ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY MAJOR
Are you a new student? Make sure you check this page Watch a video explaining how to plan your first-year courses
Are you aware of your program's structure, and the applicable rules? Find this information here
Got questions? Check my FAQs for questions about topics ranging from Honours to feeling overwhelmed to Convocation ceremonies, and everything in between!
Remember, your program requirements are those that were in effect when you started each component of your program. For example, you can be in the 2021-2022 version of your Major, and the 2022-2023 version of your Specialization. To see the term when you started a program component, look at your unofficial transcript on Minerva.
Find your program requirements, including complementary course lists, in the eCalendar:
2023-2024 version of the eCalendar Note that this calendar will be updated in August, to its final version. Previous versions of the eCalendar can be selected from the menu on the left.
Remember that if you click on individual courses in the tables below or in the eCalendar's program requirements, you can view pre-requisites and other restrictions. You can also search the eCalendar for courses.
Note the following courses are offered only in alternate years:
| Course |
|
offered |
next offered |
BIOL 427
Herpetology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Principles of biology as exemplified by amphibians and reptiles. Topics include: adaptation, social behaviour, reproductive strategies, physiology, biomechanics, ecology, biogeography and evolution. Laboratories will emphasize structure, systematics and identification of local and world herpetofauna as well as field methods.
Offered by: Biology
- Fall
- 2 hours lecture; 3 hours laboratory
- Prerequisite: BIOL 205 and BIOL 305 or permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken BIOL 327.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
(downtown) |
Complementary in Wildlife Biology
|
Even-numbered Falls
|
Fall 2024, Fall 2026
|
WILD 475
Desert Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: A three week field course exploring relationships between climate, geology, landforms, biodiversity, biotic adaptations and ecosystem conditions in the arid regions of Arizona and southern California. Focus is on the Sonoran and Mojave deserts but includes the transitions to adjacent grassland and forest biomes of the Sky Islands and Colorado Plateau. Exploration of issues arising from human use of land and water, and conservation in arid environments. Experiential learning involving team and individual projects and assignments before and during the field trip.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Odd-numbered Winter terms; enrollment limited to 20.
- The course begins and ends in Phoenix AZ. Students are responsible for their transportation to/from Phoenix.
- The course requires camping and living under desert conditions.
- Restriction(s): Restricted to U2 and U3 students.
- Prerequisite(s):Permission of the instructors is required to register. To be eligible students are required to have at least one systems-focused course, one ecology course and two organismal courses. Students should consult the instructors for list of appropriate courses.
- A course fee of $1,596.23 covers the cost of transportation, camping, admissions and most meals during the field trip.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
Complementary in Wildlife Biology |
odd-numbered Summers
|
Summer 2025
|
|
MICR 450
Environmental Microbiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): Focus on microbes in the environment. Topics include extreme environments, polar microbiology, biotechnology and bioremediation. Emphasis will be on population studies based upon molecular biological methods.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
|
Complementary in Applied Ecology
|
Odd-numbered Winters
|
Winter 2025, Winter 2027
|
Suggested course progression
I highly recommend you follow the recommendations below, to ensure that you make adequate progress in your degree and avoid potentially serious scheduling difficulties in the coming years. If you take courses outside the recommended order, you may run into pre-requisite issues. Also, schedules are made in order for students to be able to complete their program in 3 years assuming they completed all program pre-requisites before starting their Major, and they follow the recommendations below. Of course, not all students can follow these recommendations for a variety of reasons. If you need help planning your courses, please talk to me directly. Note that complementary and even elective courses are included below - these are options which are conflict-free by design, but of course you can choose others, as scheduling permits.
If you are missing Foundation Year-level courses, please discuss with me the best strategy to include these in your schedule.
Most students take five 3-credit courses per term (15 credits total), but some choose to take four courses (12 credits total). For most students the overall program can be completed in three years if a full course load (i.e., 15 credits) is taken each term. If you take less than 5 courses per term it may be possible for you to "catch up" with summer courses, or you can take an extra semester or year. You are considered a full-time student if you register for at least 12 credits in a given term. Note that to be eligible for in-course scholarships from our Faculty, you must complete 27 graded credits in the school year.
The tables below are valid for the 2024-2025 school year. These tables represent blocks of courses that are conflict-free with each other.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1- The vast majority of courses in your program are offered once a year, and there is always only one scheduling option for the lecture. Thus the value of following the recommendations below, to avoid scheduling conflicts which will delay your graduation.
