Courses
Search for courses listed in this bulletin. To find a semester course schedule (including instructors, meeting times and locations), go to mynmu.nmu.edu.
- Offered: Winter
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, BI 207, BI 218 or instructor permission.
This course covers: (1) the electrical, cellular, and molecular properties of neurons/neural networks, (2) developmental processes of neurons and neural networks, and (3) system neuroscience including anatomy and physiology of sensorimotor networks and learning and memory processes.
- Offered: Fall
- Prerequisites: BI 111 and BI 112 or CLS 204 and CLS 214, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Life histories, ecology, physiology and host-parasite relationships. Laboratory includes examination of hosts for parasites and preparation of specimens for study.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Every other fall, odd years
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112 junior standing or instructor's permission.
Insect evolution, ecology, physiology and morphology. Emphasis is placed on the biology and in-field recognition of the local fauna.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Fall
- Prerequisites: BI 111, CH 111, CH 112, BI 218, and BI 207 or BI 327 and junior, senior, or graduate standing or instructor's permission.
Structure and physiology of endocrine glands, biological actions and biochemistry of hormones, emphasizing their role (at the systems level) in multisystem homeostasis, intermediary metabolism, reproduction and behavior of mammals.
- Offered: Fall, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 111 and BI 112, or CLS 201, and BI 104 or BI 221, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Study of the microscopic anatomy of human tissues and organs at the light microscope level.
- Offered: Winter, odd years
- Prerequisites: BI 210, and BI 327 or BI 207, junior standing or instructor’s permission.
The course emphasizes physiological adaptations of animals to their environment. It covers topics such as thermoregulation, nutrition and digestion, osmoregulation, nitrogen metabolism, sensory physiology and reproductive physiology.
- Offered: Fall, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 210 and BI 215, junior standing or instructor’s permission.
- Offered: Contact department for information
- Prerequisites: BI 111 or BI 112 or instructor permission.
This course is a field experience designed to allow students to explore the marine environment in the context of ecological concepts. Students will conduct marine ecological research as part of this course. Locations vary and credits are related to the duration of the field experience. This course requires an added course fee. Contact the department for more details.
Notes:May be repeated for credit if offered in different locations. Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Fall Winter
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, CH 112, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Principles of plant nutrition, metabolism, plant water relations, transport of materials in plants and physiological aspects of plant growth and development. Methods of studying plant functions are emphasized in the laboratory.
- Offered: Fall
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Lecture and field studies dealing with recognition, taxonomy, ethnobotany and ecological adaptations of plants in aquatic and terrestrial communities.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Fall, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 210, BI 310 recommended, junior standing or instructor’s permission.
Field study of terrestrial and aquatic vegetation, covering topics in population, community and landscape ecology. Laboratories emphasize research approaches, sampling techniques, data analysis and technical writing skills.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Summer
- Prerequisites: BI 310, junior standing, or instructor’s permission (interview with instructor required).
A 3-week field course based in Canada and/or Isle Royale studying community and ecosystem processes in the boreal forest. Emphasis is on boreal and arctic plant communities and the interrelationships of large herbivores, such as moose and caribou, and their predators.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Fall
- Prerequisites: BI 210 or BI 422, and DATA 109 or MA 111, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Concepts, applications and techniques for managing fisheries resources. Topics include basic fish anatomy and life-history characteristics, fishing technology, population dynamics, fisheries modeling, hatcheries and conservation issues. Emphasis is placed on the human-fishery resource interaction. Students read from primary literature and conduct fisheries-related research.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Fall
- Prerequisites: BI 210, junior standing or instructor’s permission.
Application of ecological principles and technical knowledge to the management of wildlife populations.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Winter odd-numbered years
- Prerequisites: BI 441 or instructor permission.
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of aquatic organism culture related to food and other consumable production, wild stock enhancement, conservation, and production of ornamentals. It addresses the history, goals, practices, and strategies of rearing aquatic organisms in both public and private settings.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Every other fall, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 218 or graduate standing.
This course will cover the structure, function and evolution of genomes. Topics relating to current DNA sequencing methods, genome annotation, regulation of gene expression, and metagenomics will be addressed.
- Offered: Winter, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Principles of fish biology. Course covers systematics and diversity of marine and freshwater fishes including identification, evolution, physiology, ecology and behavior.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: On Demand
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Lectures and laboratory exercises covering the evolution, systematics, morphology, physiology, ecology and behavior of amphibians and reptiles.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Winter, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Lectures and laboratory exercises covering the evolution, systematics, morphology, physiology, ecology and behavior of birds.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Winter
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Lectures, laboratories and field trips dealing with evolution, systematics, morphology, reproduction, adaptive radiation and diversity, biological rhythms, ecology, behavior, diseases, identification, and domestication. The laboratory will emphasize mammals of the Great Lakes region.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Fall, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, junior standing or instructor's permission.
Lectures covering the biology of aquatic insects. Laboratories emphasizing identification of local fauna and quantitative analyses of benthic invertebrate habitats and communities.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Winter semesters even numbered years.
- Prerequisites: BI 111, BI 112, junior standing or instructor permission.
Lectures covering the fundamentals of riverine and riparian ecology.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Winter, even years
- Prerequisites: BI 210.
This course will cover aspects of fish ecology from individual, population, community, and ecosystem levels. We will discuss the role of the environment in determining fish physiology and behavior, the interactions among fishes and their environment, food-web dynamics, and ecosystem interactions.
Notes:Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.
- Offered: Fall
- Prerequisites: BI 210 and either DATA 109 or BI 412, or instructor’s permission.
This course will provide students with the theory and methods for drawing inferences about wildlife and fish populations using data from field studies of marked animals.
- Offered: Contact department for information
- Prerequisites: Junior or senior status, major housed in the Biology Department and instructor permission.
This course provides an opportunity for qualified majors in the department to conduct advanced independent research under the supervision of department faculty. The research advisor and research problem must be identified the semester before enrollment. A written or oral final report is required.
Notes:May be repeated for up to a total of 8 credits. Field work may be required. Contact instructor for more information.