic methods will be used as an access to information retrieval

BIOO 470  Ornithology: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 310. (Sp) Junior standing. Evolution, functional biology, distribution, and classification of birds. Montana species recognition is developed through laboratory use of a representative skin collection. Offered in the spring

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe the key characteristics of birds and to summarize their evolutionary history.\\n
  2. Explain the mechanisms and types of avian flight as well as the physiological adaptations that support avian flight.\\n
  3. Summarize and describe the key features of the avian brain, sensory system, and communication systems.
  4. Explain the daily and annual biorhythms of birds and to summarize their roles in avian migration and navigation.
  5. Describe and summarize avian mating systems as well as avian reproduction and the rearing of young.\\n
  6. Identify diverse birds of Montana by sight and sound.

BIOO 475  Mammalogy: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 310. (F) Junior standing. Evolution, functional biology, distribution, and classification of mammals. Labs cover taxonomy and identification of representative forms with a focus on Montana species. Offered in fall

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe the concepts of mammalian evolution, form and function, behavior, and ecology.

BIOO 491  Special Topics: 1-4 Credits ()

Course prerequisites as determined for each offering.

BIOO 537  Plant Development: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 220 or BCH 380 or consent of instructor. Note that 'consent of instructor' may be the rule rather than the exception, as many graduate students will have attended similar classes at other universities. This course studies the specific plant functions allowing a zygote to develop into an embryo. It further analyzes development of the embryo into a vegetatively growing plant, then a process known as 'floral transition' allowing the plant to "switch" from vegetative to reproductive growth, and finally investigates the formation of floral organs allowing completion of the plant's life cycle

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Identify the important developmental stages of a higher plant’s life cycle.
  2. Contrast different plant signaling mechanisms important for developmental processes.
  3. Define similarities and differences between root and shoot apical meristem function at the molecular level.
  4. Analyze the molecular processes involved in basal-apical and radial pattern formation.
  5. Analyze the environmental and internal/molecular processes involved in floral initiation and flower development.
  6. Define the environmental and internal/molecular processes controlling plant senescence.

BIOO 560  Plant Metabolism: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 220 OR BCH 380 OR consent of instructor. (Sp) In-depth overview of plant metabolism: photosynthesis including C4 and CAM pathways; intermediary carbon metabolism (sucrose and starch synthesis and degradation); lipids; nitrogen and sulfur assimilation and metabolism; amino acid biosynthesis; secondary metabolism (terpenoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds)

View Course Outcomes:

  1. describe and analyze the biochemical and biophysical processes involved in the useof light energy by plants, as necessary for carbon dioxide assimilation and carbohydrate biosynthesis.
  2. describe the biochemical details of nitrogen and sulfur assimilation by higher plants.
  3. identify the key steps in the biosynthetic pathways allowing biosynthesis of the 20protein amino acids.
  4. identify differences in the biochemical properties of the important groups of plantsecondary metabolites.

BIOO 591  Special Topics: 1-4 Credits ()

Course prerequisites as determined for each offering.