Back to Homepage

Biology351 - Developmental Biology Laboratory

Noteto students: all material for this course is available on Angel

Overview:

The laboratory portion of Biology 351will focus on three major developmental systems: cellular development in the sea urchin embryo,and organogenesis the zebrafish and the chick.  We will exploresome ofthe techniques used to gain a better understanding of the process bywhich multicellular organisms develop from a single fertilized egg.  Wewill also discuss the molecular events that accompany the morphologicalchanges in the embryos that you observe. In most of these exercises, you will be observing developmental processes in living organisms.  Because of the time required for an individual organism to grow and develop, this lab will require that you spend some time making observations outside of the regularly scheduled lab period. photo: sea urchin pluteusembryo, Biology 351L, Spring 2004

CourseObjectives:

Upon completion of this course,students will be expected to:

• Understand developmental processes in three model organisms,emphasizing both the similarities and differences inherent in thedevelopment of these organisms.
• Be able to utilize techniques historically employed by developmental biologists to observe and interpret the changes thatoccur in an organism during embryonic development.
• Apply concepts of cellular biology, anatomy, or ecology to experimental studies on animal development.
• Be able to use your knowledge of developmental biology and the scientific process to design a research experiment, perform theexperiment with appropriate experimental controls, and interpret andreport your results.
• Integrate knowledge obtained from three model organisms into an understanding of the underlying principles of Developmental Biology.

Prerequisites:
Students who take this courseshould have successfully completed Biology 142 and 142 (lecture and lab).  It is recommended (but not required) that students take a 200- level laboratory course prior to taking Biology 351. Students must concurrelty enroll in the lecture and laboratory portions of the course.

SampleSyllabus:

1 Microscopy Review, making tools for Developmental Biology 2 Hydra, Planaria, and Dictyostelium 3 Introduction to the Urchin 4 Urchin Individual Experiments I 5 Urchin Individual Experiments II Lab Exam I 6 Zebrafish: Individual experiments 7 Zebrafish: Individual experiments 8 Chick: basic experimental techniques 9 Chick: Individual experiments I 10 Chick: Individual experiments II 11 Lab Exam II FINAL LAB REPORT DUE image: zebrafish embryos, Bio 351L spring 2004

 
Back to Homepage