2- Do not use these tables as lists of program requirements! Program requirements must be accessed from the eCalendar (pay attention to the version of the program you are in, and make sure you look at the correct information on the eCalendar). For example, if an instructor who teaches a required course goes on sabbatic and the course is not offered in a given year, it will not appear in the tables, but it's still required. Similarly, alternate year courses (some of which are required in some programs) will not appear in the tables, in the years when they are not offered.
3- These blocks of courses are conflict-free by design, and exist to ensure it's possible for a "typical" student to complete the program in 3 years. You are free to take different complementary or elective courses than the ones listed below, scheduling permitting. Whether courses from different blocks are conflict-free with each other is up to chance. It's not because courses from different blocks were conflict-free with each other one year, that they will also be in any other year.
4- If the courses listed in a given term are insufficient in number, fill up your schedule with other complementary courses of your choice, or electives.
Legend for course types
(rM): required in the Major; (rS): required in the Specialization; (cM): complementary in the Major; (cS): complementary in the Specialization; (e): elective
| Fall 2024 for students in U1 |
Winter 2025 for students in U1 |
AEBI 210
Organisms 1
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of lab, per week.
(rM) † |
AEBI 211
Organisms 2
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc): Introduction to the biology of heterotrophs, focusing on animal diversity from the perspectives of phylogenetics, physiology, and ecology. Introduction to major animal taxa, comparing and contrasting these taxa, and exploration of the relationships among them.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(rM) |
ENVB 210
The Biophysical Environment
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(rM) |
AEBI 212
Evolution and Phylogeny
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc): Overview of the tree of life and exploration of the central role evolution plays in the field of biology. Difficulties inherent to classifying life and critically assessing evolutionary theory among scientific and popular audiences. The importance of phylogenetics and the relationships among major groups of organisms.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(rM) |
ENVB 222
St. Lawrence Ecosystems
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- This course carries an additional charge of $19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
(rM) |
AEHM 205
Science Literacy
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Students whose first language is not English are encouraged to register for WCOM 295, ESL: Academic English Seminar, or equivalent, prior to starting their program.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Carole Newman, Emily MacKenzie
- Carole Newman, Emily MacKenzie
(rM) |
|
FDSC 230
Organic Chemistry
4 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Atomic and molecular structure, modern concepts of bonding, overview of functional groups, conformational analysis, stereochemistry, mechanisms and reactions of aliphatic compounds.
Offered by: Food Science&Agr.Chemistry
- Fall or Winter
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite(s): AECH 110 or CHEM 110 or equivalent of CHEM NYA in CEGEP.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Alice D Cherestes
- Alice D Cherestes
(e) if not already done* OR
ENTO 330
Insect Biology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Entomology: Introduction to entomology, including the the importance and diversity of insects; insect morphology, anatomy and physiology; insect sensory systems; reproduction; metamorphosis; insect classification and survey of the orders and common families.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(cM)
|
ENVB 305
Population & Community Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(rM)
|
|
LSCI 204
Genetics
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken BIOL 202.
(rM) †
|
LSCI 211
Biochemistry 1
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Life Sciences: Biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids; enzymes and coenzymes. Introduction to intermediary metabolism.
Offered by: Parasitology
- Co-requisite: FDSC 230
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken FDSC 211
- Terms
- Instructors
- Igor Cestari, Thavy Long
- Thavy Long, Igor Cestari
* (rM)
|
*To register for LSCI 211 students must also be registered for FDSC 230 Organic Chemistry, in the same or a previous term unless an equivalent Organic Chemistry course was completed prior to coming to McGill. If you already completed a full term of Organic Chemistry, you do NOT need to take FDSC 230 and could replace it by ENVB 301 Meteorology in your first term. If this is the case and Minerva prevents you from registering for LSCI 211 due to a “pre-requisite/test score error”, please contact me directly.
†Note that some or all of the labs in this course are restricted by program. You must choose a lab section that is open to students in your program, or that is not restricted, as visible in the course's detailed schedule on Minerva (Registration Menu, Step 2). If you choose a section that is not open to you, you will get a Major Restriction error.
