Download Biology I - Metropolitan Community College

Metropolitan Community College
COURSE OUTLINE FORM
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Course Title: Biology II
Course Prefix & No.:
BIOS 1121 (Formerly 1110)
LEC: LAB:
4
Credit Hours:
3
5
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This general biology course is taught as a three-course sequence: BIOS 1111, BIOS 1121, and BIOS 1130. In
this second course in the sequence, students study ecology and evolutionary biology. The course includes both
lecture and lab components. All three courses must be successfully completed to transfer as a two-semester
general biology course.
COURSE PREREQUISITE (S):
BIOS 1111
RATIONALE:
Students needing a broad base in the biological sciences will find this sequence appropriate for transfer to a
baccalaureate degree program in biology or a related field.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK (S) and/or MATERIALS:
Title:
Biology: How Life Works
Edition:
1st edition
Authors:
Morris, Hartl, Knoll, Lue, Berry, Biewener, Farrell, Holbrook, Pierce, & Viel
Publisher:
W.H. Freeman
Materials:
Biology II Lab Manual
Attached course outline written by: Alan Wasmoen
Date: 13/FA
Reviewed/Revised by:
Date: 07/25/2013
Alan Wasmoen
Effective quarter of course outline: 13/FA
Academic Dean:
Date:
Course Objectives, Topical Unit Outlines, and Unit Objectives must be attached to this form.
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COURSE OUTLINE FORM
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TITLE: Biology II
PREFIX/NO: BIOS 1121
At the completion of this course, the student will:
1.
Understand basic concepts in the biological sciences, particularly regarding ecology, evolution, and
diversity.
2.
Apply these concepts to the solution of problems in familiar or unfamiliar situations.
3.
Use higher-level thinking skills in evaluating scientifically -derived information and interpreting cause and- effect relationships.
4.
Evaluate the social consequences of scientific activity.
TOPICAL UNIT OUTLINE/UNIT OBJECTIVES (from Biology: How Life Works, 1st ed., Morris, et al.)
At the completion of this course, students will:
EVOLUTION
Name three types of mutations in terms of their effect on an organism.
Define genetic variation.
Given a set of genotype frequencies, calculate allele frequencies.
Define evolution.
Describe what happens to allele and genotype frequencies under the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium.
Name and describe the five assumptions of the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium.
Given a set of allele frequencies, calculate genotype frequencies if the population is in Hardy–Weinberg
equilibrium.
Name and describe the five mechanisms of evolution.
Define natural selection and indicate how it is different from other mechanisms of evolution.
Explain how a molecular clock can be used to determine the time of divergence of two species.
Define the term "species."
Name two types of organisms that do not fit easily into the biological species concept.
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Name four reproductive barriers and indicate whether each is pre-or post-zygotic.
Describe how genetic divergence and reproductive isolation are related to each other.
Differentiate between allopatric and sympatric speciation, and state which is thought to be more common.
Describe how genetic drift can result in speciation.
Describe how natural selection can result in speciation.
Distinguish among monophyletic, paraphyletic, and polyphyletic groups, and give an example of each.
List the levels of classification, from the least inclusive (species) to the most inclusive (domain).
Describe two traits that are homologous and two that are analogous.
Name three types of fossil.
Explain why there are gaps in the fossil record.
Explain how the fossil record can be used to determine both relative and the absolute timescales of past events.
Describe the significance of Archeopteryx and Tiktaalik.
Describe how mass extinctions have shaped the ecological landscape.
Describe what evidence suggests that chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of humans.
Explain the out-of-Africa theory of human origins and how studies of mitochondrial DNA and
the Y chromosome support it.
List three anatomical differences between chimpanzees and humans, and explain how these changes facilitated
walking upright.
Given the high genetic similarity of humans and chimpanzees, how can we account for the differences we see
between the two species?
Describe three possible selective factors underlying the evolution of large brains in our ancestors.
Explain how differences among different human populations arose by natural and sexual selection.
Provide arguments for and against the idea that culture, language, and consciousness are uniquely human.
List 3 key features that distinguish a eukaryotic cell from a prokaryotic cell.
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Provide evidence that the 1.8 billion year old marine fossils were true eukaryotes.
Describe differences between simple and complex multicellularity.
Explain how diffusion limits the size of organisms.
Explain how multicellular organisms get around the size limits imposed by diffusion.
Describe a key difference between multicellular plants and animals.
Describe three environments that allow bryophytes to coexist with vascular plants.
Describe the habitats in which lycophytes are found today.
