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BIOL 346Microbial Ecology and Diversity

Units
0.50
Faculty
Science
Subject
Biology

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 1 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Examples from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and plant- and animal-associated environments, will be used to illustrate the activities and diversity of microorganisms in these habitats. The importance of the ecological roles of microbes to aspects of agriculture, geochemistry, human biology, and the biology of extreme environments will be considered. Laboratory work will apply current methods in environmental microbiology.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Must have completed the following:
      • BIOL241 - Introduction to Applied Microbiology (0.50)
    • Complete 1 of the following
      • Must have completed the following:
        • BIOL240 - Fundamentals of Microbiology (0.50)
        • BIOL240L - Microbiology Laboratory (0.25)
      • Must have completed the following:
        • BIOL140
        • BIOL140L

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00170540 / 64MW 10:30–11:20
LEC 7012633103 / 9999Online or by arrangement
LAB 10170550 / 32Jan 26 14:30–17:20
Feb 9 14:30–17:20
Mar 2 14:30–17:20
Mar 16 14:30–17:20
Mar 30 14:30–17:20
LAB 10270560 / 32Jan 26 19:00–21:50
Feb 9 19:00–21:50
Mar 2 19:00–21:50
Mar 16 19:00–21:50
Mar 30 19:00–21:50

Reviewed on UW Flow

89% liked it75% easy77% useful

From 18 ratings and 11 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Good course, and Butler is a great proff!
    The lab is fun, but I found that the TA's were often scrambling to figure out what was going on, it was kind of a disaster sometimes. The lab was relaxed, not stressful, and since we were mostly working with soil, it was not super important to be sterile.

    Mar 2015 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • The class is quite interesting but the lab can be boring and there's a lot of work to do. Every two weeks a lab report is due. The class has a paper, a midterm and an exam. (Not multiple choice)

    Mar 2014 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Taken W26, 3 Non-Cumulative Term Tests (15% each, last one during exam season), a 10% in-class participation activity thing (fun!), and 45% lab (3 lab worksheets, lab performance). I took this course because it had reviews that said it was easy, but man I do not care enough about microbiology or ecology. Laura Hug is such an amazing professor honestly, I just didn't have the interest in the course and it made it a chore. Tests are so so fair as long as you study, and lab component is a little daunting but TAs and Laura are super helpful. Can definitely do very well, finished with a 97

    Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Somewhat bird. Lab portion is worth 45% of your grade and will bring up your mark a ton. Tests are mostly short and long answer so you have to show up with a good understanding of the content. 3 Non cumulative tests worth 15% each. Dr. Hug made this course very doable, she'll prob be one of the best profs you'll ever have. If you don't like microbiology this class will be boring (content wise), but very easy to get an 85%+ in.

    Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Eh... it was kinda boring and too many details. I don't like ecology a lot so I didn't like it. Lot's of application-based questions for the tests by the way.

    Mar 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

10 posts and comments in 10 threads mention BIOL 346, June 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Winter 2024

Winter 2022

see you all on february 7th 88 points, 10 comments

u/Dimtar_: “… 165 (Lecture) BIOL 239 (Lecture) BIOL 302 (Lecture) BIOL 331 (Lecture) BIOL 341 (Lecture) BIOL 346 (Lecture) BIOL 355 (Lecture) BIOL 371 (Lecture) BIOL 373 (Lecture) BIOL 414 (Lecture) BIOL 428 (Lecture) BIOL 442 (Lecture) BIOL 477L (Tutorial) CHEM 123 (Tutorial) CHEM 125 …”

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Spring 2021

biol 354 vs biol 462 0 points, 0 comments

“ive realized im insane to take more than 6 courses so im narrowing it down. biol 354 and biol 462 seem pretty similar so which one is really worth taking?”

u/mari0499: “I've taken both so if you prefer to focus on lecture content without writing lab reports, biol 462 is nice. …”

u/buttercupbeuaty: “… 3) So far my eco/env courses have been Biol 150, 120, 165, 433, 346 I’ll be taking biol 345, 443, 469 in the fall is this good for general biology careers? …”

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Winter 2021

Is this course load too heavy? Pls help :( 1 point, 6 comments

u/lunaayu: “Hi guys, so I'm taking the following courses: BIOL241 (LEC/LAB) BIOL431 (LEC) BIOL346 (LEC/LAB) CHEM265 (LEC) CHEM237 CHEM237L I really don't know if its too heavy or if waterloo makes it mandatory that to be a fulltime student you need to do 5 courses (I know osap says 3 …”

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Fall 2020

Winter 2018

Science courses at Waterloo 3 points, 16 comments

“What are some of the interesting 2nd year and 3rd-year chem and bio courses to take at Waterloo?”

u/darwinbitch: “BIOL 346: microbial ecology was fun! BIOL 443: fermentation is also quite fun (you get to make wine and yogurt in the lab) BIOL 240 is great, too! especially if you Josh Neufeld to teach you.”

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Spring 2017

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar