biology scope note
Fund:4539
Don MacMillan
June 11, 2003
Coverage:
Biology is the division of natural sciences concerned with the study of life and
living organisms.
Living organisms share several unifying themes such as their origin from the
same basic cellular structure and genetics but are diverse in other aspects.
The diversity of life is paralleled by the diversity of studies within Biology. These
divisions include biochemistry (the study of chemical substances and chemical
processes of living things), botany (the study plants), cellular, molecular and
microbial biology (study of cells at the molecular level); ecology (study of the
relations of plants and animals and their surroundings), and zoology ( the study
of animals),
The Department of Biological Sciences is the largest and most diverse
department in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary. Members of the
department are conducting research in a wide variety of topics including
biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, plant and animal physiology,
evolution and population ecology.
In addition to the central facility in the Biological Sciences Building, faculty
conduct their research at the Bamfield Marine Station, the Kananaskis Research
Centre and a number of other national and international sites. The faculty and
programs have an international reputation for excellence in Biological Sciences.
(http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/faculties/SC/BI/ , May 29, 2003)
Teaching Focus:
Undergraduate programs

BSc and BSc Honours in Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Botany,
Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology, Ecology and Zoology.

BSc and BSc Honours in Ecological Cooperative Education

Minor in Biological Sciences
Graduate programs

MSc and PhD in the following areas: Biochemistry and Structural Biology;
Botany; Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology; Ecology; Zoology.
biology scope note
Research Focus:
The bolded areas have been identified as areas of prominence and promise in
the University of Calgary's Academic Plan. Currently faculty and graduate
students in the Department of Biological Sciences receive a total of 105 research
grants including 59 NSERC and 4 MRC (CIHR) valued at over $4,000,000.
(http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/research/staff.html, May 27, 2003),
(http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/faculties/SC/BI/about/annual2002.pdf , May 27,
2003) and (http://www.fp.ucalgary.ca/unicomm/newhomepg/plan-update/,
June 2, 2003)
Biochemistry:
Biochemistry is the study of chemical substances that are found in living
organisms and the reactions and methods for identifying these
substances.
Biochemistry also includes the identification and quantitative
determination of the substances, studies of their structure, determining
how they are synthesized and degraded in organisms, and examining
their role in the operation of the organism.
Notable biochemical processes include the conversion of foods to energy,
respiration, the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, and the
regulation of the chemical activities of cells and organisms.
Biochemistry forms the foundation of subjects such as biophysics,
genetics and medicine.
(http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/undergrad/syllabus/biochem.html, May 29,
2003)
Areas of Research Focus linked to areas of priority in the Academic Plan
include:
The research of the members of the Biochemistry and Structural Biology
Program is generally well-funded by operating grants from the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian
Institute for Health Research (CIHR), the Alberta Heart and Stroke
Foundation (AHSF), the Protein Engineering Network Centre of Excellence
(PENCE), etc. In addition, several faculty members receive funds directly
from industry for their industrially related research endeavors.
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biology scope note
(http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/divisions/biochem/student.html, June 4,
2003)

biochemistry and structural biology (e.g. protein and enzyme
structure-function relationships);

physical biochemistry (e.g. NMR spectroscopy and protein chemistry);

dynamics of membrane proteins);

DNA repair;
Research Facilities at U of C supported by this collection include:
Bio-NMR Centre; Bio-Crystallography Facility; Gene Array
Proteomics Facility; Protein Mass Spectrometry; BioComputing; Protein Calorimetry Facility; Surface Plasmon
Resonance; Fluorescence Spectrophotometer and StopFlow Spectroscopy.
Faculty of Medicine
Electron Microscopy and Imaging; Peptide Synthesis
Facility and DNA Synthesis and Sequencing Facility.
Department of Chemistry
Chemistry Instrumentation Facility
Botany:
Botany is the branch of the biological sciences that embraces the study of
plants and plant life.
Botany may be divided by subject matter into several specialties such as
plant anatomy, plant cytology, and plant ecology and plant taxonomy. It
can also be divided by the group of plants being studied such as
agrostology (the study of grasses); algology or phycology (the study of
algae) and mycology (the study of fungi).
The importance of an improved understanding of plant biology has
become apparent in recent years with the emergence of plant
biotechnology and genetic engineering as a branch of science which has
begun to affect fundamental aspects of our lives, especially our food.
http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/undergrad/syllabus/botany.html#2, May 29,
2003)
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biology scope note
Areas of Research Focus linked to areas of priority in the Academic
Plan include:

plant biotechnology (e.g. plant genetic and metabolic
engineering);

