Category: Ecology

Chapter 21 AP Objectives

 

Chapter 21    Genetic Basis of Development
Objectives
From Single Cell to Multicellular Organism
1. List the animals used as models for developmental biology research and provide a rationale for their choice.
2. Distinguish between the patterns of morphogenesis in plants and in animals.
Differential Gene Expression
3. Describe how genomic equivalence was determined for plants and animals.
4. Describe what kinds of changes occur to the genome during differentiation.
5. Describe the general process by which the ewe Dolly and the first mice were cloned.
6. Describe the characteristics of stem cells. Explain their significance to medicine.
7. Distinguish between determination and differentiation. Explain why determination precedes differentiation.
8. Describe the molecular basis of determination.
9. Describe the two sources of information that instruct a cell to express genes at the appropriate time.
Genetic and Cellular Mechanisms of Pattern Formation
10. Describe how Drosophila was used to investigate the basic aspects of pattern formation (axis formation and segmentation).
11. Explain how maternal genes affect polarity and development in Drosophila embryos.
12. Describe how gradients of morphogens may specify the axes of developing Drosophila embryos.
13. Describe how homeotic genes define the anatomical identity of the segments of a developing organism.
14. Describe how the study of nematodes contributed to an understanding of the role of induction in development.
15. Describe how apoptosis functions in normal and abnormal development.
16. Describe how the study of tomatoes has contributed to the understanding of flower development.
17. Describe how the study of Arabidopsis has contributed to the understanding of organ identity in plants.
18. Provide evidence of the conservation of homeobox patterns.

 
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Chapter 21 – Genetic Basis of Development

 

Chapter 21    Genetic Basis of Development
Objectives
1. Explain how advances in recombinant DNA technology have helped scientists study the eukaryotic genome.

2. Describe the natural function of restriction enzymes.

3. Describe how restriction enzymes and gel electrophoresis are used to isolate DNA fragments.

4. Explain how the creation of sticky ends by restriction enzymes is useful in producing a recombinant DNA molecule.

5. Outline the procedures for producing plasmid and phage vectors.

6. Explain how vectors are used in recombinant DNA technology.

7. List and describe the two major sources of genes for cloning.

8. Describe the function of reverse transcriptase in retroviruses and explain how they are useful in recombinant DNA technology.

9. Describe how “genes of interest” can be identified with the use of a probe.

10. Explain the importance of DNA synthesis and sequencing to modern studies of eukaryotic genomes.

11. Describe how bacteria can be induced to produce eukaryotic gene products.

12. List some advantages for using yeast in the production of gene products.

13. List and describe four complementary approaches used to map the human genome.

14. Explain how RFLP analysis and PCR can be applied to the Human Genome Project.

15. Describe how recombinant DNA technology can have medical applications such as diagnosis of genetic disease, development of gene therapy, vaccine production, and development of pharmaceutical products.

16. Describe how gene manipulation has practical applications for agriculture.

17. Describe how plant genes can be manipulated using the Ti plasmid carried by Agrobacterium as a vector.

18. Explain how foreign DNA may be transferred into monocotyledonous plants.

19. Describe how recombinant DNA studies and the biotechnology industry are regulated with regards to safety and policy matters.

 
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Chapter 22 AP Objectives

 

Chapter 22    Darwinian View of Life
Objectives
The Historical Context for Evolutionary Theory
1. Explain the mechanism for evolutionary change proposed by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species.
2. Define evolution and adaptation.
3. Compare and contrast Aristotle’s scala naturae to Carolus Linnaeus’ classification scheme.
4. Describe the theories of catastrophism, gradualism, and uniformitarianism.
5. Explain the mechanism for evolutionary change proposed by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. Explain why modern biology has rejected Lamarck’s theories.
The Darwinian Revolution
6. Describe how Darwin’s observations on the voyage of the HMS Beagle led him to formulate and support his theory of evolution.
7. Explain how the principle of gradualism and Charles Lyell’s theory of uniformitarianism influenced Darwin’s ideas about evolution.
8. Explain what Darwin meant by “descent with modification.”
9. Explain what evidence convinced Darwin that species change over time.
10. Explain how Linnaeus’ classification scheme fit Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
11. Describe the three inferences Darwin made from his observations that led him to propose natural selection as a mechanism for evolutionary change.
12. Explain how an essay by the Rev. Thomas Malthus influenced Charles Darwin.
13. Distinguish between artificial selection and natural selection.
14. Explain why an individual organism cannot evolve.
15. Describe the experiments that supported Reznick and Endler’s hypothesis that differences in life-history traits between guppy populations are due to selective pressure based on predation.
16. Explain how the existence of homologous and vestigial structures can be explained by Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
17. Explain how evidence from biogeography supports the theory of evolution by natural selection.
18. Explain the problem with the statement that Darwinism is “just a theory.” Distinguish between the scientific and colloquial use of the word theory.