Environmental Biology and Applied Ecology
| Fall 2024 for students in U2 |
Winter 2025 for students in U2 |
ENTO 330
Insect Biology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Entomology: Introduction to entomology, including the the importance and diversity of insects; insect morphology, anatomy and physiology; insect sensory systems; reproduction; metamorphosis; insect classification and survey of the orders and common families.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(cM) |
AEMA 310
Statistical Methods 1
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab
- Please note that credit will be given for only one introductory statistics course. Consult your academic advisor.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Pierre R L Dutilleul
- Jaskaran Dhiman
(rM)
|
|
ENVB 313
Phylogeny and Biogeography
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Topics in the interface of evolution, phylogenetics, and biogeography, including tree thinking, phylogeny estimation, and the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity. The major scientific discoveries that demonstrated how Earth’s history affects the evolution of organisms, including the unheard voices of evolutionary biology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
(cM)
|
LSCI 230
Introductory Microbiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Life Sciences: The occurrence and importance of microorganisms in the biosphere. Principles governing growth, death and metabolic activities of microorganisms. An introduction to the microbiology of soil, water, plants, food, humans and animals.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(rM) † |
WILD 302
Fish Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: AEBI 211 or permission of instructor
- This course carries an additional charge of $39.87 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
(cM, cS) |
WILD 350
Mammalogy
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: This course focuses on the evolution, classification, ecology and behaviour of mammals and relations between humans and mammals. Also structure, systematics and identification of local and world mammals, as well as field methods will be emphasized.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisites: AEBI 211 and WILD 307
- An additional fee of 19.07 is charged to all students registered in WILD 350, Mammalogy, a course that has a required field trip.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Murray Mitchell Humphries
(cS) |
WILD 307
Natural History of Vertebrates
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: The diversity and natural history of Canadian vertebrates illustrated with trophic, phylogenetic, and macroecological approaches.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- This course carries an additional charge of 19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Murray Mitchell Humphries
(cM, cS) |
|
†Note that some or all of the labs in this course are restricted by program. You must choose a lab section that is open to students in your program, or that is not restricted, as visible in the course's detailed schedule on Minerva (Registration Menu, Step 2). If you choose a section that is not open to you, you will get a Major Restriction error.
Summer between U2 and U3:
FAES 300
Internship 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Agricultural & Env.Sc.-Dean
- 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.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Alice D Cherestes, Kendra Gray
(cM)
| Fall 2024 for students in U3 |
Winter 2025 for students in U3 |
ENVB 410
Ecosystem Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- This course carries an additional charge of 19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Prerequisites: ENVB 222, AEMA 310 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
(rM) |
ENVB 437
Assessing Environmental Impact
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Principles and practice of Environmental Assessment (EA) in Canada and internationally. Exploration of issues surrounding impact assessment for sustainable development in different sectors, including their limitations.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Open to U2 students and above.
(rS, cM) |
ENVB 529
GIS for Natural Resource Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite(s): At least one environmental science course and one ecology course or permission of instructor
- Restriction(s): U2 students and above. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 201, GEOG 306 or GEOG 307, ENVB/BREE 430, or BREE 529. Limited to 32 students.
- Fall
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jeffrey A Cardille, Viacheslav Adamchuk, Jaskaran Dhiman
(rS) |
ENVB 506
Quantitative Methods: Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: The process of formulating models of natural systems and confronting them with data, along with the necessary statistical computing skills. Emphasis on hands-on experience with current approaches for building, fitting, and comparing models.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Prerequisites: AEMA 310 and ENVB 305; or graduate student status; or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken AEMA 306 or AEMA 406.
(cS) |
WILD 302
Fish Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: AEBI 211 or permission of instructor
- This course carries an additional charge of $39.87 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
(cM, cS) |
MICR 331
Microbial Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in
biogeochemical cycles. 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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Prerequisite(s): LSCI 230 or AEBI 212 or ENVR 202 or permission of the instructor.
- Not recommended for U1 students.
(cM, cS) |
Environmental Biology and Plant Biology
| Fall 2024 for students in U2 |
Winter 2025 for students in U2 |
|
ENTO 330
Insect Biology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Entomology: Introduction to entomology, including the the importance and diversity of insects; insect morphology, anatomy and physiology; insect sensory systems; reproduction; metamorphosis; insect classification and survey of the orders and common families.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(cM)
|
AEMA 310
Statistical Methods 1
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab
- Please note that credit will be given for only one introductory statistics course. Consult your academic advisor.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Pierre R L Dutilleul
- Jaskaran Dhiman
(rM)
|
ENVB 313
Phylogeny and Biogeography
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Topics in the interface of evolution, phylogenetics, and biogeography, including tree thinking, phylogeny estimation, and the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity. The major scientific discoveries that demonstrated how Earth’s history affects the evolution of organisms, including the unheard voices of evolutionary biology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
(cM) |
LSCI 230
Introductory Microbiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Life Sciences: The occurrence and importance of microorganisms in the biosphere. Principles governing growth, death and metabolic activities of microorganisms. An introduction to the microbiology of soil, water, plants, food, humans and animals.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
† (rM)
|
PLNT 305
Plant Pathology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: The theory and concepts of plant pathology, including the disease cycle, infection, symptoms, resistance, epidemiology and control. The biology and taxonomy of pathogens will be studied, including fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes. Techniques of inoculation, isolation of pathogens from diseased plants, disease diagnosis and pathogen identification will be demonstrated.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
(cS) |
PLNT 310
Plant Propagation
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: Principles and practical aspects of plant propagation are examined. The course consists of two parts. The first third deals with sexual propagation; the production, processing storage certification and analysis of seeds. The remaining two-thirds deals with vegetative propagation; cutting, budding, grafting, layering, and tissue culture.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
(cS)
|
PLNT 358
Flowering Plant Diversity
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- A 4-day field week is held the week preceding the start of classes
- Prerequisite: AEBI 210 or ENVR 202 or permission of instructor
- A $92.68 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.
