Learning Objectives Fall 2023 PDF

Learning Objectives Learning Objectives (LO’s) tell you exactly what you should be able to do with the concepts we cover in class. Exams are made directly from the LO’s so use them as a study guide. You should be able to teach each LO to someone using only your brain as a resource before exam day....

Learning Objectives Learning Objectives (LO’s) tell you exactly what you should be able to do with the concepts we cover in class. Exams are made directly from the LO’s so use them as a study guide. You should be able to teach each LO to someone using only your brain as a resource before exam day. Note: LO’s will be updated throughout the semester. Updates will be made in red. Unit 1: Lyme Disease 1. Describe Big Ideas in Biology 2. Apply Big Ideas in Biology to content used in class. 3. Define host and vector. 4. Identify hosts and vectors in the transmission of Lyme disease. 5. Interpret information in graphs and figures 6. Explain the tick/lyme disease life/transmission cycle. 7. Define organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere. 8. Give examples of organism, population, community, ecosystem. 9. Define biotic and abiotic. 10. List the characteristics that define living things. 11. Provide examples of biotic and abiotic factors affecting ecosystems. 12. Apply the terms organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere to the tick/lyme disease system. 13. Provide examples of biotic and abiotic factors affecting the tick/lyme disease system. 14. Explain why Lyme disease is an example of a zoonotic disease. 15. Define zoonotic/zoonoses 16. List abiotic factors that affect ticks and the spread of Lyme disease 17. Distinguish between climate and weather. 18. Define biome and give examples of biomes. 19. Explain the spread of Lyme Disease 20. Use maps to interpret disease spread and develop hypotheses to explain disease spread. 21. Explain how abiotic factors affect organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems. 22. List abiotic factors that affect ticks and the spread of Lyme disease 23. Identify which biome an organism most likely lives in. 24. Apply the concept of biomes to different systems (e.g., humans, ticks/lyme) 25. Define greenhouse effect and global climate change. 26. Discuss evidence for global climate change. 27. Identify patterns observed in data. 28. Make predictions based on data. 29. Describe impacts of climate change. 30. Summarize the effects of the Industrial Revolution on global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration 31. List two greenhouse gasses, describe how they are released into the atmosphere and  describe their role in the greenhouse effect. 32. Use data to refute common arguments against climate change. 33. Define population 34. Apply the concept of populations to the lyme disease case study 35. Define density 36. Apply the concept of density to biotic systems 37. Interpret figures 38. Discuss resource limitation 39. Predict impact of changes in resource levels on populations and communities 40. Describe population distribution patterns 41. List three common patterns of population distribution 42. Propose reasons why we might see a particular distribution pattern. 43. Propose methods for determining what is driving these distribution patterns. 44. Describe the three survivorship curves 45. Explain the life histories of organisms that exemplify each curve 46. Link survivorship curves to concepts of r- and K-selection 47. Define r 48. Define K 49. Define carrying capacity 50. Distinguish between r- and K-selected species 51. Define what it means to be r- and K-selected 52. Describe what the letters r, K, N and t stand for in the population growth equation 53. Identify which population growth equation is linked to logistic growth and which is linked to exponential growth. 54. Explain what happens to the population if r is high vs low, if K is greater than N, equal to N, less than N. 55. Predict changes to population size given changes in r and K (the previous LO restated). 56. Describe characteristics of r- and K-selected species 57. Interpret growth curves to describe what is happening in a population. 58. Define all the terms describing interactions: symbioses, commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, competitive exclusion principle, invasive species, predator-prey, plant-herbivore 59. Define community 60. Apply the concept of community to the lyme disease case study 61. Diagram how the abundance of one species in a community affects the abundance of another species. 62. Describe how removal of any of the key players in a community affects other key players. 