plant-propagation;

plant physiology (e.g. NMR studies of plant metabolism);

plant molecular biology (e.g. genetic engineering of economically
important plants and the regulation of secondary metabolic
pathways in plants);

biosystematics;
Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology:
The disciplines comprising cellular, molecular and microbial biology
(CMMB) deal with functions of single single-cell microorganisms and
single animal cells at a molecular level.
Research in the discipline includes investigating how the molecules within
a particular cell type carry out these specialized functions, the molecular
basis for interactions between different microorganism in the
environment, and the interactions between bacterial and immune cells
during infection. CMMB has practical applications in medicine,
biotechnology and food science.
(http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/undergrad/syllabus/cmmb.html#1, May 29,
2003)
Areas of Research Focus linked to areas of priority in the Academic Plan
include:

Genetics and molecular biology (e.g. protein engineering and
other applications of recombinant DNA technology);

bacterial biofilms;

microbial and antimicrobial biology;

cancer biology;

genomic analysis of Salmonella and other bacteria;

cellular signaling pathways;
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biology scope note
Ecology:
Ecology is the study of the interrelationships that exist between
organisms and their environment.
Sometimes referred to as environmental biology, ecology is concerned
with the patterns of distribution (where organisms occur) and with
patterns of abundance (how many organisms occur) in space and time. It
attempts to explain the factors that determine the range of environments
that organisms occupy and determine how prevalent organisms are
within those ranges.
Research facilities of U of C supported by this collection include the
Bamfield Marine Station and the Kananaskis Field Stations (Barrier Lake
Station and the R.B. Miller Station).
Areas of Research Focus linked to areas of priority in the Academic Plan
include:

behavioral ecology (behavior of bats, birds and fishes);

ecosystem ecology (activities in lake plankton communities and
microbiology of soils);

population ecology (conservation biology and dynamics of fish
and plant populations);

evolutionary ecology (population and ecological genetics and life
histories of birds and prey);

fisheries management;
Zoology:
The science that deals with knowledge of animal life. Zoology is the study
of animal development, form and function.
Embryologists examine the development of animals before birth or
hatching, and morphologists study the structure of the organism.
Animal physiologists consider the function of animals relating to their
metabolism, circulation, respiration and reproduction.
Zoologists also investigate the behavior and ecology of animals.
(http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/divisions/zoology/otherinfo.html , May 29,
2003)
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biology scope note
Research Facilities at U of C supported by this collection include the
Bamfield Marine Station and the Kananaskis Field Stations (Barrier Lake
Station and the R.B. Miller Station).
Areas of Research Focus linked to areas of priority in the Academic Plan
include:

animal anatomy (e.g. biomechanics of feeding in animals);

animal physiology (e.g. bioenergenetics and insect biodiversity);

biology of mollusks;

locomotor physiology;

veterinary medicine.
Close cooperation exists between the Division of Zoology and other
Divisions in the Department of Biological Sciences, as well as with the
Faculty of Medicine, and the research curators of the Royal Tyrrell
Museum of Palaeontology.
Exclusions:
Publications from remote geographic locations and basic introduction are usually
not purchased.
Interdisciplinary Considerations:
Department’s of Chemistry, Physics, Psychology and the Faculty of Medicine.
Some overlap with Environmental Design.
Selection Notes:
Language
English language
Level
Scholarly monographs, selected textbooks, conference proceedings,
academic serials, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, reports of
government or government-funded research, which are particularly
important for ecology.
Audience
Researchers, graduate and undergraduate students in all areas of Biology
and Medicine. The collection may also serve non-majors as biology
courses are popular science options for Arts majors.
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biology scope note
Currency
Emphasis on current material
Formats
Predominately print, with a steady increase in the availability electronic
journals and reference sources.
Duplication
Purchase duplicates of items with high circulation, some possible overlap
with collections in Medical Library.
Key Publishers
Blackwell Publishing, Cambridge, Elsevier, Kluwer, McGraw-Hill, Nature
Publishing Group, Springer-Verlag, Taylor and Francis and Wiley
Sources consulted
1. Sybil P. Parker, McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. 5th
ed. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, Inc., 1994.
2. Mc-Graw Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, New York: McGraw-Hill,
Inc. 1997.
3. Joshua Lederberg, Encyclopedia of Microbiology , New York:
Academic
Press, 2000.
4. Thomas Creighton, Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology, New York: John Wiley
& Sons, Inc.1999.
5. Department of Biological Sciences, Annual Report ,
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/faculties/SC/BI/about/annual2002.pdf
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