(rS, cM) |
PLNT 353
Plant Structure and Function
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: The general anatomy and physiology of vascular plants with emphasis on how physiological processes influence function.
Offered by: Plant Science
(rS)
|
| |
PLNT 316
Plant Specialized Metabolism
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: Plant specialized metabolism in the context of cellbiology, physiology, genetics, and synthetic biology. Thetransformation of simple sugars and amino acids intocomplex natural products. Technologies to deploy suchpathways in engineered organisms to produce high-valuemetabolites sustainably, at scale.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Prerequisites: AEBI 210, LSCI 211.
- Restrictions: Open to U2 students and higher.
(cS) |
†Note that some or all of the labs in this course are restricted by program. You must choose a lab section that is open to students in your program, or that is not restricted, as visible in the course's detailed schedule on Minerva (Registration Menu, Step 2). If you choose a section that is not open to you, you will get a Major Restriction error.
Summer between U2 and U3:
PLNT 460
Plant Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: AEMA 310 or permission of instructor.
- This course carries an additional charge of $170.00 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
(cS)
| Fall 2024 for students in U3 |
Winter 2025 for students in U3 |
ENVB 410
Ecosystem Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- This course carries an additional charge of 19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Prerequisites: ENVB 222, AEMA 310 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
(rM) |
ENVB 437
Assessing Environmental Impact
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Principles and practice of Environmental Assessment (EA) in Canada and internationally. Exploration of issues surrounding impact assessment for sustainable development in different sectors, including their limitations.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Open to U2 students and above.
(cM)
|
|
ENVB 529
GIS for Natural Resource Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite(s): At least one environmental science course and one ecology course or permission of instructor
- Restriction(s): U2 students and above. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 201, GEOG 306 or GEOG 307, ENVB/BREE 430, or BREE 529. Limited to 32 students.
- Fall
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jeffrey A Cardille, Viacheslav Adamchuk, Jaskaran Dhiman
(e)
|
PLNT 316
Plant Specialized Metabolism
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: Plant specialized metabolism in the context of cellbiology, physiology, genetics, and synthetic biology. Thetransformation of simple sugars and amino acids intocomplex natural products. Technologies to deploy suchpathways in engineered organisms to produce high-valuemetabolites sustainably, at scale.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Prerequisites: AEBI 210, LSCI 211.
- Restrictions: Open to U2 students and higher.
(cS) |
|
PLNT 305
Plant Pathology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: The theory and concepts of plant pathology, including the disease cycle, infection, symptoms, resistance, epidemiology and control. The biology and taxonomy of pathogens will be studied, including fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes. Techniques of inoculation, isolation of pathogens from diseased plants, disease diagnosis and pathogen identification will be demonstrated.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
(cS)
|
PLNT 426
Plant Ecophysiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Plant Science: This course investigates the complex interactions between plants and their environment, focusing on the mechanisms underlying plant physiological processes. Plasticity of plants to their ecological environment; topics include phytoremediation, plant stress responses, plant-symbiosis and plant-insect interactions.
Offered by: Plant Science
(rS)
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WOOD 441
Integrated Forest Management
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Woodland Resources: The study of silviculture and silvics and their application to forest management to sustain the production of wood and other ecological goods and services such as wildlife, water and landscape in natural forests and rural environments (agroforestry). Acquisition of practical skills in forest surveying and computer simulation of forest growth.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(cM)
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Environmental Biology and Wildlife Biology
| Fall 2024 for students in U2 |
Winter 2025 for students in U2 |
PLNT 358
Flowering Plant Diversity
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- A 4-day field week is held the week preceding the start of classes
- Prerequisite: AEBI 210 or ENVR 202 or permission of instructor
- A $92.68 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.
