Spring,
Fall
4, 1
The study of microorganisms from the perspectives of molecular biology, metabolism, physiology, genetics, evolution and ecology. Principal emphasis will be placed on prokaryotic microorganisms (the bacteria and archaea) and the importance of their metabolic strategies and physiology in defining the roles that they play in nature including, though not limited to, the ability of pathogenic microorganisms to survive in a host and cause disease. The laboratory emphasizes the development of skills in isolation and characterization of bacteria.