Basic Science
Domain 1: Scientific Investigation
1.01 | Understand the techniques used to analyze, critique, and improve scientific explanations of phenomena; understand that hypotheses must always be falsifiable and subjected to review in the light of scientific evidence obtained by experiment and observation. |
1.02 | Know how to make and record measurements of length, volume, time, temperature, mass, electrical quantities, and amount of substance, using SI units and give the numerical power-of-ten metric prefixes used with these units. |
1.03 | Understand that numerical values are associated with measurements of physical quantities and must be assigned units of measurement or dimensions; understand that every measurement requires a unit; and know how to use such units correctly. |
1.04 | Convert between units of the same measurement system (e.g., inches to yards, centimeters to meters, square feet to square miles) and given the conversion factors, make conversions between the metric and customary systems of measurement (e.g., feet to meters, kilowatts to horsepower, BTU to kilocalories and joules). |
1.05 | Express temperatures using Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin temperature scales and make conversions from one to another. |
1.06 | Demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of precision, accuracy, and error with regard to interpreting and recording numerical data acquired using a scientific instrument (human and instrument error). |
1.07 | Express numbers in scientific notation and determine significant digits in a measured or calculated quantity. |
1.08 | Understand the role of theory in the structure, function, and development of science such as the atomic theory, classical mechanics (e.g., Newtonian theory), Big Bang theory, the theory of plate tectonics, and the theory of biological evolution. |
1.09 | Evaluate a specific scientific investigation, on the basis of:
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1.10 | Use exponential growth and decay models to describe ratio-dependent phenomena such as radioactive decay and unchecked population growth. |
1.11 | Use examples to demonstrate the difference between real science and such pseudoscientific areas as astrology, fortune telling, therapeutic touch, and other “energy auras,” and UFOlogy. |
1.12 | Know and use various mathematics concepts and operations:
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1.13 | Use appropriate tools and technology (such as micrometers, computer-linked probes, pH meters, multimeters, spectrometers, and microscopes) to make measurements. |
1.14 | Understand procedures for the appropriate and safe storage, handling, use, disposal, care, and maintenance of chemicals, materials, specimens, and equipment. |
1.15 | Explain the ethical traditions of science:
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1.16 | Recognize and identify how people from all walks of life make contributions to science. |
2.01 | Understand the arrangement of electrons in electron shells and the importance of valence electrons. Describe common chemical bonds and interactions (polar and nonpolar covalent bonds, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions, and hydrophobic effects). |
2.02 | Understand the structure and special properties of water, including its cohesion, expansion on freezing, geometry of H-bonds, solvent properties, specific heat, and heats of vaporization and fusion. Know the significance of these properties of water for organisms and ecosystems. |
2.03 | Explain the basic functions of DNA and RNA in cells. |
2.04 | Understand the first and second laws of thermodynamics and the different forms of energy involved in living systems (e.g., thermal energy, chemical bond energy, light energy, kinetic energy, and the potential energy that arises from voltage or concentration gradients). |
2.05 | Understand the problems of scaling as they relate to the size of cells (i.e. surface area to volume ratio). |
2.06 | Know the structural differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and between plant and animal cells. |
2.07 | Distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Understand how the processes involved in sexual reproduction cause genetic variation, i.e., meiosis and mitosis. |
2.08 | Know how Mendel carried out his experiments and how he pioneered the use of quantitative methods in genetics. |
2.09 | Give examples of genetic engineering used to produce biomedical and agricultural products as well as for bioremediation. |
2.10 | Know how fossils form and how they have contributed to our understanding of the evolutionary history of life. |
2.11 | Understand how continental movements have affected the distribution of plants and animals. |
2.12 | Describe the mechanics by which natural selection leads to evolution. |
2.13 | Understand the current classification schemes (three domains, six kingdoms) and the rationale for categorizing organisms. List the levels of classification. |
2.14 | Know the evidence for evolution, including comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, biogeography, and molecular biology. |
