C1 Terms to Cover in your Notebook (in addition to the C1 dbq's)

1. What is a limiting factor?  Give examples of some limiting factors that can affect the distribution of species.
2. Describe how you would use a transect and a quadrat to correlate the distribution of a plant or animal species with an abiotic variable.
3. Explain what is meant by "zone of stress" and "limit of tolerance" and how they impact populations.
4. What is an ecological niche?
5. Outline the competitive exclusion principle.
6. Distinguish between a fundamental ecological niche and a realized ecological niche.
7. Define and give examples of the following types of interspecific interactions:  a)  herbivory   b)  predation  c)  mutualism    d)  commensalism    c)  parasitism
8. Define keystone species and explain its importance.  Give an example of a keystone species and what happens when it is removed.

C1 DBQ's can be found on p. 607, 608, 609, and 610.

All of these should be done in your notebook to get checked off next week.

Ecology Book Work for 8/29-8/30

Using 4.1 in your text, answer the following questions in your notebook. Discuss with group members as you go!

1. What are     a) producers?     b) primary consumers?    c) secondary consumers?   d) detritivores? e) saprotrophs?       If possible, include an example of each of the above.
2. What are   a) autotrophs?    b) heterotrophs? Examples?
3. What is an ecosystem?  Give 3 examples.
4. How does an ecosystem remain sustainable?
5. What is a mesocosm and what are they used for?
6. Do the Chi-squared DBQ on p 209.  There are instructions about what is happening in the DBQ and how to do the calculations on pp. 207-208.
7. If you get this far, then start reading C1!!

Added on Tues 9/3:

8. What is a population?

9. What is a community?

Welcome Back for IB Biology HL 3-4!

Welcome back for your senior year (except for a couple of you) of IB Biology!  I think you will enjoy the material for this year as we have saved the best for last!  At the same time, it will also take a lot of effort and perseverance.  It can be very challenging to juggle college aps, extended essays, portfolios, athletics, activities, and just having a social life!  You will probably find that you can't do it all and you will have to make some choices so that you can navigate the year.  Here is the proposed outline of topics for this year: 

Ecology (Chapter 4 and Start of Option C)

Biodiversity (5.3 and 5.4)

Evolution (5.1, 5.2, 1.5 and 10.3)

Circulation (6.2)

Respiration (6.4)
Digestion (6.1)

Carry out Individual Investigation (IA)

Semester 1 Final Exam

Immunology (6.3 and 11.1)

Muscles and Movement (11.2)

The Kidney (11.3)

Sexual Reproduction (6.6 and 11.4)

Neurons and Synapses (6.5)

Finish the Option

Review for the IB Exam!

Late April:  Practice IB Exam on Papers 1, 2, and 3

May:  take IB exams and work on end of year projects

Now Until the End of the Year

• Tues 5/14:  Notes on Translocation.  Measure your transpiration lab data and complete the Transpiration Activities worksheet.  Do DBQ on p. 418 in your notebook.  Read 9.3
• Thurs 5/16:  Turn in Transpiration Activities hand out.  Notes on Plant Growth and tropisms.  Finish 418 DBQ and get it checked off today or next Monday.
• Mon 5/20:  Finish plant growth and start Flowering.   Hand-out Partner Data Processing and Analysis.  Read 9.4.
• Wed 5/22:  Flower Dissection.  Wrap up the unit.  Plant Video.
• Fri 5/24:  Finish Plant Video if necessary and play Kahoot for Plant Test next Wed 5/29.  Work on Partner Data-Processing, due next Friday 5/31.
• Wed 5/29:  Plant Test.  Work on partner data-processing.
• Fri 5/31:  Submit partner data-processing.  Review for the Final Exam.
• Tues 6/4:  Review for Final Exam.  Play Kahoot.
• Thurs 6/6:  Review for Final Exam.  Last day to turn in late work and/or Extra Credit.
• Mon 6/10:  Finals periods 1,2, 4
• Tues 6/11:  Finals periods 5,6,8
• Wed 6/12:  Finals period 3,7 

