Biology 3201

Unit 1: Cell Reproduction and the Continuity of Life

How cells and organisms reproduce — mitosis, the cell cycle and cancer, meiosis, gamete formation, human reproduction, development, and reproductive technologies. STSE framing and inquiry skills woven through.

• The process of mitosis
• The cell cycle and cancer
• Evaluating medical treatments

• The process of meiosis
• Spermatogenesis and oogenesis
• Reproductive strategies

• Human reproductive systems
• The human reproductive cycle
• Development from fertilization to birth
• Reproductive technologies

Unit 2: Genetic Basis of Heredity

From Mendel's peas to DNA and protein synthesis — genes, crosses, chromosomes, disorders, DNA/RNA structure, replication, transcription/translation, mutation, and genetic technology. STSE and inquiry skills woven through.

• The concept of the gene
• Mendelian genetics and predicting crosses
• Chromosomes and the transmission of heredity
• Circumstances leading to genetic disorders

• Structures of DNA and RNA
• DNA replication
• DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis
• Effects of mutations
• Factors causing mutations
• Current genetic technologies

Unit 3: Evolutionary Change and Biodiversity

How populations change over time — natural selection, evidence, speciation, the pace of evolution, Hardy-Weinberg, gene-pool change, taxonomy, and comparative anatomy. STSE and inquiry skills woven through.

• Genetic variation and natural selection
• Historical and cultural context of evolutionary ideas
• Explanations for changes in populations
• Evidence for evolution by natural selection

• How species evolve
• The pace of evolution
• The Hardy-Weinberg principle
• Causes of gene-pool change
• Principles of taxonomy
• Comparative anatomy and evolutionary trends