(cM, cS) |
AEMA 310
Statistical Methods 1
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab
- Please note that credit will be given for only one introductory statistics course. Consult your academic advisor.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Pierre R L Dutilleul
- Jaskaran Dhiman
(rM)
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WILD 302
Fish Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: AEBI 211 or permission of instructor
- This course carries an additional charge of $39.87 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
(cM, cS)*
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ENVB 305
Population & Community Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
(rM) if not already done
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WILD 307
Natural History of Vertebrates
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: The diversity and natural history of Canadian vertebrates illustrated with trophic, phylogenetic, and macroecological approaches.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- This course carries an additional charge of 19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Murray Mitchell Humphries
(rS)
|
LSCI 230
Introductory Microbiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Life Sciences: The occurrence and importance of microorganisms in the biosphere. Principles governing growth, death and metabolic activities of microorganisms. An introduction to the microbiology of soil, water, plants, food, humans and animals.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
† (rM)
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WILD 350
Mammalogy
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: This course focuses on the evolution, classification, ecology and behaviour of mammals and relations between humans and mammals. Also structure, systematics and identification of local and world mammals, as well as field methods will be emphasized.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisites: AEBI 211 and WILD 307
- An additional fee of 19.07 is charged to all students registered in WILD 350, Mammalogy, a course that has a required field trip.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Murray Mitchell Humphries
(rS)
|
*Note that if you plan on doing Honours in U3 and on taking WILD 302, you should take WILD 302 in U2 fall, to allow space for Honours in your U3.
†Note that some or all of the labs in this course are restricted by program. You must choose a lab section that is open to students in your program, or that is not restricted, as visible in the course's detailed schedule on Minerva (Registration Menu, Step 2). If you choose a section that is not open to you, you will get a Major Restriction error.
Summer between U2 and U3:
FAES 300
Internship 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Agricultural & Env.Sc.-Dean
- 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.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Alice D Cherestes, Kendra Gray
(cM)
| Fall 2024 for students in U3 |
Winter 2025 for students in U3 |
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ENVB 410
Ecosystem Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- This course carries an additional charge of 19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Prerequisites: ENVB 222, AEMA 310 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
(rM)
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ENVB 437
Assessing Environmental Impact
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Principles and practice of Environmental Assessment (EA) in Canada and internationally. Exploration of issues surrounding impact assessment for sustainable development in different sectors, including their limitations.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Open to U2 students and above.
(cM, cS)
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ENVB 529
GIS for Natural Resource Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite(s): At least one environmental science course and one ecology course or permission of instructor
- Restriction(s): U2 students and above. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 201, GEOG 306 or GEOG 307, ENVB/BREE 430, or BREE 529. Limited to 32 students.
- Fall
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jeffrey A Cardille, Viacheslav Adamchuk, Jaskaran Dhiman
(rS)
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ENVB 506
Quantitative Methods: Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: The process of formulating models of natural systems and confronting them with data, along with the necessary statistical computing skills. Emphasis on hands-on experience with current approaches for building, fitting, and comparing models.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Prerequisites: AEMA 310 and ENVB 305; or graduate student status; or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken AEMA 306 or AEMA 406.
(cS)
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WILD 302
Fish Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: AEBI 211 or permission of instructor
- This course carries an additional charge of $39.87 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
(cM, cS) |
PARA 424
Fundamental Parasitology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Parasitology: Systematics, morphology, biology and ecology of parasitic protozoa, flatworms, roundworms and arthropods with emphasis on economically and medically important species.
Offered by: Parasitology
- Prerequisite(s): AEBI 211 or LSCI 230 or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 424.
(cS) |
WILD 401
Fisheries&Wildlife Management
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: Principles of fisheries and wildlife management are considered and current practices of research and management are discussed.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: WILD 307 or permission of instructor
- A fee is charged to all students registered in WILD 401, Fisheries and Wildlife Management, a course that has a required field trip. This fee is used to support the cost of excursions, accommodations, food and fees associated with visiting research facilities where final projects are devised, and data are collected in the field (e.g., at the SUNY-ESF Adirondaks Ecological Center in Newcomb, New York). The Department of Natural Resource Sciences subsidizes a portion of the cost of this compulsory activity.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Murray Mitchell Humphries, Kyle Elliott, Melissa McKinney, Denis Roy
(rS) |
WILD 421
Wildlife Conservation
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: Study of current controversial issues focusing on wildlife conservation. Topics include: animal rights, exotic species, ecotourism, urban wildlife, multi-use of national parks, harvesting of wildlife, biological controls, and endangered species.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NRSC 421.
(cS)
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WILD 420
Ornithology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Resource Development: Taxonomic relationships and evolution of birds. Examination of the physiology, migration, identification and ecological processes of North American birds.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite: WILD 307 or permission of instructor
- This course carries an additional charge of 19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
(rS)
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