Biology Department
Summer , 2012 Required Materials
Online Resources
News in the field
Course Outline
Discovery Questions
I. Discovery Question: What is the significance of Darwin's theory of natural selection in the study of biology What variables must be considered when designing an experiment and what ethical principles should a scientist be held to when performing research
Chapter 1 and 2
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
* describe the process of natural selection
* explain why evolution is the unifying concept in the study of biology0
* describe the scientific method
* compare science as a way of knowing and thinking about the natural world with other ways of knowing and thinking
* explain why evolution is the unifying concept of the study of biology
II. Discovery Question: What are the characteristics of living systems
Chapters 10, and an overview of 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
* explain what characteristics set living things apart from non-
* compare and contrast the characteristics of living things found in the three domains.
* compare and contrast the characteristics of living things found in the four kingdoms within the domain Eukarya.
* describe the adaptive structures and functions of the prokaryotes
* explain how plants are uniquely adapted for life on earth
* differentiate between the major phyla of animals
III. Discovery Question: How do collections of inanimate molecules function in concert to bring about the living state
Chapters 3 and 4
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
* define the organic and inorganic molecules that are important for life
* discuss the importance of enzymes to the maintenance of the living state and the factors that can influence enzyme activity
* differentiate between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
* define the structures that cells have and the function of those structures that enable cells to perform various functions
* discuss the mechanisms that cells have that enable them to exchange materials with their environment
* describe the formation of life on the planet earth
IV. Discovery Question: What is energy and where does it come from
Chapters 5
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
* compare and contrast autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition
* summarize the process of photosynthesis
* describe how food is converted to energy
* compare and contrast the processes that take place in the chloroplast versus the mitochondria
V. Discovery Question: What are the implications of genetically engineering biological systems and the influence of industrial growth and biotechnology on the environment
Chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
* explain the importance of the role of DNA and RNA
* compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis as far as what cells it occurs in, number of chromosomes involved, number of divisions, number of daughter cells, and why the process is important
* discuss the structure and importance of DNA and how organisms are affected by mutations in the DNA
* analyze patterns of inheritance when given examples of: chromosome abnormalities,
dominance, recessive, incomplete dominance, sex-
* explain and discuss the strengths and limitations of biotechnology including the work of the Human Genome Project
VI. Discovery Question: How do environmental factors influence the genes and traits of species over time
Chapter 10
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
* discuss the meaning of the statement " diversity is the key to stability" as it relates to variability and evolution
* explain the terms adaptation and fitness when discussing specific examples of natural selection
* explain the mechanisms involved in the change of allele frequencies in populations over time
VII. Discovery Question: How do humans affect the stability and diversity of their environment
Chapters 28, 29, and 30
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
* describe and compare the major biomes of the planet and the non-
* explain how environmental resistance and biotic potential affect population size
* describe the factors that affect the size of a human population
* identify, when given examples, the following types of interactions: predator/prey, symbiosis (parasitism, commensalism, mutualism)
* explain why a grassland (or pond) could become a forest and what factors would affect the rate of change
* compare and identify food chain, food web, food pyramid and explain how biological magnification occurs using a specific example
* discuss the importance of an ultimate energy source for survival of an ecosystem and energy flow within an ecosystem
* discuss the natural and human-
VIII. Meta-
How can humans become more fully integrated into the biosphere
Required Textbook:
Starr, Taggart, Evers, Starr.,
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, 12th Ed.
Required Lab Manual: Custom lab manual for CCP General Biology I -
Required Equipment for the laboratory:
Students must purchase Safety Goggles and Gloves for the laboratory
The Biology Project: From the University of Arizona
Online Onion Root Tip Mitosis: Also from the University of Arizona.
A Typical Animal Cell -
Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes -
The Biology Corner -
Protein Synthesis Animation -
Biodiversity:
DNA Replication
The CCP custom edition cover is different than shown above
Biol 106 -