Download BIO 311C Introductory Biology Student Learning Outcomes

BIO 311C Introductory Biology Student Learning Outcomes BIG IDEA I: STRUCTURE RELATES TO FUNCTION 1. Biological Hierarchy: Biological systems are structured at many interrelated levels. A. Describe the hierarchy of complexity in biological systems, and give examples to illustrate the relationships among different hierarchical levels. B. Explain how emergent properties of living organisms such as growth and development emerge from and depend upon interactions of elements at different levels of biological organization. C. Recognize representative examples of living organisms, and be able to classify them into domains and kingdoms reflecting their evolutionary history. 2.
Chemistry for Biology: The structure and properties of chemicals determine the behavior and functions of molecules in organisms. A. Construct stable biological molecules with the atoms, C, H, O, N, S and P through covalent bonds, and distinguish between polar and nonpolar covalent bonds in terms of electronegativity values. B.
Explain why molecules with polar covalent bonds can possibly form hydrogen bonds and those with nonpolar covalent bonds cannot. C.
Describe the attraction and relative bond strength in hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds in crystal, ionic bonds in water, and hydrophobic interactions and van der Waals interactions in aqueous solutions. Give a specific example for each of these in the context of the cell. D. Explain how water’s capacity for hydrogen bonding accounts for its unique physical properties. Give examples of how these physical properties and water’s major role in cellular reactions all help support life. E.
Deduce the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-­‐) for a given pH, and relate the pH scale to the acidity and alkalinity of solutions. Define the role of a buffer system in a biological context with a specific example. F.
Recognize the variety of carbon compounds and the properties of their distinctive functional groups. 3.
Biological Molecules: Cell components and cells are made up of biological molecules with specific chemical properties. A. Name and be able to recognize the basic building blocks of the four groups of biological molecules and predict their chemical properties and behavior in aqueous solution. B. Explain how complex biological molecules are produced from or broken into simple monomers. C.
Correlate the structures of different categories of carbohydrates with their functions in cells. D. Compare the structure and properties of different types of lipids present in cells. Differentiate the saturated and unsaturated fatty acid components of triglycerides and phospholipids and their corresponding physical and functional properties. 1
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Predict how the amino acid sequence in a polypeptide affect the protein's structure at different levels and thus affect its function. List several ways in which protein structure can be altered by changes in its environment. F.
Compare and contrast the structure and properties of DNA and RNA. 4.
Origin of Life: The first living cells originated by chemical evolution in pre-­‐biotic earth. A. Develop hypotheses about how molecular interactions under early earth conditions could have led to the formation of ancestral cells, and consider possible experiments to test these hypotheses. B. Predict properties of a biological molecule that would make it an ideal candidate to be the first molecule of heredity in the pre-­‐biotic world. C.
Identify the types of evidence that support the scientific theory that life on earth had a common ancestor and all life forms evolved over a long period of time. 5. Cell Structure: The structure of cells has evolved to perform a variety of essential functions. A. Compare cellular structures and their corresponding functions in the three domains of life. B. Describe the relationship between structure and function in eukaryotic cell organelles, and apply this information to explain the results of experimental manipulations or disease states. C. Given the major function of a particular specialized eukaryotic cell, predict the relative abundance and distribution of its various structures in various tissues and organs. D. Outline the pathway by which a newly synthesized polypeptide becomes a functional trans-­‐
membrane protein or is secreted out of the cell, including cell traffic mechanisms and relevant membrane and cytoskeleton systems. E. Compare and contrast cell surface structures in plant and animal cells. 6. Biological Membrane: Cell membranes are selectively permeable barriers. A. Predict how changes in membrane components can affect membrane structure and fluidity. B. Compare different modes of transport of molecules across cell membranes with respect to mechanism and energy source. Given the chemical properties of a substance, predict how it will cross the membrane. C. Predict how the direction of transport across membranes is influenced by physical, electrical and chemical factors. D. Given an example of differences in solute concentration across a selectively permeable membrane, predict the net movement of water in plant and animal cells. E. Compare different ways in which molecules are transported in bulk across membranes, and tell what cell structures are required. 7. Cell Communication: Cells communicate with each other and can convert environmental signals to complex integrated responses within a cell. A. Classify different types of communication between cells, contrasting target cell receptors according to their location and function. 2
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List the components of signal transduction pathways, and tell how they interact to enable specificity and diversity of cell responses. C. Explain how binding a few extracellular signal molecules can result in a large number of responses within the cell, including gene expression, and describe mechanisms that regulate these responses. D. Tell how signal transduction pathways can cause changes in protein conformation leading to changes in gene expression. BIG IDEA II: ENERGY IS STORED, USED AND TRANSFORMED IN LIVING SYSTEMS 8.
