Biology

Terry and Gerry Audesirk grew up in New Jersey, where they met as undergraduates. After marrying in 1970, they moved to California, where Terry earned her doctorate in marine ecology at the University of Southern California and Gerry earned his doctorate in neurobiology at the California Institute of Technology. As postdoctoral fellows at the University of Washington’s marine laboratories, they worked together on the neural bases of behavior, using a marine mollusk as a model system. The Audesirks joined the faculty of the University of Colorado, Denver, in 1982, where they taught introductory biology and neurobiology, and researched mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity and the effects of estrogen on cultured neurons until their retirement in 2006. Terry and Gerry share a deep appreciation of nature and of the outdoors. After retirement, they moved to a ranch near Steamboat Springs, where they enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and snowshoeing. Long-time members of many conservation organizations, they do volunteer work with the Nature Conservatory.    Bruce E. Byers, a midwesterner transplanted to the hills of western Massachusetts, is a professor in the biology department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has been a member of the faculty at UMass (where he also completed his doctoral degree) since 1993. Bruce teaches courses in ornithology and evolution.             A lifelong fascination with birds ultimately led Bruce to scientific exploration of avian biology. His current research focuses on the behavioral ecology of birds, especially on the function and evolution of the vocal signals that birds use to communicate. The pursuit of vocalizations often takes Bruce outdoors, where he can be found before dawn, tape recorder in hand, awaiting the first songs of a new day.

1. An Introduction to Life on Earth  

I. LIFE OF THE CELL

2. Atoms, Molecules, and Life  

3. Biological Molecules  

4. Cell Structure and Function  

5. Cell Membrane Structure and Function  

6. Energy Flow in the Life of a Cell  

7. Capturing Solar Energy: Photosynthesis  

8. Harvesting Energy: Glycolysis and Cellular Respiration 

II. INHERITANCE 

9. The Continuity of Life: Cellular Reproduction  

10. Patterns of Inheritance  

11. DNA: The Molecule of Heredity  

12. Gene Expression and Regulation  

13. Biotechnology  

III. EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE

14. Principles of Evolution  

15. How Organisms Evolve  

16. The Origin of Species  

17. The History of Life  

18. Systematics: Seeking Order Amidst Diversity  

19. The Diversity of Prokaryotes and Viruses  

20. The Diversity of Protists  

21. The Diversity of Plants  

22. The Diversity of Fungi  

23. Animal Diversity I: Invertebrates  

24. Animal Diversity II: Vertebrates  

IV. BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY

25. Animal Behavior  

26. Population Growth and Regulation  

27. Community Interactions  

28. How Do Ecosystems Work?  

29. Earth’s Diverse Ecosystems  

30. Conserving Earth’s Biodiversity