AP Biology Student Handbook

198 Pages·2005·5.43 MB·English

by  Jill Baker

AP Biology
Student Handbook
Jill Baker
2005-2006
[email protected]
Class website: www.terralinda.srcs.org>Programs>JBaker>AP Biology
Table of Contents
About the Class
A. Course Overview 3
B. Prerequisites 3
C. Topic Outline and Tentative Schedule 3
D. Major Themes 4
E. Textbook and Suggested Supplement Books 4
F. The AP Biology Exam 5
G. Practice Exams\inations and Final Exam 5
H. Grading Policies 5
I. Honesty is the Best Policy 6
AP Biology Laboratories
Writing AP Biology Laboratory Reports 8
Good Graphs 10
Lab 1 Osmosis and Dialysis 12
Lab 2 Enzyme Catalysis 31
Lab 3 Mitosis and Meiosis 41
Lab 4 Plant Pigments and photosynthesis 58
Lab 5 Cellular Respiration 66
Lab 6 Molecular Biology 73
Lab 7 Genetics of Organisms 86
Lab 8 Population Genetics and Evolution 96
Lab 9 Transpiration 103
Lab 10 Physiology of the Circulatory System 113
Lab 11: Animal Behavior 127
Lab 12 Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity 135
The Exam
Past AP Biology Laboratory Questions 144
Overview of AP Labs for Take Home Exam 145
Points of Emphasis for AP Biology Experimental Design Essay 150
Tips for writing AP Biology Essays 151
Past AP Biology Essay Questions 154
AP Biology Review Section 195
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About the Class
A. Course Overview
B. Prerequisites
C. Topic Outline
D. Major Themes
E. Textbook
F. AP Biology Examination
G. Practice Examinations
H. Grading Policies
A. Course Overview
This course is a college level biology course. It is designed to be an equivalent to an introductory biology
course for science majors at the freshman university level. It prepares the students for the AP Biology Exam.
Topics covered include biochemistry, cells. photosynthesis, respiration, heredity, molecular genetics,
evolution, diversity of life, plant and animal form and function and ecology. This course follows the College
Board Advanced Placement syllabus and students are expected to take the national college board exam in
May. A.P. Biology has a tremendous amount of information that must be covered during the school year.
B. Prerequisites
Biology and chemistry are recommended. District internet access, access to a computer and printer are
required.
C. Topic Outline and Tentative Time Schedule
I. Molecules and Cells (August 22 – October 17)
A. Chemistry of Life
1. Water
2. Organic molecules in organisms
3. Free energy changes
4. Enzymes
5. Labs: AP Lab 1: Osmosis and Diffusion
AP Lab 2: Enzyme Catalysis
B. Cells
1. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
2. Membranes
3. Subcellular organization
4. Cell cycle and its regulation
C. Cellular Energetics
1. Coupled reactions
2. Fermentation and cellular respiration
3. Photosynthesis
II. Heredity and Evolution (October 24 – March 3)
A. Heredity
1. Meiosis and gametogenesis
2. Eukaryotic chromosomes
3. Inheritance patterns
B. Molecular Genetics
1. RNA and DNA structure and function
2. Gene regulation
3. Mutation
4. Viral structure and replication
5. Nucleic acid technology and applications
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C. Evolutionary Biology
1. Early evolution of life
2. Evidence for evolution
3. Mechanisms of evolution
III. Organisms and Populations ( March 7 – April 28)
A. Diversity of Organisms
1. Evolutionary patterns
2. Survey of the diversity of life
3. Phylogenetic classification
4. Evolutionary relationships
B. Structure and Function of Plants and Animals
1. Reproduction, growth and development
2. Structural, physiological and behavioral adaptations
3. Response to the environment
C. Ecology (summer assignment)
1. Population dynamics
2. Communities and ecosystems
3. Global issues
4. Labs: AP Lab 11: Animal Behavior
AP Lab 12: Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity
Initial Observation laboratory
IV. Exam Review (May 1 – May 5)
D. Major Themes
In an attempt to develop unifying concepts in biology, the AP Biology Development Committee has
identified eight major themes that recur throughout the course.
I. Sciences as a Process
II. Evolution
III. Energy Transfer
IV. Continuity and Change
V. Relationship of Structure to Function
VI. Regulation
VII. Interdependence in Nature
VIII. Science, Technology and Society
E. Textbook
Biology, 7th edition
Neil A. Campbell, Jane B. Reece
Copyright 2005, Benjamin/Cummings
Lab Manual: Advanced Placement Biology Laboratory Manual,
2001,
Recommended
Cliff’s AP Biology. 2nd Edition
Learn More
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AP* Test Prep workbook for Campbell, Biology 7th Edition
Campbell, 2006, Prentice Hall $14.96
F. AP Biology Examination
The AP Biology Examination is three hours in length and is designed to measure a student's
knowledge and understanding of modern biology. The examination consists of a 80-minute,
100-item multiple-choice section, and a 10 minute reading period before the 90-minute free-
response section, consisting of four mandatory questions. The number of multiple-choice items
taken from each major subset of biology reflects the percentage of the course as designated in
the Topic Outline. In the free-response portion, usually one essay question is take from the
Molecules and Cells section, one question is taken from the Heredity and Evolution section, and
two questions focus on the Organisms and Populations section. The multiple-choice section
counts for 60 percent of the student's examination grade, and the free-response section counts
for 40 percent.
In order to provide the maximum information about differences in students' achievements in
biology, the examinations are intended to have average scores of about 50 percent of the
maximum possible score for the multiple-choice section and for the free-response section.
Thus, students will find these exams to be more difficult that most classroom exams.
ALL students in the class are expected to take the exam. The fee is $82.00. The 2006 AP
Biology Exam is scheduled for Monday, May 8th during the morning.
G. Practice Examinations and Final Exam
In December, students take a practice exam covering 50% of the material in AP Biology. This