2.15 | Energy transfer through trophic levels of food web. |
2.16 | Know the basic functions of the various human body systems |
3.01 | Describe the difference between compounds and mixtures, heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures, elements and atoms, atoms and molecules, atoms and ions, and ionic and molecular compounds. |
3.02 | Recognize density as an intensive (intrinsic) quantity, defined as the ratio of mass to volume, both of which are extensive (extrinsic) quantities. |
3.03 | Understand the difference between intensive and extensive properties of matter (e.g., pressure = force/area; electric current density = current/cross-sectional area). |
3.04 | Describe the structures and properties of the atom, including
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3.05 | Given the complete symbol for an isotope of an atom and the atomic number and the mass number, determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons). |
3.06 | Relate the position of an element in the periodic table to its atomic number, mass number, quantum electron configuration and to its reactivity with other elements in the table. |
3.07 | Identify major regions of the periodic table. (metals, nonmetals, metalloids, lanthanides, actinides, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, gases, noble gases). |
3.08 | Determine the number of valence electrons in various elements. |
3.09 | Use characteristic properties to classify substances (metal/nonmetal, ionic/molecular, acid/base). |
3.10 | Explain how atoms combine by sharing electrons to form covalent or metallic bonds or by the reconfiguration of electron densities to form ionic bonds, or by hydrogen bonds. |
3.11 | Compare and contrast the general physical and chemical properties of ionic and covalent compounds. |
3.12 | Describe the arrangement of atoms in molecules, ionic crystals, polymers, and metallic substances. |
3.13 | Know that atoms and molecules in the liquid state move randomly relative to one another, whereas in the solid state they vibrate about fixed positions and in the gaseous state they are mostly too far apart to interact significantly with one another. |
3.14 | Draw Lewis (electron dot) structures for atoms and simple molecules. |
3.15 | Explain how chemical reactions are processes in which atoms are rearranged into different combinations of molecules and no matter how they are arranged, their total mass and number of each kind of atom stays the same (i.e., conservation of mass). |
3.16 | Use chemical symbols and formulas to write and balance the equation for a chemical reaction, and identify the reactants and the products. |
3.17 | Define reaction types, including composition (synthesis), decomposition, combustion (oxidation), and single and double displacement reactions. |
3.18 | Understand the mole concept and the significance of Avogadro's number and use this understanding to calculate or interconvert:
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3.19 | Given the concentration in grams of a solute per liter of solution, and the solution's density, express this concentration as molarity, percent composition, and parts per million. |
3.20 | Define the colligative properties (e.g., freezing point depression) of a solution and give examples. |
3.21 | Identify the acidity/basicity of solutions and predict the approximate pH of common household solutions. |
3.22 | Define strong and weak acids and give examples of each. |
3.23 | Describe what happens in a neutralization reaction. |
3.24 | Define saturated, unsaturated and supersaturated solutions and their relationship to precipitation. |
3.25 | Define pH as the negative of the logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. |
3.26 | Explain the differences between polar and nonpolar solvents and the substances they tend to dissolve. |
3.27 | Explain that chemical processes either release or absorb energy (are exothermic or endothermic). |
3.28 | Describe temperature and heat flow in terms of the motion of molecules. |
3.29 | Explain the effects of the gain or loss of thermal energy on the temperature and state of solids, liquids and gases. |
3.30 | Understand that latent heat involves a change in the molecular potential energy of a substance as heat energy is released or absorbed with no temperature change. |
3.31 | Determine the average rate of a reaction over a given period of time by calculating the slope of the line on a concentration vs. time graph. |
3.32 | Evaluate a potential energy diagram showing activation energies for the forward and reverse reactions, and how they are affected by the addition of a catalyst. |
3.33 | Sketch a phase diagram for a pure substance. labeling the axes and each of the regions, and locate the triple point, critical point, normal melting point, and the normal boiling point. Use the phase diagram to describe physical changes. |
3.34 | Know that naturally occurring isotopes can be stable or unstable (radioactive). |
3.35 | Describe the three most common types of radioactive decay (alpha, beta, and gamma). |