Metabolism: Energy transfer and transformation is critical to all aspects of biology from cells to ecosystems. A. Compare different forms of energy and describe how energy is transferred or transformed in a living system. B. Apply the concepts of free energy and laws of thermodynamics to specific examples in biological systems. C. Explain why ATP is used as an energy molecule by cells and how energy released from ATP hydrolysis enable cellular work through energy coupling. D. On a molecular level, understand how enzymes work and predict how physical factors and chemicals (activators and inhibitors) can affect and regulate enzyme function. 9. Respiration: Organic molecules are broken down in cellular respiration to make ATP. A. State an overview of cellular respiration in terms of the overall redox changes and energy-­‐coupled reactions that occur. B. Summarize the cellular locations, net inputs and outputs, and key steps of glycolysis, acetyl CoA formation, citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Describe how these stages are related. C. Explain how energy stored in different types of food molecules can be released in a series of redox processes to produce ATP by oxidative phosphorylation and substrate-­‐level phosphorylation. D. Compare the sites of cellular respiration processes in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and the role of mitochondrial structure in oxidative phosphorylation. E. Describe how cellular respiration is regulated in cells. Be able to predict responses to changing conditions such as lack of oxygen, lack of carbohydrate fuels, or the presence of specific toxins. 10. Photosynthesis: Light energy is harnessed into chemical bond energy of organic molecules in photosynthesis. A. Explain how leaf anatomy, chloroplast structure and photosystem components effectively harvest light energy to produce ATP and NADPH. B. Tell how products of the light reactions power carbon dioxide fixation and carbohydrate synthesis in the Calvin cycle. C. Summarize the chloroplast locations and major inputs and outputs of the light reactions and Calvin cycle, and tell how the two major sets of reactions are linked. Understand the significance of key regulatory steps and enzymes in the Calvin cycle. D. Compare and contrast mitochondria and chloroplasts in terms of how they are uniquely structured to make ATP during oxidative or photo-­‐phosphorylation respectively. E. Compare the anatomical and metabolic variations such as C4 and CAM pathways to improve photosynthetic efficiency. F. Relate the cellular processes of fixing CO2 (photosynthesis) and releasing CO2 (respiration) to the broader context of global carbon cycle. 3
BIG IDEA III: GENETIC INFORMATION IS TRANSMITTED THROUGH GENERATIONS AND EXPRESSED IN A REGULATED MANNER. 11. DNA Structure & Replication: DNA is the molecule of heredity in all organisms. A. Outline and interpret the experiments that demonstrated DNA is the molecule of heredity. Understand the concept behind such experiments and predict the results if some of the experiments are modified. B. Describe the double helix model of DNA, reviewing the evidence that supports this model. Elaborate how DNA stores information and how DNA’s complementary base pairing determines its function and facilitates replication. C. Apply the semi-­‐conservative model of DNA replication to predict the outcome of experimental manipulations with labeled nucleotides. D. Explain the function of enzymes in the process of DNA replication, including the consequences of the anti-­‐parallel arrangement of DNA strands and 5’-­‐3’ specificity of DNA synthesis. Contrast the DNA replication process of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. E. Relate the DNA synthesis process with possible repair of mistakes in DNA replication and damages to DNA after DNA is replicated. 12. Transcription & Translation: Genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein. A. When given a DNA sequence, determine the reading frame, identify the template strand and directionality of transcription, and then deduce the sequence of RNA. B. Name and describe the functions of enzymes, proteins and regulatory DNA sequences required to transcribe a functional gene. C. Describe RNA processing in eukaryotic cells, and tell how mRNA splicing provides the capability for cells to produce alternate messages from the same gene. D. Translate an mRNA sequence with the aid of a universal codon table, and predict the effect of various nucleotide base changes on the amino acid sequence and on the resulting polypeptide structure. E. Describe the interactions of various proteins, enzymes and RNA molecules that ensure translation of the correct polypeptide by the ribosome. F. Compare the processes of transcription and translation between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells in terms of location, time and cell components. 13. Gene Regulation: Cells can regulate gene expression at many points during the process. A. Using a model system example, tell how prokaryotic genomes are structured to efficiently regulate initiation of transcription in response to environmental changes in an inducible or repressible manner. B. Compare and contrast the steps at which gene expression can be regulated in Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes, and tell the role of chromosome packing, specific control sequences in the DNA, and specific cellular proteins in regulating expression at each step. C. Explain possible mechanisms of differential gene expression, coordinated gene regulation, molecular responses to extracellular signals all of which lead to the development of specialized cells in a multicellular organism. 14. Recombinant DNA: Scientists utilize knowledge of gene structure and regulation to express modified genes. 4
A. Describe how scientists can use enzymes and employ various techniques to make recombinant DNA, and how engineered genes are amplified and transferred using microbial vectors. B.
Make a flow chart for designing a gene construct that, when introduced into an animal or plant, will be able to express a particular type of protein at specific times and/or places within the organism. C.
Choose a particular human disease or societal problem, and outline experiments by which genetic engineering can help solve the problem. 15. Cell Cycle: Mitosis is essential for growth, development and reproduction of somatic cells. A. Follow the changes in the amount of DNA, structure of chromatin, and structure of cell during the phases of the eukaryotic cell cycle, and explain how the process of mitosis and cytokinesis lead to formation of daughter cells with identical genetic information. B. Explain in detail the molecular events that regulate progression through the cell cycle, e.g. entry of a cell from G2 phase into mitosis (M phase). Predict how molecular changes in cell cycle regulation can lead to pathological conditions such as cancer. 16. Meiosis: Meiotic cell division leads to gamete formation, generates genetic variability and transmits alleles from one generation to the next. A. Apply the concept of homologous chromosomes to explain how normal meiosis reduces the chromosome number and how meiotic errors lead to abnormal chromosome conditions. B. Using the terms alleles and gene loci, describe how genetic variation among individuals is generated by genetic recombination and independent assortment during meiosis. C. Distinguish between genotype and phenotype, and give examples that relate this distinction to the dominant and recessive effects of certain alleles and to the molecular mechanisms of gene action. CORE COMPETENCIES FOR BIOLOGY STUDENTS Adapted for Bio 311C-­‐311D from AAAS Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education (2011) Content-­‐Independent Learning Outcomes: 1. Ability to apply the process of science by practicing observation, experimentation, and hypothesis testing. 2. Ability to use quantitative reasoning in data analysis and interpretation. 3. Ability to use modeling and simulation in the study of interactions in complex systems. 4. Ability to communicate and collaborate with other disciplines, by applying concepts of chemistry and physics to biological phenomena at all levels of organization. 5. Ability to understand relationships between science and society that are relevant to daily life through applying basic biology concepts to medical and ecological problems. 5