63. Identify S and J shaped (logistic and exponential) growth curves. 64. Predict how the growth curve for a population may change if the environment (either biotic, abiotic, or both) in which the population is found changes. 65. Link concepts of r- and K-selection to logistic and exponential growth curves. 66. Draw the growth curve appropriate for a given description of how a population is  changing. 67. Discuss the circumstances under which exponential growth occurs. 68. Identify instances of competitive exclusion using data/figures. 69. Compare and contrast the three types of symbiotic relationships. 70. Diagram different types of interaction between key players of Lyme disease. 71. Apply the concept of competitive exclusion to different systems. 72. Discuss the role of humans in affecting Lyme disease infection rates. 73. Define homeostasis 74. Define endotherm and ectotherm. 75. Determine if an organism is an endotherm or an ectotherm from a figure of environmental vs body temperature 76. Use a figure to illustrate negative feedback 77. List examples of internal variables that might be under homeostatic control 78. Discuss how ticks survive the winter 79. Define negative feedback 80. Define positive feedback 81. Define feedforward information 82. Apply concepts of negative feedback and feedforward information to temperature regulation 83. Determine whether any given scenario is an example of negative feedback, positive feedback, and/or feedforward information. 84. Describe physiological and behavioral tactics used by organisms to maintain temperature homeostasis. 85. Predict where an organism lives based on characteristics. 86. Explain how endotherms and ectotherms regulate body temperature 87. Apply concepts of temperature regulation to the Lyme disease system Unit 2: Wolves, Moose, and Fir Trees of Isle Royale 1. Describe the five Big Ideas in Biology. 2. Apply Big Ideas in Biology to content used in class. 3. Define ecosystem, abiotic, biotic, trophic level, primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, trophic cascade, energy, energy flow, food chain 4. Summarize the history of wolves, moose, and fir trees on Isle Royale (from reading) 5. Explain the primary productivity and trophic cascade hypotheses. 6. Use data to determine which hypothesis is supported in a given system. 7. Define species interactions competition, predation, symbioses, commensalism, mutualism, parasitism 8. Identify the interaction between the various pairs of players in Isle Royale. 9. Explain where the 90% of energy that does not flow up through trophic levels goes 10. Calculate the amount of energy moving from one trophic level to the next. 11. Determine the number of organisms in a trophic level that can be supported given information about the amount of energy available in lower trophic levels. 12. Predict impacts on trophic systems if one level is drastically impacted (for example, decreased) 13. Predict the impacts on trophic systems if an invasive species is introduced that outcompetes a primary consumer for food resources and that does not have any predators. 14. Draw a biomass pyramid for the wolf, moose, fir tree system 15. Predict impacts on energy flow if a player is removed from the system or added to the system 16. Make predictions. 17. Interpret figures 18. Use data to evaluate hypotheses 19. Predict outcomes if interactions are disrupted (e.g., invasive species, local extinction of species) 20. Predict impacts of biotic and abiotic factors on species interactions 21. Define adaptation 22. Identify adaptations that plants, consumers, and predators have for survival. 23. Label the organelles in a plant cell 24. Describe the function of chloroplasts 25. Write the equation for photosynthesis using words (bonus if can use chemicals too) 26. Write the equation for cellular respiration using words (bonus if can use chemicals too) 27. Label a plant cell 28. Draw a representation of the chloroplast including labeling the thylakoids, a granum (stack of thylakoids), and stroma. 29. Identify which reactions occur in which parts of the chloroplast 30. Explain the role of sunlight in photosynthesis 31. Explain the role of the light-dependent reactions in photosynthesis 32. List the inputs and outputs for light-dependent and light-independent reactions 33. Predict what would happen to photosynthesis if a plant was never exposed to sunlight. 34. Explain the reasoning behind your prediction in the previous LO. 35. Predict the consequences for photosynthesis given a disruption to the system. 36. Describe links between phenomena occurring at different scales (e.g., between photosynthesis and the Keeling Curve). 