BIO 102 - General Biology II at Piedmont Virginia Community College
Course Description
Effective: 2015-01-01
Focuses on diversity of life, anatomy and physiology of organisms, and ecosystem organization and processes in an evolutionary context. Explores the core concepts of evolution; structure and function; information flow, storage and exchange; pathways and transformations of energy and matter; and systems biology. Emphasizes process of science, interdisciplinary approach, and relevance of biology to society. Part II of a two-course sequence.
Lecture 3 hours. Recitation and laboratory 3 hours. Total 6 hours per week. 4 credits
4 credits
General Course Purpose
This course provides students with an opportunity to continue to acquire fundamental knowledge of the principles and living systems and their applications to everyday life. The course is designed for both science and non-science majors. It may serve as a prerequisite for advanced biology courses, a laboratory science graduation requirement, or as transfer credit for a four-year institution.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
Prerequisite is BIO 101
Course Objectives
- describe the levels of organization of multicellular organisms
- describe the structure and functions of the major organ systems in animals
- describe the evolutionary development of the major organ systems in animals
- describe the mechanisms, principles and processes involved in the maintenance of homeostasis in animals
- describe the main features of animal development and its regulation at the molecular level
- describe the relationship between structure and function in plants
- describe the evolutionary development of plants in terms of levels of complexity and life cycles
- describe the regulation of growth and development in plants
- relate the basic principles of ecology to the diversity and distribution of organisms on the earth
- outline the main principles governing ecosystems and describe how the activities of humans affect ecosystems
Major Topics to be Included
- Multicellularity
- Homeostasis
- Overview of animal kingdom
- Animal structure and function
- Digestion
- Nutrition
- Circulation
- Immunology
- Gas exchange
- Excretion
- Hormonal regulation
- Reproduction
- Development
- Responsiveness
- Overview of plant kingdom
- Plant structure and function
- Primary tissues and primary growth
- Secondary tissues and secondary growth
- Plant transport mechanisms
- Plant hormones
- Plant reproduction
- Ecology
- Populations
- Communities
- Ecosystems
Optional Topics
- Research projects, field trips, research papers and seminars may be available for interested students or for students who need these elements for a particular purpose. The optional elements may be offered at the instructor?s discretion.