Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the basic concepts of biology. They will understand the importance of accurate formulation of questions and the roles of observation, experimentation and use of existing knowledge in answering these questions. By studying specific topics, students will comprehend and be able to discuss the following:
(i) How environmental factors affect animal and plant populations; (ii) The factors which shape evolutionary development of animal and plant physiology; (iii) The interactions between cells and their environment and the structures within cells which are involved in these interactions; (iv) The diversity of form which exists in the living world.
Topics covered in this module include: Atoms, Molecules, and Cells, Carbohydrates and Proteins, Nucleic acids and Lipids, Animal and Plant cells, Photosynthesis, Osmosis and Water Balance, Adaptation in deserts, DNA, Beyond DNA, Diversity and Taxonomy, Ecological Interactions, Food Webs, Ecosystems, Fungi Diversity, Vertebrate Diversity, and General Animal Diversity