2011-2012 Academic Catalog

Dec 27, 2024

2011-2012 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

BIOL 100 - Introductory Biology

Type of Course: First-Year Research Seminar in Fungal Molecular Ecology

Biology l00 will be a first-year research-oriented course that combines lectures and discussions with a semester-long, team-driven research project. The class will be restricted to ten incoming students with strong backgrounds in Biology and will satisfy the requirement for BIOL 100 in the Biology Major. BIOL l00 will give first-year students an opportunity to pursue research in a small group setting in their first semester at Clark, and will simultaneously provide an introduction to the general topics treated in BIOL 100 and training in writing and study skills. The central theme of this course will be an investigation of the fungal symbionts of Monotropa uniflora, which is a locally abundant species of non-photosynthetic plants commonly known as Indian pipes. Monotropa uniflora steals carbohydrates from plants via fungal intermediates. We will collect plants in the field and identify their fungal partners using molecular tools.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.