37. Describe plant adaptations to regulate water levels / maintain homeostasis with respect to water. 38. Define respiration and cellular respiration. 39. Explain the difference between respiration and cellular respiration. 40. Describe the carbon cycle in terms of the major biotic contributors to atmospheric CO2 and the major sinks for CO2 removal from the atmosphere. 41. Describe the oxygen cycle in terms of the major biotic contributors to atmospheric O2 and the major sinks for O2 removal from the atmosphere. 42. Explain the endosymbiotic theory of the evolution of early eukaryotes. 43. Summarize evidence for the endosymbiotic theory 44. List four broad categories of plant responses to herbivory and provide an example of each. 45. Discuss how plants communicate between cells. 46. Explain how one plant can communicate with another plant. 47. Discuss the role of hormones in plants. 48. Define hormone, hormone-secreting cell, target cell, hormone receptor, non-target cell. 49. Explain how hormones communicate information throughout an organism. 50. Discuss how humans can leverage knowledge of plants to our advantage. 51. Describe different types of adaptations to avoid/resist herbivory. 52. Label the following parts on a neuron: dendrite, cell body (soma), axon, myelin sheath, axon terminal, synapse. 53. Identify pre- and post-synaptic neurons 54. Distinguish between the central and peripheral nervous systems. 55. Indicate the direction of action potential movement along a neuron. 56. Describe how electrical and chemical events contribute to the transmission of information. 57. Describe the gradients produced by the sodium-potassium pump. 58. Discuss the roles of the three types of channels discussed as part of neuron membrane structure. 59. Explain how the voltage and time dependent properties of sodium and potassium channels give rise to the different phases of the action potential. 60. Define resting potential 61. Define action potential 62. Explain what membrane potential is and how it’s measured 63. Define threshold 64. Define undershoot/hyperpolarization. 65. Explain how the opening of ion channels can produce either depolarizing or hyperpolarizing responses. 66. Explain how the voltage and time dependent properties of sodium and potassium channels give rise to the different phases of the action potential. 67. Define threshold. 68. Describe, in detail, the entire process of action potential propagation and relate that process to the output on an oscilloscope. 69. Draw an action potential as visualized on an oscilloscope. Label each of the five phases. Discuss what is happening in terms of voltage-gated ion channels opening/closing at each point along the potential. 70. Explain why action potentials propagate in only 1 direction down an axon. 71. Explain (1) why action potentials propagate more quickly down myelinated axons and (2) the role played by nodes of Ranvier in this process. 72. Define saltatory conduction 73. Diagram the series of steps that leads to neurotransmitter release at the motor neuron axon terminal. 74. Describe how the synaptic release of acetylcholine molecules can lead to the firing of muscle action potentials. 75. Predict consequences if any part of the “normal” system is disrupted. 76. Summarize the main mechanisms by which neurotransmitters are cleared from the synaptic cleft and explain why this is important. 77. Predict the consequences of neurotransmitter was NOT rapidly cleared from the synapse. 78. Discuss how one neurotransmitter can be both excitatory and inhibitory. 79. Predict what happens to membrane potential when a neuron is exposed to an excitatory vs an inhibitory neurotransmitter 80. List the three steps of sensory perception in animals 81. Define the three steps of sensory perception in animals 82. Identify adaptations of wolves and moose that make their senses stronger/better than ours. 83. Explain how physical sensation is received and transduced in animals. 84. Explain why hearing is the result of a mechanical stimulus. 85. Predict what would happen to hearing given a scenario (e.g., ear canal is stuffed with cotton, stapes is removed, middle ear is full of fluid) 86. Compare and contrast the chemoreception that occurs at synaptic junctions and with smell and taste. 87. Explain how smell is received and transduced. 88. Predict what would happen to smell given a scenario (e.g., stuffy nose, damage to olfactory neurons) 89. Explain how taste is received and transduced. 90. Predict what would happen to taste given a scenario (e.g., burn tongue on hot food) 91. Predict what would happen if action potentials generated from taste buds traveled to the visual processing region of the brain. 