Describe how fern diversity has been affected by the evolution of the angiosperms.
Explain how xylem produced by conifers differs from that of angiosperms and how that difference may have
influenced the present-day distribution of conifers.
Compare the movement of pollen in an animal-pollinated angiosperm and a wind-pollinated conifer, noting
what features of angiosperm reproduction increase the efficiency (or lower the costs) of pollen transfer.
Name several features that might account for the diversity and success of angiosperms and discuss possible
advantages of these features.
Draw a simplified animal tree of life, indicating the relationships among sponges and the four other major
groups of animals.
Describe what kinds of trait are used to classify animals.
Describe feeding habits that do not require a head.
Name three features that account at least in part for the success of insects.
List features common to fish, amphibians, amniotes, and mammals.
Describe the evolutionary significance of the Cambrian explosion.
ECOLOGY
Name two processes that drive the short-term carbon cycle.
Draw and explain the curve representing changing atmospheric levels of CO2 over the course of a year.
Draw and explain the curve representing changing atmospheric levels of CO2 over the past 150 years.
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Explain one way by which the source of the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere can be determined.
Name the processes that influence the long-term carbon cycle.
Draw and explain the curve representing changing atmospheric levels of CO2 over the last 400,000 years.
Trace the flow of carbon and energy through biological communities.
Choose a behavior described in this chapter and ask the four kinds of questions that Tinbergen might have asked
about it.
Provide an example of an innate and a learned behavior.
Describe two approaches used to determine the extent to which genes influence a particular behavior.
Give two examples of non-associative learning and two examples of associative learning.
Differentiate between a kinesis and a taxis.
Describe how an altruistic behavior might evolve by kin selection.
Differentiate between intra- and intersexual selection, and give one example of each.
Name the four factors that affect population size.
Draw an exponential and a logistic growth curve, and explain what accounts for their different shapes.
Name two density-dependent and two density-independent factors that can limit the size of a population.
Draw a graph showing the age structure of a population that is growing rapidly and a graph of one that is not.
Plot a survivorship curve for a species with high rates of predation early in life and one for a species with high
mortality late in life, and name the type of survivorship this species displays.
Explain how r and K strategies relate to the predictability of the environment and in what kinds of environment
each strategist would be more successful.
Describe what is meant by a trade-off in physiological functions and give an example.
Name factors that determine the diversity of species on a habitat island and explain the relevance of these
factors in managing the habitat of an endangered species.
Choose an organism and define its niche.
Give an example of an antagonism and a mutualism, and, describe the benefits and costs to the participants.
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Name three factors that help determine the species composition of a community.
Describe how a physical disturbance, such as a drought, can affect community composition.
Explain what is meant by “ecological succession” and give an example.
Describe how herbivores can affect the abundances of organisms at higher and lower trophic levels.
Choose five biomes, describe their climate and vegetation, and explain why they differ from one another.
Describe what is meant by the term “ecological footprint.”
Name three sources of atmospheric CO2.
Explain the relationship between atmospheric CO2 levels and mean temperature.
Provide evidence that indicates that human activities are responsible for increases in atmospheric CO2 over the
last century.
Describe several possible solutions to the problem of increased atmospheric CO2.
Describe the causes and consequences of eutrophication.
Describe several possible solutions to the problem of feeding a growing human population.
Give three examples of species that have benefited from human activity and three examples of species that have
been harmed by human activity.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS/EVALUATION:
Each instructor develops a minimum 1 exam per unit. These exams should include the expectation that students
develop skills beyond memorization of facts: comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Students are expected to demonstrate these abilities, at least in part, in writing. Testing should be based, at least
in part, on laboratory methods and materials.
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At least once per academic year, all sections of this course will be assessed with a multiple choice final exam,
with an equal number of questions from each unit. It is expected that for each question 70% of the students will
answer correctly.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/ASSESSMENT MEASURES
COURSE OBJECTIVES
MINIMAL ASSESSMENT MEASURES
1. Understand basic concepts in the biological sciences,
particularly regarding ecology, evolution, and
diversity.
A closed book unit exam developed by the instructor.
2. Apply these concepts to the solution of problems in
familiar or unfamiliar situations.
A closed book unit exam developed by the instructor.
3. Use higher-level thinking skills in evaluating
scientifically-derived information and interpreting
cause-and-effect relationships.
A closed book unit exam developed by the instructor.
4. Evaluate the social consequences of scientific
activity.
A closed book unit exam developed by the instructor.
ESO Revised 3-13-01