3.36 | Describe the process of diffusion on the molecular level. |
4.01 | Describe the overall structure of the universe, including galactic clusters, galaxies (the Milky Way in particular), star clusters, and stars. |
4.02 | Discuss the evidence (Doppler shifts and presence of cosmic background radiation) for and implications of the “Big Bang” theory. |
4.03 | Describe how atomic nuclei with atomic numbers up to iron are formed inside stars. |
4.04 | Describe the life cycle of stars with various initial masses. Describe how atomic nuclei heavier than iron are formed in supernova explosions, and how this matter becomes incorporated into later-generation stars like the sun. |
4.05 | Know that rocks are classified according to their origins as igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. |
4.06 | Know that the Earth is roughly layered and properly use the terms crust, mantle and core. |
4.07 | Describe the overall interacting systems of Earth, including solid earth (geosphere/lithosphere), atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and ionosphere. |
4.08 | Explain time zones in terms of longitude (15º corresponds to 1 hour) and the rotation of the Earth. Understand the reasons for changes in the observed position of the sun and moon in the sky and the length of daylight in terms of latitude during the course of the day and from season to season. |
4.09 | Know that the Earth has a magnetic field that roughly approximates a dipole with poles located near the geographic poles. |
4.10 | Know the principles, uses and limitations of radiometric dating. |
4.11 | Understand the concept of half-life and its use in radiometric dating. |
4.12 | Know that most of the energy for processes at the Earth's surface comes from the sun. |
4.13 | Describe the Earth's water cycle. |
5.01 | Describe the motion of a body of mass m when the net force acting on it is zero (Newton's first law.) |
5.02 | Describe the motion of a body of mass m when a nonzero net force F acts on it (Newton's second law.) |
5.03 | Explain the connection between the mass m of a body and its weight w. |
5.04 | Describe Newton's third law of motion, making clear the fact that the pair of “equal and opposite forces” act on two different bodies. |
5.05 | Explain how simple machines (e.g., the lever, inclined plane, block and tackle) are devices that trade off force for distance (or vice versa) so that the work input and the work output are the same. |
5.06 | Explain Newton's law of universal gravitation. |
5.07 | Know the two kinds of electric charge (positive and negative) and the way they interact. |
5.08 | Explain that the electrostatic charge on the macroscopic scale is due to the presence of fundamental particles called electrons and protons, which have equal and opposite charges. |
5.09 | Explain that electromagnetic radiation of various wavelength ranges interacts with living tissue, and how this can be hazardous. |
5.10 | Relate wavelength, frequency, propagation speed, and energy of waves. |
5.11 | Understand that a disturbance in a medium may propagate as a wave. |
5.12 | Explain the reflection and refraction that occur when a wave encounters a boundary between two media. |
5.13 | Understand that refraction is a consequence of a change of wave speed. |
5.14 | Explain the Doppler effect. |
5.15 | Recognize the four basic forces of nature (electromagnetic, gravitation, weak, strong). |
5.16 | Understand the concepts of conservation of energy and conservation of momentum (qualitative and quantitative) |
5.17 | Describe the spectrum of electromagnetic waves. Describe the properties of each of the general wavelength ranges and the ways they can be generated, detected, and used for practical purposes. |
Framework (Standards) Biology
Domain 1: Biochemical Basis of Life
1.01 | Know the chemical structures and properties of simple organic functional groups (hydroxyls, carbonyls, carboxylic acids, amines, sulfhydryls, phenols, and phosphates). |
1.02 | Write condensed line structures of organic molecules |
1.03 | Classify molecules as alcohols, alkanes, alkenes, ethers, ketones, aldehydes, organic acids, esters, or amines. |
1.04 | Understand how organic molecules can exist as various isomers (structural, geometric, and stereoisomer). |
1.05 | Understand how pH affects the ionization of carboxylic acids and amines, and know their patterns of ionization at neutral pH. |
1.06 | Know the general structures of polymers such as polysaccharides, polypeptides, and nucleic acids, how they are built by condensation of monomers and degraded through a process of hydrolysis. |
1.07 | Understand how carbohydrates are classified (triose, pentose, hexose, aldose, ketose, monosaccharide, disaccharide, oligosaccharide, polysaccharide), and that many monosaccharides can have both straight chain and ring forms. |
1.08 | Know the functions of cellulose, starch, glycogen, and chitin in cells. |
1.09 | Understand primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary levels of protein structures and how the physical and chemical conditions of the environment (i.e., pH, ionic concentration, salt concentration, and temperature) affect conformation, and may cause denaturation. |
