Biocore 381 – Evolution, Ecology & Genetics (3 cr. ) — Syllabus Fall 2022
This course is intended to serve as a foundation for the subsequent courses in the Biocore sequence. The basic concepts of evolution, ecology, and genetics each occupy about one third of the semester. Evolution is discussed in terms of the geological and biological history of the earth, the diversity and classification of organisms, and mechanisms for evolution including natural selection and genetic drift. The genetics unit focuses on transmission genetics and includes discussions of Mendel’s laws, the structural and functional organization of chromosomes and their behavior in mitosis and meiosis, and linkage and crossing over. The ecology unit discusses the relationship of organisms to their environment and then goes on to consider populations, communities, and ecosystems. Biocore students apply some of the principles they are learning to a long-term prairie restoration project, the Biocore Prairie, near Picnic Point.
Course Info:
Three lectures and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: Chem 103/104 or 109; Math 221
Biocore 382 – Evolution, Ecology & Genetics (2 cr. Lab) — Syllabus Fall 2022
The laboratory course gives students practical experience working with the concepts introduced in lecture. Activities at the Biocore Prairie restoration site in the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve is a major focus during the first part of the semester. Later projects deal with genetic analysis of pigment production in Brassica rapa Wisconsin Fast Plants, and evolution of the Galapagos finches. This is a writing intensive course and is the first of three lab courses in Biocore that focus on the process and nature of “doing biology” with many opportunities to experience different aspects of scientific research in the laboratory and the field.
Course Info:
Writing Intensive.
One 3-h lab and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: previous or concurrent enrollment in Biocore 381.