Unit Objectives: Diversity of Life Early Earth/Taxonomy 1. Define/describe geological time scale. 2. Describe Oparin s hypothesis and the Miller-Urey experiments. 3. Describe the proposed sequence of development of life on earth. 4. Given an organism or its description, place it in the appropriated kingdom. Viruses 1. Identify the general characteristics of viruses. 2. Explain why viruses are not considered living. 3. Describe the lytic and lysogenic cycles of viruses. 4. Explain how a retrovirus works. Bacteria 1. Describe the general characteristics of members of the kingdom Monera. 2. Distinguish among achaebacteria, eubacteria, and cyanobacteria. 3. Identify the most common shapes of eubacteria. 4. Describe the differences found among gram positive and gram negative bacteria. 5. Explain the significance of bacteria in the earth s ecosystem. Protists 1. Explain the theory of endosymbiosis. 2. Describe the characteristics of the kingdom Protista. Fungi 1. Describe the general characteristics of the kingdom Fungi. 2. Distinguish among saprophytic, parasitic and decomposing fungi. 3. Identify the structures of typical fungi (spores, hypha, mycelium). Plants 1. Describe the general characteristics of the kingdom Plantae. 2. Distinguish between vascular and nonvascular plant characteristics. 3. Identify adaptations for life on land. 4. Describe the alternation of generations. Animals 1. Describe the general characteristics of the kingdom Animalia. 2. Describe the evolutionary development of different animal phyla/classes. 3. Identify the Latin and common names of different animal phyla/classes. 4. Distinguish between characteristics of different animal phyla/classes. 5. Describe an amniotic egg and explain its significance in the evolution of reptiles, birds, and mammals. 6. Describe adaptations specific to reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Unit Objectives: Plant Physiology & Reproduction 1. Compare monocot and dicot seed anatomy. 2. Label a diagram of a leaf cross section and give the functions of the parts therein. 3. Label a diagram of a stoma and relate the parts to the movement of gases. 4. Relate stoma position to photosynthesis. 5. Recognize the function of vascular tissues and identify the cells found in both types of vascular tissues. 6. Describe how vascular fluid moves throughout a plant using the transpiration-cohesion and mass flow theories; apply these theories to hypothetical situations. 7. Recognize the functions of roots. 8. Label a diagram of cross-sections of a monocot and dicot stem. 9. Relate leaf modifications to water conservation. 10. Apply your understanding of the relationship between photosynthesis and transpiration given data as to the rates of these events in a particular setting. 11. Identify the nutrients required for plant growth, particularly noting the three most important. 12. Identify the most usable forms of nitrogen for plant growth. 13. Recall the general features of photosynthesis and respiration and relate the occurrence of these processes to the anatomical features of the plant. 14. Distinguish among perfect, imperfect, complete and incomplete flowers. 15. Label a diagram of germinating monocot and/or dicot seeds. 16. Identify the parts of a typical complete flower and give the functions. 17. Define apomixis and give its evolutionary advantage 18. Give the functions of the following hormones: cytokinins, gibberillic acid, abscisic acid, ethylene, auxin and florigen. 19. Compare the various types of tropisms in relation to their stimuli. 20. Define photoperiodism, long day, day neutral, and short day in reference to flowering plants. AP LAB: 9
Unit Objectives: Animal Systems Tissues/Organs 1. Define tissue and explain where it falls in the hierarchy of the structural organization. 2. Describe types and functions of epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscle and nervous tissue. Digestion 3. Distinguish among herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. 4. Describe the feeding mechanisms and give examples of animals that use; filterfeeding, substrate-feeding, deposit-feeding, and fluid-feeding. 5. Distinguish between intracellular and extracellular digestion. 6. Describe some distinct advantages that complete digestive tracts have over gastrovascular cavities and list the major animal phyla with alimentary tracts. 7. Describe the role of the major digestive enzymes. 8. Recognize the function of the components of the digestive system. 9. Sequence the pathway taken by a sample food through the digestive system. 10. Explain the function of bile, describe where it is produced and stored as well as its composition. 11. Give examples of vertebrates with the following digestive adaptations and explain how these adaptations are related to diet: variation in dentition, variation in length of digestive tract, and multi-chambered stomach. 12. Define basal metabolic rate and explain the relationship between BMR (basal metabolic rate) and body size. 13. List the four classes of essential nutrients. 14. Relate variations in dentition and lengths of the digestive system to the feeding strategies and diets of herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Circulatory & Respiratory 1. Describe the function of a circulatory system. 2. Distinguish between open and closed circulatory systems. 3. Define: systole, and diastole. 4. Compare single and double circulation. 5. Trace a drop of blood through the human circulatory system including the chambers of the heart and the sequence of vessels in a four chambered organism. 6. Describe the development of the heart from 2 to 4 chambers and identify an organism with each. 7. Identify the role of the SA and AV nodes in the regulation of the heart. 8. Define vasodilatation & vasoconstriction and the conditions under which these occur. 9. Compare the structures of arteries, veins, and capillaries. 10. Compare velocity and blood pressure in arteries, veins and capillaries. 11. Define blood pressure in arteries, veins and capillaries. 12. Identify the components of blood and the role of each. 13. Identify five respiratory surfaces employed by animals. 14. Compare processes used by air breathers and aquatic organisms.
