Course Details

Course Description
This course introduces the numerous invertebrate phyla providing a description of the features that characterize each phylum. The covers all the invertebrate phyla looking at their diverse forms, functions, and evolutionary relationships. The book first introduces evolution and modern methods of tracing it, then describes the distinctive body plan of each invertebrate phylum, showing what has evolved, how the animals live, and how they develop. Basic physiological mechanisms and their development are discussed. Development both the ontogeny and phylogeny of the invertebrates is discussed as well as how genes control and direct an animal's development. The final chapter explains uses of molecular evidence and presents an up-to-date view of the evolutionary history, giving a more certain definition of the relationships between invertebrates. For those interested in biology, this course offers a lucid, yet comprehensive, introduction to a significant proportion of the diversity of life on Earth. Prerequisite: a Basic Biology or Zoology course


This course is applicable towards the following certificate(s):
*Basic Biology for the Classroom