Download BIOL 246 - Marine Biology - American University of Beirut

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT
Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Department of Biology
Course: Marine Biology
Textbook: Castro P., Huber M.E., 2003. Marine Biology (4th edition). McGraw-Hill.
COURSE CONTENTS
PART ONE: PRINCIPLES OF MARINE SCIENCE
1. The science of marine biology
2. The sea floor
3. Chemical and Physical features of seawater and the world ocean
PART TWO: LIFE IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
4. Some basics of biology
5. The microbial world
6. Multicellular primary producers: Seaweeds and Plants
7. Marine animals without a backbone
8. Marine fishes
9. Marine reptiles, birds, and mammals
Midterm Exam
PART THREE: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MARINE
ECOSYSTEMS
10. An introduction to Ecology
11. Between the tides
12. Estuaries: Where rivers meet the sea
13. Life on the continental shelf
14. Coral reefs
15. Life near the surface
16. The ocean depths
PART FOUR: HUMANS AND THE SEA
17. Resources from the sea
18. The impact of humans on the marine environment
19. The oceans and human affairs
Final Exam
LABORATORY & FIELD WORK
Lab 1: Comparison of the biotic and abiotic factors between rock pools
Lab 2: Fluctuation of the abiotic factors in a rock pool over 24 hours
Lab 3: The construction of a biomass pyramid using a standing crop of algae
Lab 4: An investigation of the homing instinct of limpets
Lab 5: Beach seine fishery
Lab 6: Identification and taxonomy
Lab 7: Measurements and data collection (otoliths, scales, gonads, diet)
Lab 8: Research project
Lab 9: Presentation of the Research project
Lab 10: Presentation of the Research project (continued)
Lab 11: Exam
Grading
Midterm Exam = 100 points
Final Exam = 100 points
Lab. report (Lab 8) = 30 points
Lab. presentation (Lab 9-10) = 30 points
Lab. exam = 30 points
General assessment and participation = 10 points
Total = 300 points
Biology 390AA
Course Syllabus Form
American University of Beirut
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Biology Department
Course Number and Title: Biol 390AA Special Topics: Nucleic Acid Structure and Function
Instructor: Colin Smith, Ph.D.
email: [email protected]
Office: Biology 101A, ext 3887
Office hours: to be announced
Fall 2003 Lecture time and place to be arranged as necessary to accommodate students,
preferably am Tuesdays and Thursdays
Proposed Catalog Description:
Biol 390AA Special Topics: Nucleic Acid Structure and Function
Credits: 3.00
This course covers the principles by which nucleic acid structures regulate gene expression and
replication, with special attention to unusual roles and applications. Antiviral drugs, RNA
catalysis, mRNA UTR elements, and the origin of life will be discussed.
College: Arts & Sciences
Department: Biology
Texts: Blackburn and Gait, Chemistry and Biology of Nucleic Acids (on reserve)
Bloomfield, Crothers, and Tinonco, Nucleic Acids Structures, Properties, and
Functions (on reserve)
For review and overview of gene expression, I recommend Lewin, Genes VII
Published articles and other material will be distributed throughout the semester.
General course overview: The diverse and important roles nucleic acids play in
biological systems will be illustrated by examples from the literature. Emphasis will
be on roles in which nucleic acids are not mere vessels of protein coding sequence,
but rather in which their structures function in regulation and catalysis. Experimental
methods will be discussed as appropriate, but not unduly emphasized. Each week will
consist of at least one lecture and one group discussion or presentation of a research
publication.
Course objectives: The goals of this course are to give the student an understanding
of how nucleic acids function in regulating gene expression, how nucleic acid
technology can answer biological questions, what techniques are available to study
nucleic acids, and some of their unusual biological roles. By the end of the course,
students should be able to understand and evaluate the scientific relevance and
experimental approach of any research publication concerning nucleic acids in a
biological system.
Grading: Evaluations will be based on performance on a mid-term exam, a final exam,
a paper, and participation in discussion. Each of these four will contribute to a quarter
the course grade.
Tentative Lecture Topics:
Review of Nucleic Acid Biology and Chemistry
Interprocess Communication
Nucleic Acid Chemisty
Biophysical Chemistry of Nucleic Acids
Interactions with Small Molecules
Chemical Sequencing and Footprinting
DNA topology
Protein-DNA Interactions
Polymerases
DNA Replication
DNA Repair and Recombination
Genome Replication
Transcription
Prokaryotic Transcriptional Regulation
Eukaryotic Transcriptional Regulation
Protein-RNA Interactions
RNA Processing
Natural Ribozymes
Translation
tRNA and the Genetic Code
Ribosomal RNA Structure
Regulation of Translation
Viruses
Selection-Amplification
Origin of Life
Antisense and RNA Interference