Biology II AP Objectives

Links:

Topics:

12. Organisms and Populations
    • The relationship of structure to function is a theme that is common to all organisms; the interactions of organisms with their environment is the major theme in ecology
    • What models are useful in describing the growth of a population?
    • How is population size regulated by abiotic and biotic factors?
    • What factors affect community structure and ecosystem energy flow through an ecosystem?
    • What are the parts of a food chain or web?
    • How do elements (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, oxygen) cycle through ecosystems?
    • How do organisms affect the cycling of elements and water through the biosphere?
    1. Ecology
       1. Explain the importance of temperature, water, light, soil, gases, and wind to living organisms
       2. Factors that effect population dynamics including predation, competition for food, habitat, mates
    2. Communities and ecosystems
       1. Food webs, trophic levels, pyramid of energy, pyramid of biomass, biological concentrations
       2. Symbiotic relationships mutualism, parasitism, predation, etc.
    3. Describe the major land and water ecosystems
    4. What are the biogeochemical cycles and how do they affect an ecosystem?
       1. Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, oxygen cycles
       2. Describe how humans affecting the biogeochemical cycles
    5. Describe the global issues of overpopulation, depletision, pollution, desperation
    6. Review the root causes of animal extinction, such as habitat loss, an animal trade

Time Range:
10 days

Suggested Teaching Strategies:

• Students will read and take their own notes on the chapter (maybe in outline form)
• Lecture over characteristics of the different types of land and water ecosystems
• Lecture on food webs, pyramids of energy, pyramids of biomass, and biological concentrations
• Lecture on biochemical cycles, water, oxygen, carbon, etc.
• Lecture on environmental problems, clean water, food and habitat loss
• Students will fill out crossword puzzle that uses terms from the chapter
• Students will fill out chapter study guide to complement their lecture and board notes
• Students will fill out worksheet on food chains, ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles
• Critical Thinking: Students will use computer and do activity on 50.0 thru 55.4 on Ecology on CD Rom from Campbell's Biology

Aligned Resources:

• Lab: Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity
• Worksheets and study guide chapter twelve
• Black line masters of worksheet on food chains, ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles
• Transparencies of ecosystems
• Reading open note quiz over chapters

Assessment:

• Grade on reading quiz
• Grade on study guide unit twelve
• Grade on crossword
• Grade on lab write-up
• Unit test twelve

Revision Date:
November 2001