1.10 | Know the many possible roles of proteins in cells. |
1.11 | Understand how nucleic acids are classified (single stranded, double stranded, RNA, DNA), and how base pairing (G with C, A with T or U) leads to a double helical structure consisting of two complementary strands. |
1.12 | Understand how fatty acids are classified (saturated, unsaturated), and the general structures and functions of triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids. |
1.13 | Know how enzyme activity is affected by inhibitors, pH, ionic concentration, and temperature conditions, and how metabolic pathways are frequently controlled by feedback inhibition. |
1.14 | Explain competitive and allosteric enzyme kinetics. Read Michaelis-Menten graphs and understand their key features. |
Domain 2: Cell Biology and Microbiology
2.01 | Know the historical scientific contributions of Hooke, Leeuwenhoek, Schleiden and Schwann to cell theory, and the types of instruments (e.g., SEM, TEM) that are currently used to visualize cells at different scales. |
2.02 | Understand the distinctions between diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis, and active transport in a cell system. Understand how osmotic pressure affects various types of cells. Know the role of membranes in these functions (e.g., fluid mosaic model). |
2.03 | Know the basic functions of glycolysis, fermentation, the citric acid cycle (Kreb's), and the electron transport system, and their compartmentalization in a cell. |
2.04 | Understand substrate-level phosphorylation, and chemiosmotic mechanisms for generating ATP. |
2.05 | Know the basic functions of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis, and their compartmentalization in a cell. |
2.06 | Understand the mechanics of photosystems II and I and the Calvin cycle. Explain the concepts of absorption and action spectra. |
2.07 | Understand the problem of photorespiration and explain the strategies used by C4 and CAM plants to solve this problem. |
2.08 | Understand the endomembrane system of eukaryotic cells, including vesicle transport from the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus to the cell surface, various types of endocytosis, exocytosis, and lysosome function. |
2.09 | Understand the basic structures and functions of the following: nucleus, nucleolus, nuclear pore, cytoskeleton, cytoplasm (cytosol), mitochondrion, chloroplast, large central vacuole, contractile vacuole, peroxisome, ribosome, cell wall, cell (plasma) membrane, cilium and flagellum. |
2.10 | Describe the processes of cell division, including binary fission, mitosis and meiosis. |
2.11 | Understand the characteristics of algae and protozoa phyla and their roles in evolution and ecology. |
2.12 | Know the general structure of viruses and the difference between a virus and retrovirus. Know the general mechanisms of viral pathogenesis. |
2.13 | Know the structure of a bacterium. Understand the characterization of bacteria based on morphology and colony arrangement. |
2.14 | Understand the characteristics of fungal phyla. Describe the structures and processes of reproduction utilized by these organisms (e.g., Basidiomycetes, Ascomycetes, and Fungi Imperfecti). |
3.01 | Explain the genetic basis for Mendel's principles of segregation and independent assortment in relationship to meiosis. |
3.02 | Understand how genotype causes phenotype. Predict the probability of each possible genotype and phenotype in a genetic cross, given the genotypes of the parents and the mode of inheritance. |
3.03 | Understand exceptions to and extensions of Mendelian rules of inheritance, including incomplete dominance, co-dominance, mitochondrial inheritance, epistasis, pleiotropy, multiple alleles, polygenic inheritance, and sex-linkage. |
3.04 | Construct and analyze pedigrees to determine the mode of inheritance. |
3.05 | Explain how to carry out genetic crosses to determine genetic linkage, and interpret genetic maps of chromosomes. |
3.06 | Explain the causes of common genetic diseases, their mode of inheritance, and their effects on phenotypes (e.g., sickle cell anemia and hemophilia). |
3.07 | Explain which non-lethal aneuploidies chromosomal abnormalities occur in humans, and their effects (e.g., Turner's syndrome and Down's syndrome). |
4.01 | Understand how Watson and Crick determined the structure of DNA, and the importance of Franklin's work. Explain how the structure of DNA allows it to serve as its own template for replication. |
4.02 | Explain the complexities of DNA replication (antiparallel strands, continuous and discontinuous synthesis) and how it is carried out in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. |
4.03 | Understand that the sequence of nucleotides in a gene determines the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide, and explain the basic processes of transcription and translation, by which the information in the gene is used to direct the synthesis of a polypeptide. |