Immune 1. Identify nonspecific and specific defense mechanisms and how they work. 2. Define self, non-self, antigen, antibodies, immunity vaccine, active and passive immunity. 3. Compare primary and secondary immune responses. 4. Describe the structure and functions of antibodies. 5. Define: monoclonal antibodies, neutralization, agglutination, precipitation, and activation of complement system. 6. Describe disorders of the immune system. Regulation 1. Relate the type of nitrogenous wastes produced to the organisms that use each. 2. Label a diagram of a vertebrate excretory system, including a nephron. 3. Compare the contents of plasma, urine, and filtrate. 4. Identify thermoregulatory adaptations by which heat may be retained or lost in a warm or cold-blooded organism. 5. Locate the body s thermostat and describe the functions/components of the heating and cooling centers. 6. List the three general classes of hormones and give examples of each. 7. Describe the location of the pituitary and explain the functions of the posterior and anterior lobes. Reproduction 1. Compare gametogenesis in ovaries and testes. 2. Describe the process of fertilization including its definition, location, and polyspermy preventions. 3. Determine the fate of the following: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. 4. Sequence the events in the development of a fertilized egg from zygote to germ layer. 5. Given a diagram of the developing embryo locate the coelom, somites, & notochord. 6. On a diagram of a developing embryo be able to locate the structures that give rise to the vertebrae, brain, spinal cord, and peripheral components of the nervous system. Nervous System 1. Identify the functions/role of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems. 2. Give the functions of the cerebellum, cerebrum, hypothalamus, and spinal cord. 3. Label a diagram of a neuron and identify the processes that occur at each part. 4. Distinguish among receptors/effectors and sensory/inter/motor neurons. 5. Compare hyperpolarization of a neuron to depolarization. 6. Identify the types of neurotransmitters. 7. Label a diagram of a synaptic region and describe what happens there. 8. Discuss the processes and structures involved in the contracting of a muscle including; a. describe the relationship between muscle fiber and sarcomere, b. label a diagram of a sarcomere, c. specifically describe the role of ATP/ADP and Ca ++ in the contraction process. AP LAB: 10
Unit Objectives: Ecology 1. Define ethology. 2. Compare various behaviors such as: fixed action patterns, imprinting, conditioning, etc. 3. Observe domestic animals and classify the observed behavior as innate or learned. 4. Measure the effects of environmental variables on habitat selection in a controlled environment and examine the distribution of organisms in a resource gradient. 5. Explain the importance of temperature, water, light, soil, and wind to living organisms. 6. Compare abiotic and biotic factors. 7. Describe the characteristics of the major biomes. 8. Define population, community, biome, ecosystem, biosphere, and succession. 9. Describe conditions which may result in clumped, random, and uniform dispersion of populations. 10. Describe the characteristics of populations exhibiting Type I, II, and III survivorship curves. 11. Describe the effects of density-dependent and density-independent factors on population growth. 12. Explain the relationship between species richness, equability, and diversity. 13. Describe the four properties of a community. 14. Describe the competitive exclusion principle. 15. Compare an organism s fundamental and realized niches. 16. Explain the nitrogen, phosphorous, carbon and water cycles. 17. List and describe four consumer levels of an ecosystem. 18. Distinguish between energy pyramids and biomass pyramids. 19. Define: biological magnification, denitrification, ammonification, nitrification, detritivores, consumers and producers. 20. Compare Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP). 21. Describe a technique for measuring dissolved oxygen. 22. Define primary productivity. 23. Describe the relationship between dissolved oxygen and the processes of photosynthesis and respiration as they affect primary productivity in an ecosystem. AP LAB: 11 AP LAB: 12