Bio 351L: Developmental Biology Lab

Biology 351 - Developmental Biology Laboratory

Overview:

The laboratory portion of Biology 351 will focus on three major developmental systems: cellular development in the sea urchin embryo,and organogenesis the zebrafish and the chick. We will exploresome of the techniques used to gain a better understanding of the process by which multicellular organisms develop from a single fertilized egg. W will also discuss the molecular events that accompany the morphological changes 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.

Course Objectives:

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 that occur 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 the experiment 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 course should 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.

Sample Syllabus:

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