Biology

From Molecules to Organisms- Structures and Processes

Ecosystems- Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Heredity- Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Biological Evolution- Unity and Diversity

Analyze how the relationship between structure and function supports life processes within organisms.

Analyze the growth and development processes of organisms.

Analyze the relationship between biochemical processes and energy use.

Analyze the relationships between matter and energy within ecosystems.

Understand ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience.

Understand genetic mechanisms for variation.

Understand types of inheritance and how the environment can influence traits.

Understand applications of genetics and biotechnology.

Understand natural selection as a mechanism for biological evolution.

Analyze evolutionary relationships among organisms.

Construct an explanation to illustrate relationships between structure and function of major macromolecules essential for life.

Carry out investigations to illustrate how enzymes act as catalysts for biochemical reactions and how environmental factors affect enzyme activity.

Use models to explain how the structure of organelles determines its function and supports overall cell processes.

Construct explanations to compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells in terms of structures and degree of complexity.

Construct an explanation to summarize how DNA and RNA direct the synthesis of proteins.

Use models to illustrate how cellular division results in the reproduction, growth, and repair of organisms.

Construct an explanation to illustrate that proteins regulate gene expression resulting in cellular differentiation, specialized cells with specific functions, and uncontrolled cell growth.

Carry out investigations to explain how homeostasis is maintained through feedback mechanisms.

Use models to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into chemical energy.

Use models to illustrate how cellular respiration [aerobic and anaerobic] transforms chemical energy into ATP.

Use models to illustrate how processes in organisms contribute to the flow of energy and the cycling of matter within an ecosystem.

Use models to explain the relationship between the flow of energy and cycling of matter among organisms in an ecosystem.

Use mathematics and computational thinking to explain how interactions between organisms (predator/prey, competition) affect carrying capacity and maintain stability in an ecosystem.

Engage in argument from evidence to evaluate various solutions to reduce the impact of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Use models to explain how DNA is passed from parents to offspring through the processes of meiosis and fertilization in sexual reproduction.

Construct an explanation to summarize how inheritable genetic variations may result from: new genetic combinations in meiosis,mutations during replication, or mutations caused by environmental factors.

Use mathematics and computational thinking to predict the variation and distribution of expressed traits based on: Mendelian inheritance, co-dominance, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, and sex-linked inheritance.

Analyze and interpret data to explain how polygenic traits result in a wide range of phenotypes.

Construct an explanation to summarize how traits result from interactions of genetic factors (multiple genes and/or alleles) and environmental factors.

Analyze and interpret data to compare DNA samples.

Obtain and communicate information that summarizes the impact of biotechnology applications on the individual, society, and the environment, including agriculture and medicine.

Analyze and interpret data to summarize how various factors such as geographic isolation, pesticide resistance, antibiotic resistance can influence natural selection.

Construct an explanation to illustrate how common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Use models to illustrate the conditions required for natural selection, including the overproduction of offspring, inherited variation, and the struggle to survive.

Construct an explanation to explain how natural selection leads to adaptations within populations.

Construct explanations to illustrate how varying environmental conditions may result in: changes in the number of individuals of a species, the emergence of new species over time, or the extinction of other species.

Use models (including dichotomous keys, scientific nomenclature, cladograms, phylogenetic trees) to identify organisms and exemplify relationships.