BIOL 474 Outline

THE KING'S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

TERM:

2003-04 Winter

COURSE NUMBER:

BIOL 474

COURSE TITLE:

Chemistry of Ecological Relationships

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Hank Bestman

CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION:

credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 1.5 - hrs lab 0)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the chemical basis and mechanisms fundamental to the interaction between organisms. Topics included are: plant biochemical adaptation to the environment, chemistry of pollination, plant toxins, hormonal interactions between plants and animals, chemical basis for insect feeding preferences and vertebrate feeding preferences, animal pheromones, and chemical interactions between plants.

This course does not meet the natural science (with lab) breadth requirement.

Prerequisites: CHEM 351, BIOL 330

RESOURCE BOOKS:

Agosta, W. 1996. Bombardier Beetles and Fever Trees. A Close-up Look at Chemical Warfare and Signals in Animals and Plants. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, New York.224 pages.

Agosta, W. 1992. Chemical Communication: The Language of Pheromones. W.H. Freeman, New York.

Dey, P.M. and J.B. Harborne (Ed.) 1997. Plant Biochemistry. Academic Press, New York. 554 pages.

Eisner, T. and J. Meinwald (Ed.) 1995. Chemical Ecology: The Chemistry of Biotic Interaction. National Academy Press, Washington D.C. 214 pages.

Inderjit, K.M.M. Dakshine, and F.E. Einhellig. 1995. Allelopathy: organisms, processes, and applications. American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C.

Lambers, H., F.S. Chapin III, and T.L. Pons. 1998. Plant Physiological Ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York. 540 pages

Schultz, Jack C. and I. Raskin (Ed.) 1993. Plant signals in interactions with other organisms. Current Topics in Plant Physiology: An American Society of Plant Physiologist Series, Volume 11. 271 pages.

MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:


Class Participation/Assignments	20%
Seminar Presentations	20%
Research Proposal	20%
Midterm Exam	20%
Final Exam	20%

	100%

Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.