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Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life. Topics, Concepts, and Themes. Topics are the subject areas Concepts are the most important ideas that form our current understanding of a particular topic Themes are an overarching feature that applies throughout the curriculum.

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Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

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  1. Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

  2. Topics, Concepts, and Themes • Topics are the subject areas • Concepts are the most important ideas that form our current understanding of a particular topic • Themes are an overarching feature that applies throughout the curriculum

  3. Topics(as we discuss in AP Biology) • Molecules and cells • Heredity and evolution • Organisms and populations

  4. Concepts, some examples • Water: How do the unique chemical and physical properties of water make life on the earth possible • Membranes: How do variations in the structure of the cell membrane account for functional differences? • How do the structures of DNA and RNA relate to their functions?

  5. Major Themes(as we discuss in AP Biology) • Science as a Process • Evolution • Energy Transfer • Continuity and Change • Relationship of Structure to Function • Regulation • Interdependence in Nature • Science, Technology, and Society

  6. Course Topics • Chemistry of Life • Cells • Cellular Energetics • Heredity • Molecular Genetics • Evolutionary Biology • Diversity of Organisms • Structure and Function of Plants and Animals • Ecology

  7. Biological Systems • System: has properties that are based on the arrangement and interactions of its parts • Examples: cells, organisms, and ecosystems • Hierarchies illustrate emergent properties of systems • Reductionism: seeks to find mechanisms, not reasons, for observed phenomena, assumes biological systems can be understood in terms of physical laws

  8. Grouping Species: The Basic Idea Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

  9. What is Science? • Science: to know • Limited to falsifiable and testable hypotheses • Experimental results must be repeatable • Utilizes modeling to represent ideas • Discovery science: describes natural phenomena • Hypothesis-based science attempts to seek natural causes and explanations of observations.

  10. Evolution: Fact and Theory • Fact: it occurs • Theory: how it occurs • What is a theory? • Much broader than a hypothesis! • General enough to lead to new, testable hypotheses • Supported by a massive body of evidence

  11. Videos and Websites • http://www.understandingscience.org Online Labs for AP Biology: • http://www.ucopenaccess.org/courses/APBioLabs/course/index.html • http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/

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