FOUR-YEAR ACADEMIC PROGRAMME FOR B.Sc. (Hons) BOTANY

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

GENERAL COURSES

BIO 101: GENERAL BIOLOGY (3 credits)

         PRE REQ.: O/LEVEL BIOLOGY

Cell structure and organization of cellular organelles diversity, characteristics and classification of organisms, heredity and evolution, elements of ecology and types of habitats.

BIO 102: GENERAL BIOLOGY 11 (3 credits)       

         PRE REQ.: O/LEVEL BIOLOGY BIO 101

General survey of plant and animals kingdoms based mainly on study of similarities and differences in the external features and ecological adaptation of these forms.

BIO 201: INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES (2 credits)

         PRE REQ.: BIO 101 AND 102

Microscope, preparation of temporary and permanent microscope slides. Photometry, colorimetric, chromatorgraphy, conductometry and experimental design. Collection and preservation of biological specimens from terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

BIO 203: INTRODUCTORY CELL BIOLOGY (2 credits)

            PRE REQ.: BIO 101, 102

Detailed study of cell and cell organelles, including their ultra structure cytological techniques: cell divisions – mitosis and meiosis biogenesis of microtubules, microfilaments, golgi bodies and mitochondria. Introduction to bioenergetics and thermodynamics.

BIO 232: GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 101 AND 102

Structure, properties and organization of matter. Thermodynamics and energy of reactions. Physiological importance of inorganic and organic molecules. Movement of substances in and out of cells. Movements in plants and animals.

BIO 251 GENERAL GENETICS (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: 101 and 102

Historical background and Mendel’s work. Basic terminologies. Chemical nature of the gene and gene interactions. Heritable and non-heritable characteristics. Sex determination, inheritance in population, multiple alleles, sex linkage, mutation, molecular basis of inheritance. DNA, RNA and protein synthesis. The concept and theory of evolution, variation and natural selection. Aspects of human generics and common generic diseases.

BIO 261: INTRODUCTORY ECOLOGY (2 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 101 AND 102

Definitions of basic concepts. Environmental factors: abiotic and biotic factors of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, energy flow and nutrient cycling in various ecosystems. Major biomes of the world. Population parameters, basic sampling techniques for both plan and animals.

BIO 303: BIOMETRY (2 credits)

PRE REQ.: STA 202

Definition of terms: frequency, pie-chart, normal distribution and its deviations; measurement of variance; sampling distribution and analysis – “t” – test, X² (chi-squared); f-values; u-test, k-test, etc. hypothesis testing; and aspects of experimental design through analysis of variance. Probability theory, correlation and regression analysis.

BIO 361: PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGY AND FIELD COURSE (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 261

The ecosystem concept, community attributes and species diversity, community metabolism and community dynamics. Local biotic communities. Man and his environment, extensive field work and written reports.

BIO 401: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (3 credits)

Biogenesis of microtubules, microfilaments, golgi and mitochondria membrane – membrane interactions. Introduction to bioenergetics and thermodynamics.

BIO 403: SOIL SCIENCE (2 credits)

Physical and chemical nature of soil. Soil profile and soil classifications. Plant – soil water relationships. Detritus organisms. Cycling of nutrients. Nutrient pools.

BIO 461 CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: ZOO 304: 342, 361, 365.

Development of conservation movement, scope of conservation, strategy for conservation, man, nature and resources, principles of paces, grasslands and grazing, man’s use of water, forestry, agricultural systems and production, the sea and its mineral and biological resources, pollution, environmental limits of man’s economic growth.

BIO 464 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 361

The human environment – land, water and air. Impact of human activities on these environments, including pollution from industrial activities and environmental mutagens and carcinogens. Management of human environment, including solid waste disposal.

BIO 465 CLIMATOLOGY (2 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 361

Trends and concepts in climatology, energy and water. Earth and its atmosphere. Climatic classification and climatic changes. The general circulation of the atmosphere. Weather and climate in the tropics and temperature lands.

BOTANY COURSES

BOT 102: INTRODUCTORY BOTANY (2 credits)

General classification of plants features of vascular and no-vascular plants. Duration of life, life cycles and life or growth forms of plants. Cell structure and functions. Botanical drawings and use of microscope.

BOT 201: SEEDLESS PLANTS (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 102/BIO 101, AND 102

The fundamental structure and functions of cryptogams, the environmental features, agricultural and industrial importance, evolutionary sequence of members of the Thallophyta (bacteria, fungi and algae). Bryophyte (liverworths, hornworts and mosses) and pteriodophyta will be studied.

BOT 202: PHYCOLOGY (2 credits)

PRE-REQ.: BOT 102

Morphology, taxonomy, range of structure, physiology, reproduction and ecological characteristics of various freshwater and marine alges.

