Biology (BIOL) 207
Principles of Biology II (Revision 1)
Revision 1 is closed for registrations, replaced by current version
Delivery Mode: Individualized study online or grouped study with a mandatory, five-day, home and supervised lab component (usually offered in the summer months in Athabasca).
Check dates and locations of supervised lab prior to registering for the course. This course is charged a lab fee.
Note: Students who are unable to attend an onsite lab or those who do NOT require an onsite laboratory component to meet transfer credit requirements may consider taking BIOL 205 instead (home labs only). Please note that BIOL 207 (not BIOL 205) is a required course for AU program students in science.
Credits: 3
Area of Study: Science
Prerequisite: BIOL 204 or equivalent and professor approval.
Precluded courses: BIOL 205, LABB 207
NOTE: For Athabasca University program students BIOL 207 is mandatory. It cannot be substituted with BIOL 205.
Faculty: Faculty of Science & Technology
BIOL 207 is not available for challenge.
Important Links
Overview
Biology 207 is the second of two introductory courses in general biology that will prepare students for most senior-level biology courses. Designed to help students learn more about the nature of life, the main topics of this course include the diversity of organisms, including fungi, plants, protists, animals, and bacteria. The course will emphasize evolution as the overriding biological principle. This course also includes a five-day, in-person lab component.
Outline
BIOL 207 covers the following chapters in the course textbook:
Chapter 17: Microevolution: Genetic Changes within Populations
Chapter 18: Species
Chapter 19: Evolution and Classification
Chapter 20: Darwin, Fossils and Developmental Biology
Chapter 21: Prokaryotes
Chapter 22: Viruses, Viroids, and Prions: Infectious Biological Particles
Chapter 23: Protists
Chapter 24: Fungi
Chapter 25: Plants
Chapter 26: Protostomes
Chapter 27: Deuterostomes: Vertebrates and Their Closest Relatives
Chapter 41: Plant and Animal Nutrition
Chapter 48: Conservation of Biodiversity
Simulation exercises of evolutionary processes will include dog domestication and sickle cell alleles in African malaria areas (using SimBio software).
Laboratory Outline
The intensive, five-day, 40-hour onsite lab covers topics from both BIOL 204 and BIOL 207 and includes the following lab activities: microscopy, mycology, microbiology, sterile techniques, enzyme lab, electrophoresis, spectrometry, molecular biology, restriction enzymes, animal diversity, fetal pig dissection, diversity of plants and protists, evolution, evaluation of previous experiments, and lab reports.
Students who have attended an equivalent lab at another institution may qualify for a lab exemption.
Evaluation
To receive credit for BIOL 207, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent); and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Assignment 1 | Assignment 2 | Simulation Exercises | Lab Evaluation | Midterm Exam | Final Exam | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 10% | 10% | 25% | 15% | 30% | 100% |
The midterm and final examinations for this course must be taken online with an AU-approved exam invigilator at an approved invigilation centre. It is your responsibility to ensure your chosen invigilation centre can accommodate online exams. For a list of invigilators who can accommodate online exams, visit the Exam Invigilation Network.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Russell, P. J., et al. (2010). Biology: Exploring the diversity of life (1st Canadian ed.). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education.
Montpetit, C, Smit, J., & Keenleyside, W. (2010). Study guide for use with Biology: Exploring the diversity of life. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education.
Perry, J. W., Morton, D. & Perry, J. B. (2009). Laboratory manual for majors general biology. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Other Materials
SimBio Software for evolutionary simulation exercises.
All other course materials (Course Manual, Instructional Guide, etc.) will be accessed from the online course site.
Special Course Features
Onsite lab component in Athabasca. See Biology Lab Schedules.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 1, May 11, 2011.