92. Identify adaptations of wolves and moose that make their senses stronger/better than  ours. 93. Predict consequences if any part of the “normal” system is disrupted. 94. Predict what would happen if a drug that blocked the opening or closing of voltage-gated ion channels was administered at any given point during an action potential. 95. Predict what would happen if a drug that blocked release of a neurotransmitter, that blocked a neurotransmitter from reaching a receptor, or that blocked reuptake of a neurotransmitter was applied in a particular situation. 96. Predict what would happen if, given information about a specific neurotoxin, that neurotoxin was released in an organism.  Unit 3: Viruses 1. Apply the Big Ideas in Biology to topics discussed in class. 2. Define virus. 3. Define host. 4. Describe the physical and physiological connections between hosts and viruses 5. Defend a virus being a living organism. 6. Defend a virus not being a living organism. 7. List characteristics that define a living organism. 8. Describe the ecosystem(s) in which viruses thrive. 9. Define types of symbioses (commensalism, mutualism, parasitism). 10. Identify what role viruses fit into with respect to symbioses. 11. Discuss the role of viruses in an ecosystem. 12. Discuss how climate change impacts the geographic distribution of viruses. 13. Compare and contrast a bacterial infection (like Lyme disease) and a virus. 14. Describe what selective pressures organisms experience in a symbiotic vs predator/prey vs competitive relationship. 15. Connect multiple levels (from cellular to ecosystem) associated with viruses. (what cool examples are there of viruses causing massive ecosystem changes) 16. Define evolution, natural selection, adaptation, fitness. 17. Define artificial selection. 18. Compare and contrast natural and artificial selection. 19. Describe three principles that underlie the concept of natural selection. 20. Compare and contrast micro- and macro-evolution 21. Articulate responses to refute misconceptions about evolution 22. Define gene 23. Define allele 24. Compare and contrast gene and allele. 25. Identify a given example as being an example of micro- or macro-evolution. 26. Identify adaptations for different environments among a group of organisms. 27. Discuss the connection between natural selection and adaptation. 28. Describe five mechanisms that cause allele frequencies to change in a population over time. 29. Define mutation, gene flow (migration), genetic drift (bottleneck effect, founder effect), natural selection. 30. Use examples to identify mechanisms for allele frequency changes 31. Compare and contrast the different mechanisms of allele frequency change 32. Define variation in a trait. 33. Define heritability. 34. Identify whether an adaptation is structural, behavioral, or physiological. 35. Explain what phylogenetic trees represent. 36. Compare and contrast prokaryote and eukaryote. 37. Compare and contrast plant and animal cells. 38. Define node, root, and tip. 39. Define “species” using the biological species concept 40. Define reproductive isolation. 41. List mechanisms that result in reproductive isolation. 42. Group reproductive isolating mechanisms into prezygotic and postzygotic mechanisms. 43. Provide examples of (or, if given an example, apply the appropriate term to) temporal isolation, habitat isolation, behavioral isolation, gametic isolation, hybrid inviability, mechanical isolation) 44. Discuss situations in which the biological species concept doesn’t work well 45. Interpret phylogenetic trees and identify components including root, branch, node (ancestor), terminal taxa (descendants). 46. Identify whether a trait is an ancestral or derived trait. 47. Identify whether a group is a monophyletic group or not. 48. Identify if a particular example is acclimation or adaptation. 49. Compare and contrast acclimation and adaptation. 50. Identify traits as homologous or analogous. 51. Define homologous and analogous traits. 52. Compare and contrast homologous and analogous traits. 53. Use a phylogenetic tree to determine if there is an example of convergent evolution. 54. Identify closest relatives using phylogenetic trees. 55. Use two ways to determine closest relatives (the node way and the character way). 56. Draw trees given information about closest relatives 57. Define each term in Fick’s Law. 58. Make predictions about how changing each term in Fick’s Law might impact gas exchange. 59. Describe adaptations organisms have to maximize gas exchange and relate these directly to Fick’s Law. 60. Discuss how infection with SARS-CoV-2 affects gas exchange in the lungs and relate this directly to Fick’s Law.