Chapter 2 – The Chemistry of Life A living cell is composed of a small number of elements, mainly carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and sulfur. Carbon, because of its small size and four available bonding electrons, can join to other carbon atoms in chains and rings to form large and complex molecules. The essential functions of cells involve chemical reactions that involve water and carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. A special group of proteins, enzymes, enables chemical reactions to occur within living systems. Cell functions are regulated. Complex interactions among the different kinds of molecules in the cell cause distinct cycles of activities, such as growth and division. Most cells function within a narrow range of temperature and pH. At very low temperatures, reaction rates are slow. High temperatures and/or extremes of pH can irreversibly change the structure of most protein molecules. Even small changes in pH can alter how molecules interact. Identifying nutrients Gizmo Milk Lab Gelatin Lab Liver Lab Gizmo Quiz Chapter 2 Test October November Unit 3 – Cells Cells Overview • Cell structure and function o Structure, function and interrelatedness of cell organelles o Eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells • Cellular processes o Characteristics of life regulated by cellular processes o Photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, cellular respiration o Cell division and differentiation
Chapter 12 – DNA and RNA mechanisms, both classical and modern including incomplete dominance, sex-linked traits, goodness of fit test (Chi-square) and dihybrid crosses are investigated through examples. Dihybrid crosses can be used to explore linkage groups. Gene interactions and phenotypic effects can be introduced using real-world examples (e.g. polygenic inheritance, epistasis, and pleiotrophy). At the high school level, the explanation of genes is expanded to include the following concepts: • Life is specified by genomes. Each organism has a genome that contains all of the biological information needed to build and maintain a living example of that organism. The biological information contained in a genome is encoded in its deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and is divided into discrete units called genes. • “Genes are segments of DNA molecules. The sequence of DNA bases in a chromosome determines the sequence of amino acids in a protein. Inserting, deleting or substituting segments of DNA molecules can alter genes. • An altered gene may be passed on to every cell that develops from it. The resulting features may help, harm or have little or no effect on the offspring’s success in its environments. • Gene mutations (when they occur in gametes) can be passed on to offspring. • Genes code for protein. The sequence of DNA bases in a chromosome determines the sequence of amino acids in a protein. The sequence of DNA bases on a chromosome determines the sequence of amino acids in a protein. Proteins catalyze most chemical reactions in cells. Protein molecules are long, Building DNA Gizmo Protein Synthesis Manipulatives Cut/Paste mRNA/Anti-codon/A.A. Gizmo Quiz
Chapter 18 - Classification years ago, increasingly complex multicellular organisms evolved. Modern ideas about evolution provide a natural explanation for the diversity of life on Earth as represented in the fossil record, in the similarities of existing species and in modern molecular evidence. From a long-term perspective, evolution is the descent with modification of different lineages from common ancestors. Recent molecular-sequence data generally, but not always, support earlier hypotheses regarding lineages of organisms based upon morphological comparisons. Classification systems are frameworks developed by scientists for describing the diversity of organisms, indicating the degree of relatedness between organisms. Recent molecular-sequence data generally support earlier hypotheses regarding lineages of organisms based upon morphological comparisons. Both morphological comparisons and molecular evidence must be used to describe biodiversity (cladograms can be used to address this). Molecular Clock Activity Cladogram Activity Dichotomous Keys: Smiles Norns Sharks Classification Quiz May Unit 2 – Ecology Chapter 3 – The Biosphere Interdependence of Life Overview • Ecosystems o Homeostasis Carrying capacity Equilibrium and disequilibrium Building on knowledge from elementary school (interactions of organisms within their environment and the law of conservation of matter and energy, food webs) and from middle school (flow of energy through organisms, biomes and biogeochemical cycles), this topic The Ecology Game