4.04 | Describe the classical experiments carried out by the following researchers, the rationale for the experiments, the results and conclusions: Hammerling, Griffith, Avery and co-workers, Hershey and Chase, Chargaff, Meselson and Stahl, Beadle and Tatum, and Nirenberg. |
4.05 | Explain the steps involved in transcription; identify the types of proteins required and the role of each. |
4.06 | Describe the steps involved in translation; explain the roles of mRNAs, tRNAs, ribosomes (RNA), and amino-acyl tRNA synthetases. |
4.07 | Explain the steps involved in RNA processing in eukaryotic cells, and the purpose for each step. |
4.08 | Explain what mutations are, how they occur, and how they may or may not affect the expression of the gene, the function of the encoded protein, and the phenotype. Explain the various types of chromosomal rearrangements and their possible effects. |
4.09 | Explain how mutations and genetic recombination are a source of genetic variation and that natural selection and evolutionary processes act on the phenotype of an organism. |
4.10 | Understand the function of bacterial operons, both inducible and repressible, and how they are regulated. |
4.11 | Explain how eukaryotic genes are regulated, including the roles of steroid hormones and signal transduction pathways. |
4.12 | Explain how cells in a multicellular organism differentiate as the result of different patterns of gene expression. |
4.13 | Understand the processes and purposes of each of the following types of DNA technology: digestion with restriction endonucleases: gel electrophoresis, ligation, bacterial transformation, Southern blotting, DNA fingerprinting, polymerase chain reaction. |
4.14 | Understand how the pluripotency of plant cells and animal stem cells is important (e.g., immune system functioning, embryological functioning, and genetic engineering). |
5.01 | Know the principal divisions (eons and eras) of geologic time, and the basis for placing the temporal boundaries. |
5.02 | Place significant biological events (e.g., appearance of prokaryotes, oxygen accumulation in the atmosphere, appearance of eukaryotes, first multicellular organisms, first land plants, and first vertebrates) on the geologic time scale. |
5.03 | Define mass extinction and know when the two most significant mass extinctions occurred. Describe the fossil record before and after a mass extinction. |
5.04 | Explain the endosymbiotic hypothesis of the origin of eukaryotic cells. Know the evidence that supports this. |
5.05 | Know the five factors affecting Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and understand how each produces changes in allele frequencies and/or distribution of genotypes. |
5.06 | State the Hardy-Weinberg principle in mathematical terms and define the variables. Solve Hardy-Weinberg problems involving allele or phenotype frequency. |
5.07 | Understand how natural selection acts on phenotypic variations within a population, which in turn depend on variations in genotype, and how this can result in a change in the distribution of genotypes. |
5.08 | Compare and contrast the three forms of natural selection and examples of each (stabilizing, divergent, and directional). Understand the pressures that lead to sexual selection, and how this can lead to sexual dimorphism. |
5.09 | Know how sickle-cell anemia, industrial melanism, variations in Darwin's finches, and the acquisition of antibiotic resistance provide examples of microevolution. |
5.10 | Compare macroevolution and microevolution and explain how microevolution leads to speciation. |
5.11 | Describe prezygotic and postzygotic isolating mechanisms and how they affect speciation. Distinguish between allopatric and sympatric speciation. |
5.12 | Compare and contrast gradualism and punctuated equilibrium in biological evolution and describe the evidence for each. |
5.13 | Compare and contrast the concepts of homologous and analogous structures. |
5.14 | Cite the progress since Darwin (e.g., molecular and Mendelian genetics, biochemistry, and developmental biology) that has improved and broadened our understanding of evolution. |
5.15 | Understand the effects of genetic drift in small populations. Discuss bottlenecks and their effects on a population's genetic makeup. |
5.16 | Understand the various definitions of a species (e.g., geography, reproduction, fossil evidence). |
5.17 | Compare and contrast Lamarck's and Darwin's theories of evolutionary processes. Know that evolution acts only on pre-existing genetic variations in a population. |
5.18 | Describe the evidence for evolutionary connections among new world monkeys, old world monkeys, and great apes, including hominids and humans. |
5.19 | Understand the ideas of Hutton and Lyell that were incorporated in Darwin's theory of natural selection. |
Domain 6: Comparative Physiology
6.01 | Describe the levels of organization, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole animal. Describe the structure and function of various types of animal tissues. |