BOT 204: SEED PLANTS (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 102; BIO 101, 102

Morphological study of the stems, roots, leaves, flowers and fruits of angiosperms, including their modifications. Seed structure and germination.

BOT 206: BRYOLOGY (2 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 201

Morphology, taxonomy, physiology, ecology and reproduction of various groups of Bryophytes (liverworts, hornworts and mosses)

BOT 282: PLANT MORPHOGENESIS (2 credits)

The emergence of plant organs and their arrangement in space. The structural and physiological events involved in the development of an entire plant, initiation of organs and their subsequent development.

BOT 301: WEED BIOLOGY AND CONTROL (2 credits)

Weed and their evolution, economic importance of weeds, characteristics and control of weeds.

BOT 311: PLANT ANATOMY 1 (3 credits)

Characteristics and classification of tissues and tissues systems. Organization of meristems. Primary structure of plant organsroots, stems and leaves in monocots.

BOT 321: PRINCIPLES OF PLANT TAXONOMY (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 232

Historical development of plant taxonomy, Botanical nomenclature, construction and use of keys, Taxonomic hierarchies, methods in plant taxonomy, Taxonomic characters.

BOT 331: PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 1 (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 232

Principal physiological processes in plants, including mineral nutrition, absorption of water, transpiration and stomatal movements, ion uptake and transport, ion antagonism, sap flow, photosynthesis and fool storage, translocation and flowering.

BOT 341: MYCOLOGY (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 201

Definition of terms, classification, structure, life cycle, distribution and economic importance of the various taxa of fungi, collection and preparation techniques, fungal diseases/infections.

BOT 381: PTERIDOPHYTES & GYMNOSPERMS (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 201

General characteristics and taxonomy of pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Morphology of the various classes and orders of Pteridophytes and gymnosperms.

BOT 401: SEMINAR (1 credit)

Literature research/review on selected botanical topic staff guidance, written up and presented in class and finally submitted in bound form.

BOT 402: ECONOMIC BOTANY (3 credits)

The botany, cultivation, processing and uses of tropical plants with particular reference to Nigerian economic plants producing oils, rubber and wood products, fibres, dyes and leather tanning materials, sugar and pharmaceutical products.

BOT 403 PALAEOBOTANY (2 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 201 AND 204

Fossils and fossilizations, early history of life on earth. Geological time scale

BOT 411: PLANT ANATOMY II (3 credits)

Evolution of vascular tissues, secondary growth in thickness; formation of cork and lenticels. Annual rings, comparative wood anatomy; anatomical adaptations to specialized habitats, applied aspects of plant anatomy.

BOT 471: PLANT PATHOLOGY (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 341

Principles and concepts of plant disease development, parasitic and non-parasitic diseases, methods of studying nematode diseases of plants. Plant disease control.

BOT 422: ANGIOSPERM TAXONOMY (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 321, 321

Engler’s and Hutchinson’s systems of classification of angiosperms compared. Survey of major angiosperm families & orders. Primitive and advanced characters.

BOT 431: PLANT PHYSIOLOGY II (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOT 331

Growth physiology, growth regulators and phytochromes, dormancy, physiology of seed germination, juvenility, maturity, senescence and death. Physiology of special plants – trees, angiosperm parasites, and plants under stress. Secondary plant products. Nitrogen metabolism.

BOT 452: CYTOGENETICS & PLANT BREEDNG (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 251

Chromosome structure and number, crossing over, pedigree analysis, mutagenesis. Population generics-Hardy-Weinberg Law. Gene recombination, elementary probability and testing genetic ratios. Modern applications of genetics, the objectives and origin of plant breeding. Self- pollinated and cross – pollinated crops. Breeding methods: pure line breeding and mass selection. Pedigree method, bulk population breeding, back-cross breeding. Recurrent selection heterosis, chromosome manipulation. Plant propagation techniques – macro and micro.

BOT 462: NIGERIAN VEGETATION (2 credits)

PRE REQ.: BIO 261, BIO 361

Nigerian vegetation types:- mangrove swamp forest, fresh water swamp forest, tropical rain forest 7 savanna – their environment, structure and management. The impact of human activities on the Nigerian vegetation. Vegetation sampling and analysis.

BOT 463 POPUALTION ECOLOGY (3 credits)

PRE REQ.: BOIL 261, 361

Distribution and abundance of plants & animals. Species interactions. Theories of population regulation. Applied problems: optimum yield concept, biological controls, population growth – demographic techniques. Human population problems and control measures.

BOT 499: PROJECT (4 credits)

A research project, involving an investigation of a selected botanical problem. The project is written up in the form of a scientific report.

GIT 399 INDUSTRIAL TRAINING (6 CREDITS)