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Program Requirements
The Environmental Biology Major is about the biology, diversity, and ecology of a broad range of organisms, from plant and vertebrate animals to insects, fungi, and microbes. This Major places a strong emphasis on the ecosystems that species inhabit and the constraints imposed by the physical environment and by environmental change. Environmental Biology has significant field components worked into the course sets, and through this experiential learning, biological diversity, and the ways that species interact with their physical environment in a variety of ecosystems will be studied. The Major makes full use of the unique physical setting and faculty expertise of McGill's Macdonald campus to train students to become ecologists, taxonomists, field biologists, and ecosystem scientists.
Program Director: Professor Christopher Buddle
For information on academic advising, see:
Program Prerequisites
Please refer to "Faculty Information and Regulations" > "Minimum Credit Requirements", in this eCalendar for information on prerequisites and minimum credit requirements.
Required Courses (30 credits)
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AEBI 210 Organisms 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc) : The biology of plants and plant-based systems in managed and natural terrestrial environments. The interactions between autotrophs and soil organisms and selected groups of animals with close ecological and evolutionary connections with plants (e.g., herbivores and pollinators) will be explored in lecture and laboratory.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Bede, Jacqueline; Ajjamada, Kushalappa; Donnelly, Danielle J (Fall)
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AEBI 211 Organisms 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc) : Introduction to the biology, physiology, structure and function of heterotrophs and their interactions with other organisms. This course will focus on animals in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Topics include bioenergetics and functional metabolism, adaptations to environments, animal-animal, animal-plant, and animal-pathogen interactions.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Head, Jessica (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 200
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AEBI 212 Evolution and Phylogeny (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc) : A phylogenetic-based overview of the tree of life and examination of relationships between major taxa, from bacteria and archaea to eukaryotes. Evolution will be discussed via topics including: evolution by natural selection, neo-Darwinism and alternatives, myths and misconceptions in evolution, species and speciation.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Wheeler, Terry A (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 212.
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AEHM 205 Science Literacy (3 credits)
Overview
English (Agric & Envir Sc) : Development of English language and information literacy. Problem-based approach using science topics from specializations offered by the Faculty will be central to skill development. The course includes how to research and compose work in scientific format and will encourage a reader-oriented style.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Newman, Carole; Waters, Natalie Heather (Winter)
Students whose first language is not English are encouraged to register for CESL 299, ESL: Academic English Seminar, or equivalent, prior to starting their program.
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AEMA 310 Statistical Methods 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Mathematics (Agric&Envir Sci) : Measures of central tendency and dispersion; binomial and Poisson distributions; normal, chi-square, Student's t and Fisher-Snedecor F distributions; estimation and hypothesis testing; simple linear regression and correlation; analysis of variance for simple experimental designs.
Terms: Fall 2014, Winter 2015
Instructors: Dutilleul, Pierre R L; Gravel, Valérie (Fall) Dutilleul, Pierre R L; Gravel, Valérie (Winter)
Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab
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ENVB 210 The Biophysical Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : With reference to the ecosystems in the St Lawrence lowlands, the principles and processes governing climate-landform-water-soil-vegetation systems and their interactions will be examined in lecture and laboratory. Emphasis on the natural environment as an integrated system.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Begg, Caroline B (Fall)
Fall
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 210
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ENVB 222 St. Lawrence Ecosystems (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Integrative field biology course about the biodiversity and ecology of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems within the St. Lawrence Lowlands. Research projects about the natural history of the regional flora and fauna. Fundamentals of community, ecosystem and landscape ecology.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Buddle, Christopher (Fall)
Fall
This course carries an additional charge of $15.39 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
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ENVB 410 Ecosystem Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Biotic and abiotic processes that control the flows of energy, nutrients and water through ecosystems; emergent system properties; approaches to analyzing complex systems. Labs include collection and multivariate analysis of field data.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Fyles, James W (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisites: ENVB 222, AEMA 310 or permission of instructor
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WOOD 410
This course has an additional charge of $15.39 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
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LSCI 204 Genetics (3 credits)
Overview
Life Sciences : The course integrates classical, molecular and population genetics of animals, plants, bacteria and viruses. The aim is to understand the flow of genetic information within a cell, within families and in populations. Emphasis will be placed on problem solving based learning. The laboratory exercises will emphasize the interpretation of genetic experimental data.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Charron, Jean-Benoit (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken BIOL 202.
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LSCI 211 Biochemistry 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Life Sciences : Biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids; enzymes and coenzymes. Introduction to intermediary metabolism.