6.02 | Explain the rationale for grouping animals into the Parazoa, Radiata, Acoelomates, Pseudocolelomates, Protostomes, and Deuterostomes. List the phyla that fall into each category and describe the basic body plan for each phylum. |
6.03 | Describe the processes of embryonic development; understand how tissue layers form and the structures that each layer gives rise to. |
6.04 | Explain how the interactions of respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and excretory systems provide cells with oxygen and nutrients and remove toxic waste products such as carbon dioxide and nitrogenous wastes. Understand the importance of surface area in these systems. |
6.05 | Describe the evolution and structure of respiratory systems in invertebrates and vertebrates. |
6.06 | Describe the evolution and structure of circulatory systems in invertebrates and vertebrates. Differentiate between open and closed circulatory systems. Discuss why the hearts of endotherms are different than those of exotherms. Understand the principle of countercurrent exchange. |
6.07 | Describe the evolution and structure of digestive systems in invertebrates and vertebrates, and the functions of the various organs. |
6.08 | Describe the evolution and structure of excretory systems in invertebrates and vertebrates, and how these function. |
6.09 | Describe the evolution and structure of nervous systems in invertebrates and vertebrates and how these function. |
6.10 | Discuss the evolution, structure, and function of sensory organs in invertebrates and vertebrates, emphasizing those that are not found in humans. |
7.01 |
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7.02 | Explain how membrane potential is established and maintained in a neuron, how action potentials occur and are propagated down an axon, and how neurotransmitters carry a signal across a synapse. |
7.03 | Describe the structure and function of each of the human sensory organs. Explain how mechanoreceptors, chemoreceptors, and photoreceptors trigger nerve signals. |
7.04 | Describe the structure and function of each major part of the human brain. |
7.05 | List each division of the nervous system and its function (peripheral and central, motor and sensory, autonomic and somatic, sympathetic and parasympathetic). |
7.06 | Trace the route of food through the alimentary canal and explain how its movement is regulated. Discuss the structure and function of each organ in the digestive system. List what secretions are added, where they are added, and the purpose of each. |
7.07 | Trace the route of blood through the human body, describe the various types of blood vessels and explain their functions, and explain how the heart functions. |
7.08 | Define blood pressure, explain how this causes a pulse that can be felt, and explain the difference between systole and diastole. Describe the conditions that can lead to heart disease and the changes these cause in arteries, and how heart attacks and strokes occur. |
7.09 | Describe the structure and function of the various components of blood, including blood clots. Describe the physiology of blood clotting. |
7.10 | Describe the structures of the human respiratory system and explain how negative pressure breathing works. Explain how oxygen and carbon dioxide are carried in the blood, and how a CO2-sensing feedback mechanism regulates respiration rate. |
7.11 | Describe the body's nonspecific defenses, including the roles of the skin and secretions, the steps of the inflammatory response, and the roles of phagocytic cells and antimicrobial proteins. |
7.12 | Explain how specific immunity develops and the role of antibodies and of each type of lymphocyte. Understand how the body produces antigen-specific antibodies. |
7.13 | Explain how vaccines work to confer immunity. Explain the difference between active and passive immunity, and how passive immunity can be obtained. Understand why the evolutionary properties of many viruses make the development of effective vaccines a problem. |
7.14 | Identify the various types of pathogens and explain their differences in structure and in how they cause disease. Describe the body's defenses infections, including viral, bacterial, fungal and protozoal, and effective treatments of these infections. |
7.15 | Describe disorders of the immune system and their effects, including allergies, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiency diseases. Explain how AIDS can result from HIV and why individuals with AIDS often die as a result of opportunistic infections. |
7.16 | Explain the function of the kidneys in removing nitrogenous wastes from the blood and in regulating osmotic balance. Describe how the structure of the kidneys allows the processes of filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and excretion to occur. Name the other components of the excretory system and describe their functions. |
7.17 | Describe the various organs in the human endocrine system and the effects of the hormones produced by each. Explain the differences between paracrine and endocrine signaling. |
7.18 | Explain how feedback loops involving the nervous and endocrine systems maintain homeostasis. Differentiate between positive and negative feedback. |
