Preamble
The Department of Biological Sciences is a modern multidisciplinary department that offers graduate programs leading to the MSc. and PhD. degrees. In addition, the Department participates in the Master of Resource Management (MRM) program and offers the professional degrees of Master of Pest Management (MPM) and Master of Environmental Toxicology (MET).
Undergraduate and post baccalaureate programs are offered in Biological Sciences and Environmental Toxicology.
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the biological sciences the collections of the Departments of Biological Sciences, Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry overlap and are interdependent. In addition, the Departments of Biological Science and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry will be jointly responsible for certain courses.
Research in the Department of Biological Sciences ranges from basic studies at the molecular level to applied research in environmental biology. There are concentrations of faculty expertise in molecular biology and biochemistry, behavioural ecology, animal and plant physiology, and marine biology. These basic research areas are complemented by applied areas such as agricultural and forest pest management, and environmental toxicology.
Individual faculty members in the Department of Biological Sciences have organized themselves into various groups, listed below:
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group (BERG): Evolutionary and behavioural ecology in a variety of organisms. Research spans behavioural, molecular, physiological and mathematical approaches.
- Chemical Ecology Research Group: Chemical ecology and semiochemicals.
- Centre for Environmental Biology: Pest management and environmental toxicology.
- CWS/NSERC Wildlife Ecology Chair: Wildlife ecology, with special emphasis on behavioural, population and physiological ecology.
Course and research areas
Faculty research:
| Animal behaviour Aquatic toxicology Behavioural ecology Biochemical toxicology Biological control Biology of seaweeds Biometrics Biophysics Cardiorespiratory physiology of fish Cardiovascular physiology Cephalopod biology Chemical ecology Contaminants - fate & effect Cytology Developmental biology Developmental genetics Drosophila developmental genetics Drosophila - signalling Ecology Ecosystem biogeochemistry Ecotoxicology Embryonic Development Endocrinology Environmental risk assessment Environmental toxicology Evolution of social behaviour Evolutionary ecology Field ecology Fish diseases Forest entomology Fungal pathogenesis Genetics Immunochemistry Immunology Insect behavioural ecology Insect parasitology Insect physiology Insect taxonomy Land-water interactions Limnology |
Marine invertebrate ecology Marine microbiology Marine phycology Mating system evolution Microbiology Modulation by ABA Molecular biology Molecular development Molecular evolution Nematology Neurobiology Neurophysiology Ornithology Osmotic stress Osmotica Paleoecology Palynology Parasitology Pest management Pesticide biochemistry Pheromones Physiological ecology Plant biotechnology Plant evolutionary ecology Plant-insect interactions Plant molecular biology Plant physiology Plant stress physiology Population biology Population dynamics Population genetics Quantitative genetics Root specific gene expression Seed specific gene expression Semiochemicals Social insects Systematics Toxicology Vision Wildlife biology |
Graduate courses
| Animal physiology Animal disease vectors - management Aquatic ecology Behavioural ecology Biochemical toxicology Biological controls Cell biology Comparative endocrinology Conservation ecology Drug toxicology Ecological physiology Ecotoxicology Environmental risk assessment - human and ecological Environmental toxicology Environmental toxicology - testing Evolution of social behaviour Evolutionary ecology Evolutionary physiology Evolutionary theory Eyes and vision Farm and speciality crop pest management Food toxicology |
Forest insects - biology and management Forest pest management Industrial biotechnology Industrial microbiology Insect development and reproduction Insecticide chemistry and toxicology Marine and aquatic biology Medical and veterinary entomology Molecular biology Nematology Orchard crop pest management Pest ecology and management Plant biology Plant disease development and control Plant ecology Plant physiology Population biology Reproductive strategies Survival strategies Urban and industrial pest management Vertebrate pests Weed biology and control |
Undergraduate courses:
| Animal ecology Animal physiology Apiculture Biology Biology of non-vascular plants Biotechnology Cell biochemistry Cell biology Cell physiology Chemical pesticides and the environment Developmental biology Ecology Endocrinology Entomology Environmental physiology of animals Environmental toxicology Ethology (animal behaviour) Evolution Experimental techniques Fish biology Genetic analysis Genetics Histochemistry Insect biology Invertebrate biology Limnology |
Marine biology and oceanography Metabolism Microbiology Molecular biology Molecular biochemistry Molecular biotechnology Molecular genetics Molecular physiology Natural history of British Columbia Ornithology Paleoecology Palynology Pest management Plant biology Plant development Plant ecology Plant molecular biology Plant pathology Plant physiology Population dynamics Population genetics Research design, reporting and technique Separation techniques Vertebrate biology Wildlife biology |
The Department has chosen to not cover these areas:
Human biology is not covered except for physiology, senses and genetics. Medicine is not covered except for toxicology and environmental health. Agriculture is not covered except for botany, soil microbiology, weed control, pathology, pesticides and entomology. Animal husbandry is not covered except for beekeeping and wild bird husbandry. Veterinary medicine is not covered except for animal toxicology and parasitology and diseases of fish, birds and wild animals.
Collection Development Responsibility
Collection development is the responsibility of the Biological Sciences Liaison Librarian. Liaison with the Department of Biological Sciences is maintained through the Departmental Representative as well as with other faculty members when required. Regular contact with other liaison librarians and teaching departments is nurtured through the sharing of relevant review material.
SFU Resources
The WAC Bennett is the major location of the University’s Biological Sciences collection.
Regional Resources
UBC has botanical, zoological and applied biological science materials.
Consortia and Document Delivery
SFU belongs to three consortia (Electronic Library Network, Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries, Canadian Association of Research Libraries). Document delivery agreements exist with all three of these consortia which allow delivery of journal articles and books from these libraries in a timely manner. Holdings and direct requesting from over 40 libraries are accessible through the Interlibrary Loan web page and from many databases.
General Collection Guidelines
Languages: the emphasis is on the acquisition of materials in English.
Chronological: not applicable.
Geographic: North American and European publications, generally not Asian. Focus on BC flora and fauna, but interested in fish world-wide.
Treatment of subject: generally no proceedings, lower undergraduate textbooks or popular material.
Types of materials: split between books, journals and databases. No more than 90% of the budget is to be spent on serials (print or electronic). Increased emphasis on e-journals and other web resources.
Date of Publication: emphasis is on current publications. Retrospective acquisitions are normally only for the replacement of important titles.
Coordination and cooperation with other library collecting areas: Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the biological sciences the collections of the Departments of Biological Sciences, Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry overlap and are interdependent. Some courses are offered jointly by the departments of Biological Sciences and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Biological Sciences and the School of Kinesiology share areas of research in the medical and neurosciences.
Other factors for consideration: None.
Subjects and Levels of Collecting
Definitions of collection levels are derived from the American Library Association’s Guide for Developing Collection Policy Statements, 1989.
1. Outside the scope of the university curricula and research
Animal husbandry, except for beekeeping and wild bird husbandry.
Medicine, except for toxicology and environmental health.
Veterinary medicine, except for toxicology and parasitology and diseases of birds, fish and wild animals.
See below for details.
2. Peripheral to the university curricula and research
Agriculture, except for botany, soil microbiology, weed control, pathology, pesticides and entomology.
Experimental pharmacology, except for drugs for the cardiovascular, nervous and respiratory systems.
Forestry, except for protection and entomology.
Human biology, except for physiology, senses and genetics.
See below for details.
3. Supports undergraduate courses
See below.
4. Supports masters programmes
See below.
5. Supports Ph.D. programmes and faculty research
See below.
The acquisition of library materials is based on subject specific polices. Please see the Levels of Collecting table for details.