Atmospheric+oxygen+and+single-celled+eukaryotes

Unit 3 Overview of Lecture and Discussion Topics:
Continuing on the course theme of the evolution of life on Planet Earth, the emergence of eukaryotic organisms and endosymbiotic theory is discussed. The appearance of atmospheric oxygen is also discussed. Photosynthesis is first covered in a conceptual way in this unit (the details of photosynthesis as it occurs in blue-green algae is beyond the scope of this course). Photosynthesis is a topic that spirals and is covered in more depth once students learn about the origins and structure of the chloroplast. Students learn that with oxygen some organisms utilized oxygen to further breakdown molecules to generate additional ATP. The details of aerobic respiration are discussed (following a lab). Students learn how the membrane-bound organelles work together within the cell. The unit wraps with students learning how eukaryotic cells replicate their DNA, express genes and divide.

Activities and Laboratories:
>>
 * Dissolved Oxygen and Primary Productivity
 * Through guided inquiry, students will investigate how to measure dissolved oxygen using the Winkler method (e.g. How does temperature affect the dissolved oxygen concentration in samples of water?) Continuing, students will explore respiration and photosynthesis processes in samples of a Chlorella culture as they study gross and net primary productivity. Students will then be challenged to write and conduct a controlled experiment to test the effect of a variable on primary productivity. The study will involve hypothesizing, designing the experiment, data collection of dissolved oxygen concentrations, calculations of primary productivity, graphing and making a conclusion. The entire laboratory investigation will be written in the laboratory research notebook (SP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
 * [|Algae and Photosynthesis]
 * From Kim Foglia, Root Beer Fermentation
 * [[file:Root Beer Fermentation.pdf]]
 * Pea Respiration. Using knowledge of the process of cellular respiration and of how to set timed experiments using the Pasco data collection system and oxygen and/or carbon dioxide probes, students will engage in the process of inquiry as they conduct an experiment to measure the rate of cell respiration in germinating peas at room temperature. Next, students will design a controlled experiment to answer a question of their choice that they asked while conducting the experiment at room temperature. Students will collect and determine cellular respiration rates and demonstrate an understanding of concepts involved by preparing a report in their laboratory research. (SP 2, 3, 4, 5)
 * Student-directed and inquiry based investigations about photosynthesis using the floating leaf disc procedure. A write-up of the design and discussion of the outcome will be kept in their laboratory research notebook. (SP 2, 3, 4)
 * Students construct a model of the cell cycle, explain and present the major events in a presentation (SP 1).
 * Cell Division and Mitosis. Student directed and inquiry based laboratory. Onion roots are treated with bean lectin to increase mitotic rate in cells. Students design a controlled experiment to test the effect of treated root squashes and use Chi Square to analyze data. A write-up of the laboratory and outcome, including calculations and analysis of data will be prepared in the laboratory research notebook (SP 2, 3, 4, 5).

Chapters from Campbell and Power Points:

 * 25. The History of Life on Earth || [[file:Earth before life.ppt]] ||
 * 28. Protists || [[file:Chapter 28 Protists.ppt]] ||
 * 10. Photosynthesis || [[file:Chapter 10 Photosynthesis.ppt]] ||
 * 9. Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy (aerobic respiration) || [[file:Chapter 9 Cellular Respiration.ppt]] ||
 * 12. The Cell Cycle (eukaryotic) || [[file:Chapter 12 The Cell Cycle.ppt]] ||
 * 16. The Molecular Basis of Inheritance (eukaryotic) || [[file:Chapter 16 DNA Replication.ppt]] ||
 * 17. From Gene to Protein (eukaryotic) || [[file:Chapter 17 From Gene to Protein.ppt]] ||