3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

Lectures will focus on the study of energy flow in living organisms and between them and their environment. For all of land and most of aquatic living systems the ultimate source of energy is sunlight, which, in turn, drives the primary conversion of physical energy (photon flow) into chemical energy, ultimately stored in primary metabolites. This process is Photosynthesis, in which the capture of photons initiates a chain of oxidation-reduction reactions which, via ensuing electron flow among appropriate carries embedded within biological insulators (bio-membranes), yield a transmembrane electrochemical gradient ( a battery). This potential is ultimately utilized to produce high energy chemicals, the fuel that drives all forms of metabolism and supports the manifestation of the phenomena of Life. The sequence of events is reversed during oxidative metabolism, e.g. in mitochondria. Student presentations will follow focused on specific topics of energy utilization by selected biological process as well as on issues of Bioremediation.