I.

Institute of Biology
College of Science
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City
COURSE SYLLABUS
BIOLOGY 180 STATISTICAL METHODS IN BIOLOGY
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Application of basic statistics in the biological sciences.
Prerequisite: Math 17
Credit: 3 hours lecture
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this course, the students should be able to:
1. understand and apply the basic and fundamental concepts of Statistics in promoting
scientific discovery;
2. understand the relevance of statistical reasoning to biological research;
3. apply appropriate statistical tools to biological problems; and,
4. acquire basic skills in the use of statistical software and in the interpretation of
computer output.
COURSE OUTLINE
Lecture Topics No. of meetings
1
Introduction
A. The Development of Biometry
B. Types of Biological Data
C. Samples and Populations
D. Variables in Biology
E. Accuracy and Significant Figures
F. Summation Notation and Dot Notation
II. Statistical Measures of Biological Data 1
A. Measures of Central Tendency
B. Measures of Variabilit and Dis_ersion
Ill. Statistical Description of Biological Data 2
A. Frequency Distributions
B. Graphical Displays
C. Data Summaries
D. Symmetry and Skewness
E. Percentiles, Deciles, and Quartiles
Computer Session
1
IV. Probability and the Life Sciences 3
A. Permutations and Combinations
B. Probability Concepts: Applied to the evaluation of
screening tests, sensitivity, and specificity tests
C. Rules of Probability: Focus on Applications in Genetics
First Lecture Exam 1
V. Discrete Probability Distributions 2
A. Binomial and Mutinomial Distributions: Applications in
Genetics
B. Poisson Distribution and its Applications in Ecology
VI. Continuous Probability Distributions 2
A. The Normal Distribution and Quantitative Genetic Traits
B. The Standard Normal Distribution
C. Assessing Departures from Normality
VI I. Sampling Distributions 3
A. Sampling with Replacement
B. Sampling without Replacement
C. The Central Limit Theorem
D. Confidence Interval for the Population Mean
E. t Distribution
F. Confidence Interval for the Population Variance
G. Sampling Procedures for Field Biolog
Second Lecture Exam
1
VI I I. Introduction to Hypothesis Testing 1
IX. One-Sample Hypotheses 1
X. Comparison of Two Independent Samples 1
XI. Comparison of Two Paired Samples: (Biological experiments 1
that involve repeated measurements on the same individuals at
diferent times)
XI I. Analysis of Variance 1
Third Lecture Exam 1
XI II. Statistical Principles of Design: Design of simple experiments 2
in Physiology, Genetics and Fish Biology
XIV. Analysis of Categorical Data: The Chi-square Test and 1
Classical Mendelian Genetics
XV. Linear Regression and Correlation: Applications in predicting 2
biological relationships
XVI. Nonparametric Tests: Applications in Ecology and 2
Microbiology
Computer Session 1
Fourth Lecture Exam 1
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Exams 80%
Quizzes/Assignments/Seatwork 15%
Attendance/Class participation 5 %
Grading system:
Percentage
96-100
91-95
86-90
81-85
76-80
72-75
68-71
64-67
60-63
55-59
54 below
Recommended texts:
Grade equivalent
1.0
1.25
1.5
1.75
2.0
2.25
2.5
2.75
3.0
4.0
5.0
Glover, T. and K. Mitchell. 2008. An Introduction to Biostatistics. 2nd ed. Waveland Press Inc.,
USA.
Daniel WW, Cross CL. 2013. Biostatistics - A Foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences
1Oth Ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, USA
Sokal, R. R. and F. J. Rohlf. 1995. Biometr: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in
Biological Research. 3'd ed. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York.
Gomez, K. A. and A. A. Gomez. 1984. Statistical Procedures for Agricultural Research. 2nd ed.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Singapore.
Hampton, R. E. 1994. Introductor Biological Statistics. Wm. C. Brown Publishers, USA.
Pagano, M. and K. Gauvreau. 2000. Principles of Biostatistics. 2nd ed. Duxbury Press,
California.
Quin, G. P. and M. J. Keough. 2002. Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Rao, P. V. 1998. Statistical Research Methods in the Life Sciences. Brooks/Cole Publishing
Company, USA.
Rosner, B. 2010. Fundamentals of Biostatistics. 7'h ed. Duxbury Press, USA.
Zar, J. H. 2010. Biostatistical Analysis. 51h ed. Prentice Hall, USA.