7.19 | Understand the multiple roles of the liver, e.g., regulation of waste, toxins, and glucose. |
7.20 | Describe the structures of the male and female reproductive systems and explain how they function. Understand the role of hormones in development of primary and secondary sexual characteristics, and in regulating the menstrual cycle. |
7.21 | Explain the changes that occur during gestation and parturition in humans. |
7.22 | Describe the structures of the musculoskeletal system and explain the roles of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Describe the various types of joints and their functions. Explain why muscles exist in opposing pairs. |
7.23 | Explain on a cellular and chemical level how muscles contract. |
Domain 8: Plant Biology and Physiology
8.01 | Describe the evolution of plants from green algae and discuss the adaptations that allowed plants to live on land. Explain the differences among bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, and angiosperms, and identify the plants that belong to each group. |
8.02 | Describe the general structure of a flowering plant; explain the structure and function of plant organs and the major tissue types. Discuss the differences between dicots and monocots. |
8.03 | Explain the alternation of generations in plants. |
8.04 | Describe the cellular structure of a leaf, and discuss how this facilitates photosynthesis. Explain how transpiration occurs and how it is regulated. |
8.05 | Explain how meristematic tissues allow both primary growth and secondary growth. Discuss how annual rings are formed in trees and woody plants. |
8.06 | Describe the mechanism of sugar loading and unloading in phloem and identify sugar sources and sinks in plants. |
8.07 | List the most important nutrients required by plants, and explain how they obtain and transport those nutrients. Discuss the relationship between Rhizobium and legumes. Discuss the symbiotic relationship between plants and mycorrhizae, and/or some bacterial species. |
8.08 | Describe the reproductive structures in flowering plants, and explain the basic processes involved in sexual reproduction. Identify the parts of a seed, describe the structures and functions of various types of fruits, and explain how seeds germinate. |
8.09 | Discuss asexual reproduction in plants; explain how it occurs in both nature and agriculture. |
8.10 | Discuss the role of plant hormones and their role in tropic responses and flowering during specific seasons (e.g. IAA, gibberellins, phytochrome, and ethylene). |
8.11 | Discuss how plants respond to their environment. Explain how they respond to various types of stress, and how they protect themselves from herbivores. |
9.01 | Know how competition and predation control population size; understand the term “carrying capacity” as it is applied to a particular habitat. |
9.02 | Explain why the biotic potential of a population differs from the actual growth rate and understand the difference between an exponential growth curve and the growth curve of a population that is limited by the carrying capacity of its habitat. |
9.03 | Know density-dependent and density-independent factors and their effects on a population. |
9.04 | Distinguish between the concepts of a theoretical and realized niche. Interpret Gause's principle of competitive exclusion in terms of a niche. Know how interspecific competition affects communities and leads to resource partitioning. |
9.05 | Understand age structure graphs as they relate to population structure and dynamics. |
9.06 | Distinguish between mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism and cite examples of each. |
9.07 | Understand camouflage, mimicry and aposematic coloration as it relates to co-evolution. |
9.08 | Know the nitrogen cycle. Know three processes that can reduce the amount of nitrate available to plants. |
9.09 | Understand the implications on nutrient cycling of the human practices of fertilization of land and harvesting of crops. Explain how these implications are different for nutrients whose major inorganic reservoir is the atmosphere rather than the soil. |
9.10 | Differentiate between a biomass pyramid, pyramid of production, and a pyramid of numbers. Explain the role of scavengers, detritivores, and decomposers (particularly bacteria and fungi) as recyclers in the ecosystem. |
9.11 | Understand the processes of ecological succession and differentiate between primary and secondary succession. |
9.12 | Describe and discuss the importance of the process of upwelling, which brings “old,” nutrient-rich deepwater back to the surface ocean. |
9.13 | Understand the human impact on ecosystems and the biosphere (e.g. global warming, depletion of resources, introduction of non-native species, ozone depletion, water projects, agriculture, deforestation, and cultural eutrophication). |
9.14 | Know the abiotic factors that affect the geographical distribution of organisms on a global scale. Know the major biomes in terms of their primary productivity. |