May Update

These are the activities that we did and will be doing in the next week or so:

• Mon 4/22:  Part I of DNA Fingerprinting Lab.  Notes on Genetic modification will we wait for samples to incubate.
• Wed 4/24:  Part II of DNA Fingerprinting Lab.  Load the samples into the gel!  Work on 194-195 DBQ and list Benefits and Risks of GMO crops while we wait.  Final Enzyme Lab due through turnitin.com
• Fri 4/26:  View the gels!  Process the data by measuring the bands on your screen with a ruler and recording the results.  Notes on Cloning.  Work on DNA Fingerprinting write-up, due Monday 5/6 through turnitin.com
• Tues 4/30:  Overview of Biotech and Enzyme Unit.  Kahoot review.  Time to work on DNA Fingerprinting Lab.
• Thurs 5/2:  Biotech and Enzyme Test.  Pick up Leaf Worksheet when you are done and do it.  Read 9.1 on Transport in the Xylem of Plants.
• Mon 5/6:    Notes on transport in plants.  Start seed germination.
• Wed 5/8:  No School.
• Fri 5/10:  DNA Fingerprinting Lab due by 4:00 pm through turnitin.com.  More on transpiration, including how to use potometers.  Plant your seeds!  Read 9.2 on Transport in the Phloem of plants.

Overview of DNA Fingerprinting Lab: to be done on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of next week

Day 1: (Monday, April 22).  Label 4 microfuge tubes.  Add 5 microliters of one of the DNA samples (crime scene, suspect 1, suspect 2, suspect 3).  Add 5 microliters of restriction enzyme (EcoR1) into each of the tubes.  Restriction Enzyme must be kept on ice!  Put your tubes in your styrofoam "floatie" and put in the water bath for an hour!  After an hour, remove your labeled tubes and put them in the designated rack, which will be refrigerated until Wednesday.

Day 2 (Wed, April 24):  Take your samples from Monday and warm them up in your hands.  Add 2 microliters of dye to each of the 4 samples and spin in the centrifuge.  Carefully load 10 microliters of each of the 4 samples into a gel.  Make sure that you make a key so that you know which sample is where.  After both groups have loaded their samples into the gel, one group needs to load the "ladder" in one of the leftover lanes in the middle.  The gels will be hooked up to the power source and turned on.  You can watch bubbles form and then watch the blue dye migrate across the gel.  You should label the baggy that your gel was in with your groups' names and then put it near your gel.  This will ensure that I will put your gel in your labeled baggy after the gels are done running (because they will be done after you leave).

Day 3 (Fri, April 26).  You will get the baggy with your gel.  Go into the microscope room with your gel and put it in the "illuminator".  Turn the lights off, turn the illuminator on, and view your gel!  Have a few different people take photos of the gel.  When you leave the room, determine which photo works best and share it with your group numbers.  You can also send it to me!

Write up details to follow.

Boston Children's Hospital Virtual Stem Cell Laboratory

This activity can be done in pairs.  Go to the Boston Children's Hospital Virtual Stem Cell site and do the following.  Answer on a separate sheet of paper and turn in during class on Friday 4/12 or Tuesday 4/16.

1. Go to the Boston Children's Hospital Virtual Stem Cell Laboratory (linked on my website)
2. Read the Introduction and about Embryonic Stem Cells
3. Start the simulation by choosing a coaxing agent (one of the 5 colors).  If that coaxing agent works in the ES cells, you will see movement along a pathway.  If not, try a different coaxing agent until you get some movement.
4. Write down the coaxing agent that you chose and what new cell type you went to.  Read about that cell type.
5. Continue with the coaxing agents until you reach the end of a pathway.  Write down the ending stem cell and what it can be used to treat.
6. Start over with a whole new pathway (or just back up one step to get to another), writing down the coaxing agents and products as you did above.
7. Repeat this process for 5 different complete pathways.
8. Summarize what you learned about embryonic development and how these early cells can be used to treat different disorders.
9. If time:  Discuss the ethical pros and cons of using embryonic stem cells for treating patients and write down 2 pros and 2 cons.