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The University of the West Indies Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences |
BL 05B - Preliminary Biology II |
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The University of the West Indies Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences |
BL 05B - Preliminary Biology II |
SECTION |
CONTENTS |
NO. OF LECTURES |
THE ORGANISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT |
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| Acquisition of energy:
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External and internal structure of the leaf of a flowering plant; review of chloroplast structure; photosynthetic pigments, absorption and action spectra; production of reduced co-enzyme (NADPH + H+) + ATP and the evolution of O2. Fixation of CO2 onto a 5C compound v PGA, conversion of PGA to carbohydrate with regeneration of the 5C compound. Limiting factors - light, CO2, temperature.(a) Holozoic nutrition. Sources of carbohydrates, proteins lipids, water, vitamins and minerals. Importance of these substances. Digestion of complex molecules in the mammalian gut, by enzymes; absorption of digestive products into blood stream; assimilation. |
3
3 |
| Cellular respiration: Krebs cycle
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Conversion of carbohydrate to CO2, (detailed knowledge of pathways not required) with the generation of reduced co-enzyme (NADPH + H+) + ATP; oxidative phosphorylation, electron transport chain; review of mitochondrial structure. Alternate fates of pyruvate, e.g., lactic acid (in muscle) and ethanol (in yeast). Comparison of yields of ATP. |
3 |
| Ecosystems: Structure |
Components and characteristics of ecosystems; populations, communities; factors affecting population size; carrying capacity. Producers, consumers, decomposers; food chains and food webs, trophic levels; pyramids of numbers, biomass and energy. Mineral cycles, e.g., the N cycle. Competition, predation, symbiotic relationships ( parasitism, commensalism, mutualism). |
4 |
| Environmental change and evolution: | Variation in populations; basis and sources of variation, population gene pool. Evidence of evolution and natural selection; Darwin-Wallace theory of evolution by natural selection; Neo-Darwinism. |
2 |
| Human Ecology: | (a) Biodiversity and its value to humans. (b) Anthropogenic pollution, e.g., eutrophication, pesticide residues, global warming, ozone depletion. TOTAL |
2 17 |
SYSTEMS AND THEIR MAINTENANCE |
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| Exchanges with the environment: Respiratory gas exchange |
Structures and mechanisms for gas exchange; ventilation in insects and mammals (humans). Gas exchange in flowering plants; stomata, lenticels. |
2 |
| Excretion | Nitrogenous excretion in mammals. Production of urea in liver; structure and function of mammalian kidney. Action of ADH. Excretion in plants. |
2 |
| Transport systems: Transport in plants |
Structure and function of xylem and phloem; transpiration stream; cohesion-tension theory; uptake of minerals by diffusion and active transport; translocation of organic solutes |
2 |
| Transport in mammals | Double circulation system; structure of the heart; cardiac cycle; control of heart beat; structure and function of arteries, veins and capillaries; blood. Transport of O2 and CO2 |
3 |
| Chamical co-ordination: Plant growth substances Mammalian hormones |
The roles of auxin. Negative feedback. The roles of ADH, insulin and glucagon. |
1 1 |
| Nervous co-ordination in mammals: Nervous tissue Conduction and transmission of nerve impulses The CNS |
Propagation of action potentials; structure and function of a synapse; ACh as a neurotransmitter. Brain and spinal cord. Functions of the main divisions of the brain. Spinal reflex arc. |
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| Support and Movement: Supporting tissue in plants Movement in animals |
Parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma, xylem and their distribution in the plant. Endoskeleton, exoskeleton, hydrostatic skeleton, their roles in support and movement. Tropisms. Striated muscle, roles of actin, myosin and ATP in muscle contraction TOTAL GRAND TOTAL. |
2
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Last modified: August 12, 2004