Terms: Fall 2014, Winter 2015
Instructors: Salavati, Reza; Jardim, Armando; Georges, Elias (Fall) Jardim, Armando; Salavati, Reza (Winter)
Complementary Courses (12 credits)
12 credits of complementary courses selected from:
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ENTO 330 Insect Biology (3 credits)
Overview
Entomology : Insect structure and function, development and specialization; ecology and behavior; diversity, evolution and classification of insect orders and common families; pest management.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Boucher, Stephanie (Fall)
Fall
2 lectures and one 2-hour lab
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NRSC 330
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ENVB 301 Meteorology (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : The physical processes underlying weather. Topics include: the atmosphere - its properties (structure and motion), and thermodynamics (stability, heat and moisture); clouds and precipitation; air masses and fronts; mid-latitude weather systems and severe weather.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Strachan, Ian Brett (Fall)
Fall
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NRSC 201
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ENVB 305 Population & Community Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Interactions between organisms and their environment; historical and current perspectives in applied and theoretical population and community ecology. Principles of population dynamics, feedback loops, and population regulation. Development and structure of communities; competition, predation and food web dynamics. Biodiversity science in theory and practice.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Buddle, Christopher (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 205
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ENVB 313 Phylogeny and Biogeography (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Phylogeny reconstruction; principles of systematics; predictive power of phylogenetic trees; theory and principles of biogeography; historical biogeography of plants and animals; role of abiotic and biotic factors in shaping distributions.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Wheeler, Terry A; Waterway, Marcia J (Fall)
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ENVB 430 GIS for Natural Resource Management (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques to the presentation and analysis of ecological information, including sources and capture of spatial data; characterizing, transforming, displaying spatial data; and spatial analysis to solve resource management problems.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Cardille, Jeffrey; Adamchuk, Viacheslav (Fall)
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ENVB 437 Assessing Environmental Impact (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Theories and procedures of assessing environmental impact. An examination of the environmental impact of existing programs and projects to examine their accuracy in predicting consequences and attenuating undesirable effects.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Hickey, Gordon (Winter)
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ENVB 497 Research Project 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Independent research project in consultation with a faculty supervisor. Selection of a research problem, formulation of hypotheses and objectives, research design, comprehensive literature review, commence data collection.
Terms: Fall 2014, Winter 2015
Instructors: Fyles, James W (Fall) Fyles, James W (Winter)
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ENVB 498 Research Project 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Continuation of the independent research project begun in ENVB 497. Data collection and analysis, testing of hypotheses, discussion of results.
Terms: Fall 2014, Winter 2015
Instructors: Fyles, James W (Fall) Fyles, James W (Winter)
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FAES 300 Internship 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Faculty of Agric & Envir Sci : Full-time work-term intended to complement the student's undergraduate studies. Course work will be graded by a Faculty member with expertise relevant to the student's area of study. Finding a work placement is the responsibility of the student and facilitated by the Faculty's Internship Office.
Terms: Summer 2015
Instructors: Mehta, Mehek (Summer)
Students will receive a final grade on their transcript. Students must be registered as a full-time student prior to and after enrollment in this course. A mandatory report must be submitted at the end of the Internship to the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Internship Office.
Restrictions: Students must be registered as a full-time student prior to and after enrollment in this course. Minimum CGPA of 2.7 required. Open to all students in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
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MICR 331 Microbial Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc) : The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in biogeochemical cycles will be discussed. Microbial interactions with the environment, plants, animals and other microbes emphasizing the underlying genetics and physiology. Diversity, evolution (microbial phylogenetics) and the application of molecular biology in microbial ecology.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Driscoll, Brian T (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have successfully completed NRSC 331
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PLNT 304 Biology of Fungi (3 credits)
Overview
Plant Science : This course describes the various groups of fungi and explores in depth their biology and physiology, their ecological niches and the role in various ecosystems and their benefits and uses in industry and biotechnology.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Chamoun, Rony (Winter)
3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
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PLNT 358 Flowering Plant Diversity (3 credits)
Overview
Plant Science : Principles of classification and identification of flowering plants and ferns, with emphasis on 35 major families of flowering plants and the habitats in which they grow.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Waterway, Marcia J (Fall)
2 lectures, one 3-hour lab, plus a 4-day field week held the week preceding the start of classes
Prerequisite: PLNT 201 or AEBI 210 or ENVR 202 or permission of instructor
A $51.30 fee is charged to all students registered in this course, which has a fieldwork component prior to the beginning of classes in August. This fee is used to support the cost of excursions, a hand lens, instructional handouts and identification aids. Students who have already received a hand lens may request a reimbursement of a portion of this charge through their department.
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PLNT 460 Plant Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Plant Science : Theory and practice of plant ecology with an emphasis on the interaction between patterns and ecological processes and the dynamics, conservation and management of plant populations and communities over a range of temporal and spatial scales.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Beauregard, Frieda (Fall)
3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
Prerequisite: AEMA 310 or permission of instructor.
This course carries an additional charge of $25.65 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
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SOIL 300 Geosystems (3 credits)
Overview
Soil Science : Interactions between Earth's various geologic systems and how these interactions lead to mineral and rock formation. Geomorphic processes and how various landforms are created by the interactions at the Earth's surface between the various geologic systems.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: McCourt, George (Winter)
Winter
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 200. Restricted to U2 students and above.
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WILD 302 Fish Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Resource Development : Introduction to the biology and ecology of freshwater and marine fishes. Topics include taxonomy, physiology, biogeography, competition, predation, fishing, and conservation. Lab exercises and field trips emphasize familiarity with local fishes and their ecological interactions.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Solomon, Christopher (Fall)
Prerequisite: AEBI 211 or permission of instructor
This course carries an additional charge of $30 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is only refundable prior to the deadline to withdraw with full refund.
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WILD 307 Natural History of Vertebrates (3 credits)
Overview
Resource Development : The diversity and natural history of Canadian vertebrates illustrated with trophic, phylogenetic, and macroecological approaches.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Humphries, Murray Mitchell (Fall)
Fall
Lectures and modules
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ZOOL 307
This course carries an additional charge of $15.39 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
Specialization
At least one specialization of 18-24 credits.
Specializations designed to be taken with the Environmental Biology Major:
- Applied Ecology
- Plant Biology
- Wildlife Biology
Note: For a complete list of specializations offered for students in the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, refer to "Academic Programs" > "Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) - B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)" > "Specializations", in this eCalendar. Consult the Academic Adviser for approval of specializations other than those listed above.
Electives
To meet the minimum credit requirement for the degree.
Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences—2014-2015 (last updated Feb. 18, 2014) (disclaimer)
