Course Syllabus
Athabasca University
Biology (BIOL) 205
Principles of Biology II (Revision 2)
Revision 2 closed, replaced by current version.
View previous syllabus
Delivery mode: Individualized study with a home lab and a video component.* The home lab kit contains seeds, etc. Students living outside Canada should contact the course professor before registering.
*Overseas students, please contact the University Library before registering in a course that has an audio/visual component.
Credits: 3 - Science.
Prerequisite: BIOL 204.
Centre: Centre for Science
BIOL 205 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Overview
BIOL 205 is a continuation of BIOL 204. Home labs supplement the textbooks. Students may register in LABB 207: Biological Laboratories while they are taking BIOL 205. BIOL 204 and BIOL 205 prepare students for most second-year biology courses. However, some students may also require LABB 207.
Outline
Part 5: The Diversity of Life
- Chapter 22: Understanding Diversity: Systematics
- Home Lab 22: Classification
- Chapter 23: Viruses and Bacteria
- Home Lab 23: Bacteria
- Chapter 24: The Protist Kingdom
- Home Lab 24: Protista
- Chapter 25: Kingdom Fungi
- Home Lab 25: Fungi - Divisions Zygomycota and Basidiomycota
- Chapter 26: The Plant Kingdom: Seedless Plants
- Chapter 27: The Plant Kingdom: Seed Plants
- Home Lab 27: Seed Plants
- Chapter 28: The Animal Kingdom: Animals without a Coelom
- Home Lab 28: Lower Invertebrates
- Chapter 29: The Animal Kingdom: The Coelomate Protostomes
- Home Lab 29: Higher Invertebrates
- Chapter 30: The Animal Kingdom: The Deuterostomes
- Home Lab 30: Vertebrates—Optional Fish Dissection
Part 6: Structure and Life Processes in Plants
- Chapter 31: Plant Structure, Growth and Differentiation
- Chapter 32: Leaf Structure and Function
- Home Lab 32: Plants I
- Chapter 33: Stems and Plant Transport
- Chapter 34: Roots and Mineral Nutrition
- Chapter 35: Reproduction in Flowering Plants
- Home Lab 35: Plants II
- Chapter 36: Growth Responses and Regulation of Growth
Part 7: Structure and Life Processes in Animals
- Chapter 37: The Animal Body: Tissues, Organs, and Organ Systems
- Home Lab 37: The Animal Body: Introduction to Structure and Function
- Chapter 38: Protection, Support, and Movement: Skin, Skeleton, and Muscle
- Chapter 39: Neural Control: Neurons
- Chapter 40: Neural Regulation: Nervous Systems
- Home Lab 40: Neural Regulation: Nervous Systems
- Chapter 41: Sensory Reception
- Home Lab 41: Sense Organs
- Chapter 42: Internal Transport
- Home Lab 42: Internal Transport
- Chapter 43: Internal Defence
- Home Lab 43: Internal Defence
- Chapter 44: Gas Exchange
- Home Lab 44: Gas Exchange
- Chapter 45: Processing Food and Nutrition
- Home Lab 45: Processing Food
- Chapter 46: Osmoregulation and Disposal of Metabolic Wastes
- Home Lab 46: Osmoregulation and Disposal of Metabolic Waste
- Chapter 47: Animal Hormones: Endocrine Regulation
- Home Lab 47: Endocrine Regulation
- Chapter 48: Animal Reproduction
- Chapter 49: Animal Development
- Home Lab 49: Development
- Chapter 50: Animal Behaviour
Part 8: Ecology
- Chapter 51: Introduction to Ecology: Population Ecology
- Chapter 52: Community Ecology
- Chapter 53: Ecosystems and the Biosphere
- Home Lab 53: Communities
- Chapter 54: Ecology and the Geography of Life
- Chapter 55: Humans in the Environment
Evaluation
To receive credit for BIOL 205, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent), a grade of at least 50 percent on the average of the assignments, and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Assignment 1 (Chapters 22-30 and home lab activities) | 10% |
| Assignment 2 (Chapters 31-36 and home lab activities) | 10% |
| Assignment 3 (Chapters 37-50 and home lab activities) | 20% |
| Assignment 4 (Chapters 51-55 and home lab activities) | 10% |
| Final Exam (Chapters 22-55 and home lab activities) | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Solomon, E. P., Berg, L. R., & Martin, D. W. (2005). Biology (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning.
Daniel, R. S., Daniel, S. C., & Taylor, R. L. (2005). Study Guide to Accompany Biology (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning.
Other Materials
The course materials also include a student manual, a home lab manual, an assignment booklet, and a home lab kit.
Special Instructional Features
The home lab kit supplies many of the materials used for the home labs. The student will, however, have to supplement the home lab kit with some common kitchen items or supplies. Students may also borrow materials from Athabasca University Library. BIOL 205 will be converted into BIOL 207. BIOL 207 will have more home labs and a compulsory six-day in-person lab.