GEOSCI/ENVIRON/BIOLOGY (100 level) The Microbial World: How Unseen Organisms
Shape Our Planet (4 cr)
Prereqs: none.
Short course description
This course examines how microorganisms shape the world around us, both throughout the
Earth’s history and today. Major topics include the origin and evolution of life, the interplay
between microbes and the environment, roles of microbes in global warming, and applications of
microbiology in biotechnology and energy.
Long description
This course seeks to introduce students to the critical yet commonly overlooked roles that tiny,
unseen organisms play in environmental, global, and human health. The common theme will be
in examining how microorganisms shape the world around us, both throughout the Earth’s
history and today. Specific topics to be covered include the origin and evolution of life, the
interplay between microbes and the environment, and current topics in biotechnology, energy,
global warming, and the environment. Emphasis will be placed on considering science to be of
tangible and practical importance to modern society.
Discussion sessions will allow for discussion of topics covered in lecture, exercises aimed at
reinforcing primary concepts and methods, and review of exams and quizzes. Grades will be
based on regular quizzes, one midterm exam, a final exam, and discussion participation.
This course is primarily intended for non-science majors. Students with interests in evolution,
environmental science, and current controversial topics such as the origin of life, global climate
change, and biotechnology are encouraged to enroll.
Textbook: Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 11th edition, by Michael Madigan and John
Martinko
Syllabus:
Part I. INTRODUCTION: This section will provide a broad introduction to microbiology that
will serve as a foundation for understanding material presented in parts II through IV. Lectures 1
and 2 will outline the scope of the course, introduce students to the pervasive and ubiquitous
nature of microbes on our planet, and provide material aimed at building an appreciation for the
scales and metrics (both physical and temporal) that are pertinent to geology and microbiology.
Lectures 3 through 6 entail a basic introduction to microbial physiology and metabolism and will
highlight how the biological requirements of microbes are linked to the impact that they have on
their environment.
1.
2.
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Course overview
Introduction to microbiology: history, scales, & taxonomy
Microbial physiology
Metabolism I
Metabolism II
Metabolism III
Part II. THE COEVOLUTION OF EARTH AND LIFE: Part II will focus on the
coevolution of the biosphere and geosphere. Lecture 7 will cover theories of the origin and early
history of life on Earth, including a critical review of current evidence and controversies
supporting and surrounding these theories. Lectures 8 – 10 present concepts of biological
diversity, methods for assessing phylogenetic relationships among organisms, and an
examination of how that has led the current view of the tree of life. Lectures 11 and 12 will
highlight the central role of microbes in major events throughout Earth’s history such as the
oxygenation of the atmosphere and formation of geological deposits.
7. The Origin and early evolution of life on Earth
8. The tree of life I
9. The tree of life II
10. The tree of life III
11. Microbes and Earth History
12. Geomicrobiology: how and why microbes make and dissolve rocks
Part III. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY & MICROBIAL ECOLOGY: Part III
surveys microorganisms in their natural habitats with an emphasis on the interplay between
organism and environment. Lectures 13 and 14 introduce the methods and fundamentals that
encompass the study of microbes in the nature. Lectures 15 – 21 provide case studies for
examining these principles of microbial ecology, from marine, terrestrial, and atmospheric
environments to symbioses between microbes and higher organisms. Lecture 19 will address
how microbiological processes (covered in lectures 15 – 18) that take place on molecular scales
have important impacts on global scales. In lectures 22 and 23 the limits of life (physical and
energetic) on Earth will be explored and implications in terms of the prospects and search for life
on other planets will be reviewed.
13. The tools of environmental microbiology
14. Microbial ecology & communities
15. Marine microbiology I
16. Marine microbiology II
17. Atmospheric and freshwater microbiology: air, lakes, ponds, & streams
18. Terrestrial environments
19. Microbes & global climate change
20. Symbioses
21. Humans as symbiotic hosts: microbes in health & disease
22. Life in extreme environments
23. Astrobiology
Part IV. APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY: Part IV surveys applied and biotechnological aspects
of the microbial world in the context of challenges associated with human population growth,
emerging infectious disease, energy, and the environment. Lecture 24 covers the challenges and
opportunities that microbes bring to the impact of human activities on the environment, including
bioremediation of organic and metal pollution. Lecture 25 reviews the microbiology of food and
beverage production, both throughout history and in the modern food industry. Lecture 26
addresses the broad applications of microbes in drug discovery, industry, and biotechnology, and
in lecture 27 these applications are extended to the current crisis revolving around energy and
global warming. Lecture 28 will synthesize principles covered throughout the course, and broad
conclusions regarding the microbial world will be drawn.
24. Corrosion, bio-fouling, & bioremediation
25. The microbiology of food & beverage
26. Pharmaceutical & industrial microbiology; biotechnology
27. Microbes & the energy crisis
28. Review, Synthesis, & Conclusions