Subject: BIOL 595X Environmental Microbiology
Credits: 3 (Class 3, Lab 0)
Offered: Every 2 years

Description: The major natural force in history is the collective force of microorganisms. They have been involved in the evolution of air-breathing organisms (including man) by being the first organisms to generate O2, by being the first eukaryotes, by being the first multi-cellular creatures, and by eliminating the wastes left by other creatures. They are critical to agriculture practices. They have caused plagues and have been blamed for human social movements (for example, the migration of Irish that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century).
This course will try to investigate the diversity of microbes in the environment, the diversity of environments, and interaction of microorganisms and the environment that lead to their activities in the natural environments.