BB537: Biology from Molecule to Ecosystem
The Study Board for Science
Teaching language: Danish or English depending on the teacher
EKA: N100073102
Assessment: Second examiner: Internal
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Bachelor
STADS ID (UVA): N100073101
ECTS value: 10
Date of Approval: 06-03-2025
Duration: 1 semester
Version: Archive
Internal Course Code
Entry requirements
None - However, this course can only be taken if it:
- is a constituent part of your programme
- is a specified recommendation for elective ECTS in your programme
- is part of a specified transitional arrangement ('overgangsordning') for a course you have not yet passed
Academic preconditions
Course introduction
The aim of the course is to give a general introduction to biological systems ranging from molecules and cells to organs, organisms and ecosystems. The course will focus on general terms and regulatory mechanisms within the fields of molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, ecology and evolution.
Expected learning outcome
The learning objective of the course is, that the student must obtain the ability to:
- describe fundamental biological systems and functions at different levels from the bio-molecular, cellular and organ physiological level to the ecological and evolutionary level
- express her/himself with professional precision.
- relate theoretical knowledge to practical experiments and observations.
- recognize, name and explain the basic chemical structure of the functional groups of biological macromolecules.
- describe the structure and function of a cell and its central organelles.
- explain the flow of genetic information in a cell, including regulation of gene expression.
- describe cell division and coupling this to inheritance.
- explain the physiological function of selected organ systems.
- explain the nervous system, including input and output for this.
- describe selected food webs and ecological cycles and explain the chemical basis of elemental turnover in these.
- explain the basic principles of evolution.
- integrate knowledge from biology and biochemistry.
Content
The course includes the following topics:
- Biological macromolecules, structure and function.
- Biomembranes and cell structure.
- Enzymes and biological redox processes.
- Metabolism: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, respiration and oxidative phosphorylation.
- Cell cycle, meiosis and mitosis and their control. The flow of information from gene to protein.
- Exchange and transport of respiratory gases.
- Physiology of selected organ systems.
- The endocrine system and intracellular signaling.
- Nervous systems; Sensory and motor mechanisms.
- Biogeochemical cycles and food chains.
- Populations and ecosystems.
- Evolution - mechanisms.
Literature
(Campbell Biology) Campbell, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky & Reece. Biology - A global approach. – most recent edition.
See itslearning for syllabus lists and additional literature references.
See itslearning for syllabus lists and additional literature references.
Examination regulations
Exam element a)
Timing
January
Tests
Written exam
EKA
N100073102
Assessment
Second examiner: Internal
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Exam number
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Duration
4 hours
Examination aids
The exam is with limited aids. Only the following aids are allowed:
- built-in standard calculators in Windows/macOS/Linux.
- Maple, Mathematica, Mathcad, MATLAB, GeoGebra Apps, R (including R-Studio), CAS TI-Nspire, MS Excel, and LibreOffice Calc are allowed. WordMat is permitted but not recommended. Use of WordMat is at your own risk, and no support will be provided for breakdowns or other errors caused by the program.
- ChemDraw or MarvinSketch
- Language translation dictionaries (e.g. Danish/English, Danish/German etc) in "ordbogsprogrammet" (the dictionary programme) from http://www.ordbogen.com/ in electronic form. The browser version is not allowed. See the complete list of which dictionaries are allowed in the separate "Instruction to ordbogen dot com". All dictionaries other than the allowed dictionaries must be switched off in “ordbogsprogrammet” (the dictionary programme).
Internet is not allowed. However, you may access the course page in itslearning to open system "DE–Digital Exam" and complete any tests within the system.
ECTS value
10
Additional information
The exam consists of MCQ itslearning's MCQ system and essay questions.
Indicative number of lessons
Teaching Method
Planned lessons:
Total number of planned lessons: 95 hours
Total number of planned lessons: 95 hours
Hereof:
Common lessons in classroom/auditorium: 45 hours
Team lessons in classroom: 50 hours
The students are introduced to the course topics in the weekly lectures and further work on the topics during the weekly tutorials under the guidance of an instructor. In the tutorials students will partly be working with assignments and themes that are prepared outside the planned lessons.
Other planned teaching activities:
- Hand-out assignments
- Preparation of short presentations in tutorials
Teacher responsible
Additional teachers
| Name | Department | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolin Löscher | cloescher@biology.sdu.dk | Nordcee | |
| Iris Adam | irisadam@biology.sdu.dk | Lyd og Adfærd | |
| Lasse Jakobsen | lasse@biology.sdu.dk | Biologisk Institut | |
| Rune Christian Husted Steinfurth | runesteinfurth@biology.sdu.dk | Biologisk Institut |
Timetable
Administrative Unit
Team at Registration
Offered in
Recommended course of study
Transition rules
Transitional arrangements describe how a course replaces another course when changes are made to the course of study.
If a transitional arrangement has been made for a course, it will be stated in the list.
See transitional arrangements for all courses at the Faculty of Science.