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Chapter 23 AP Objectives

 

Chapter 23    Evolution of Populations
Objectives
Population Genetics
1. Explain the statement “It is the population, not the individual, that evolves.”
2. Explain how Mendel’s particulate hypothesis of inheritance provided much-needed support for Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
3. Distinguish between discrete and quantitative traits. Explain how Mendel’s laws of inheritance apply to quantitative traits.
4. Explain what is meant by “the modern synthesis.”
5. Define the terms population, species, and gene pool.
6. Explain why meiosis and random fertilization alone will not alter the frequency of alleles or genotypes in a population.
7. List the five conditions that must be met for a population to remain in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
8. Write the Hardy-Weinberg equation. Use the equation to calculate allele frequencies when the frequency of homozygous recessive individuals in a population is 25%.
Mutation and Sexual Recombination
9. Explain why the majority of point mutations are harmless.
10. Explain why mutation has little quantitative effect on allele frequencies in a large population.
11. Describe the significance of transposons in the generation of genetic variability.
12. Explain how sexual recombination generates genetic variability.
Natural Selection, Genetic Drift, and Gene Flow
13. Explain the following statement: “Only natural selection leads to the adaptation of organisms to their environment.”
14. Explain the role of population size in genetic drift.
15. Distinguish between the bottleneck effect and the founder effect.
16. Describe how gene flow can act to reduce genetic differences between adjacent populations.
Genetic Variation, the Substrate for Natural Selection
17. Explain how quantitative and discrete characters contribute to variation within a population.
18. Distinguish between average heterozygosity and nucleotide variability. Explain why average heterozygosity tends to be greater than nucleotide variability.
19. Define a cline.
20. Define relative fitness.
a. Explain why relative fitness is zero for a healthy, long-lived, sterile organism.
b. Explain why relative fitness could be high for a short-lived organism.
21. Distinguish among directional, disruptive, and stabilizing selection. Give an example of each mode of selection.
22. Explain how diploidy can protect a rare recessive allele from elimination by natural selection.
23. Describe how heterozygote advantage and frequency-dependent selection promote balanced polymorphism.
24. Define neutral variations. Explain why natural selection does not act on these alleles.
25. Distinguish between intrasexual selection and intersexual selection.
26. Explain how female preferences for showy male traits may benefit the female.
27. Describe the disadvantages of sexual reproduction.
28. Explain how the genetic variation promoted by sex may be advantageous to individuals on a generational time scale.
29. List four reasons why natural selection cannot produce perfect organisms.

 
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Chapter 24 AP Objectives

 

Chapter 24    Origin of Species
Objectives
What Is a Species?
1. Distinguish between anagenesis and cladogenesis.
2. Define Ernst Mayr’s biological species concept.
3. Distinguish between prezygotic and postzygotic isolating mechanisms.
4. Describe five prezygotic isolating mechanisms and give an example of each.
5. Explain a possible cause for reduced hybrid viability.
6. Explain how hybrid breakdown maintains separate species even if fertilization occurs.
7. Describe some limitations of the biological species concept.
8. Define and distinguish among the following: ecological species concept, paleontological species concept, phylogenetic species concept, and morphological species concept.
Modes of Speciation
9. Distinguish between allopatric and sympatric speciation.
10. Explain the allopatric speciation model and describe the mechanisms that may lead to divergence of isolated gene pools.
11. Describe examples of adaptive radiation in the Galápagos and Hawaiian archipelagoes.
12. Explain how reproductive barriers evolve. Describe an example of the evolution of a prezygotic barrier and the evolution of a postzygotic barrier.
13. Define sympatric speciation and explain how polyploidy can cause reproductive isolation.
14. Distinguish between an autopolyploid and an allopolyploid species and describe examples of each.
15. Describe how cichlid fishes may have speciated in sympatry in Lake Victoria.
Adaptive Radiation
16. Define adaptive radiation and describe the circumstances under which adaptive radiation may occur.
17. Describe the two gene loci implicated in speciation in Mimulus.
From Speciation to Macroevolution
18. Explain in general terms how a complex structure can evolve by natural selection.
19. Define exaptation and illustrate this concept with an example.
20. Explain how slight genetic divergences may lead to major morphological differences between species.
21. Explain how the evolution of changes in temporal and spatial developmental dynamics can result in evolutionary novelties.
22. Define evo-devo, heterochrony, allometric growth, and paedomorphosis.
23. Explain why extracting a single evolutionary progression from a fossil record can be misleading.
24. Define and illustrate the concept of species selection.
25. Explain why evolutionary change is not goal-directed.
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