first practice exam counts as the first semester exam grade. During the first part of May,
students take a practice exam covering all the material in AP Biology. The second practice
exam counts as a quarter exam and as the second semester exam. Students that do not
take the AP exam will be required to take a comprehensive AP Biology exam during
finals week.
H. Grading Policies
Each student’s semester grade will be based on the total number of points that they have accumulated
relative to the total possible points that could have been earned. In general:
Graded Items Percentage of Semester
Grade
Major Tests 25
Lab Reports and Lab Quizzes 30
Daily Work 25
Semester Exam 20
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If a student misses points on a major test, they will be given the opportunity to do test corrections and 0.3
points will be given for each correction answered in depth. It cannot be stressed how important it is for each
student to master the material presented.
The AP test scores are not received until July and are therefore not used as a part of the student’s average in
the course.
I. HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
Cheating and copying will not be tolerated. The school policy on cheating will be strictly adhered to.
It is to be understood, that copying and letting your work be copied are both considered cheating and
will be dealt with in the same manner.
1st Offence. The work in question will be given a zero. Your parents will be called and a
notice will be sent to the office, other faculty and the counselors with the nature of the
cheating offence, the number of points and the date. You will not be allowed to make up the
assignment. I will write no letters of recommendation for college or scholarships.
2nd Offence. A zero will be given on the assignment. You will be sent to the office with the
recommendation that you be removed from the class.
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The AP Biology Laboratories
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Writing AP Biology Laboratory Reports
All laboratories will be written in a lab composition book. The first page will be reserved for the table of
contents.
PRE-LAB ASSIGNMENT
• the pre-lab assignment will count 20% of the laboratory grade.
• before coming to lab, you should identify the experimental characteristics below for the specified lab.
• the lab write-up must be in the lab composition book.
• use ink, blue or black. Be neat. Errors may be crossed out and the correction written immediately
after. You will not be penalized for cross-outs. You may type any section of the laboratory and paste it
in your notebook.
• date each entry
• you may work together, but copying another person’s pre-lab is cheating. A grade of zero will be
assigned for the lab if you are caught copying another person’s pre-lab OR if you give your pre-lab to
be copied.
• no points will be given for late assignments. No exceptions!!
I. TITLE: This should indicate what the lab was all about. Please do not exceed 25 words.
II. HYPOTHESES: Identify it as the hypothesis, tell what you predict will happen. You may use
“If/Then” statements.
III. METHODS:
a. Using as few words as possible draw a flow chart of the materials and methods.
b. Identify clearly the control group that will be u sed for comparison. It does not contain the variable
being tested.
c. Identify the dependent variable, the variable that will change, the experimental group.
d. Identify the independent variable, the variable you have control over and will change, frequently it
is time.
e. Identify all factors that will be held constant in the lab. For instance, each set-up my be measured
at the same time, at the same temperature, the same amount of solution in each beaker.
f. Identify what is being measured and the units being used.
Example: CO or H O consumption in mL/min, growth in cm, production of an acid in gm.
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g. What method or time frame will be used for measurement?
Example: I will take reading of H O consumption every 5 minutes for 30 minutes.
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h. What is the rate of calculation and/or statistical application.
Example: average number of trials, slope of the curve.
i. How will experimental results be presented? (graphs, charts)
j. What are the expected results? Why?. This will be your best guess based on the introduction to
the labs, which you are expected to read and your hypothesis.
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POST-LAB ASSIGNMENT
IV. RESULTS/DATA/OBSERVATIONS. Display YOUR data that you collected. It should be neatly and
clearly presented. If the lab is "observational" in nature, you would include diagrams and/or
descriptions of structures, chemical reactions, behaviors, etc.. DO NOT FUDGE YOUR DATA!! Put
only the data that you, or your lab group, or the class collected, not what you think that you should
have seen. For almost every lab, you should graph both your lab group's data and the class data—on
the same set of axes if possible. This raw data is the only part of your lab write-up that will be shared
with your partner(s).
V. DISCUSSION:
How do you explain what you saw.
Here you present a summary of the data generated by the lab. Put into your own words what the
numbers or observations tell you. How do you interpret the data or observations in light of your
hypothesis or your own expectations? Nature does not lie, but she is often frustratingly difficult to
figure out. In this section you must discuss YOUR results. If you come up with results that do not
make sense, examine your methods and materials for sources of experimental error, and describe
them here.
VI. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS: In this section, put the answers to printed questions asked
throughout the lab protocol and at the end of the lab. Unless you are told otherwise, use the class
mean data to answer the questions. The quality and depth of your answers to these questions will be
very important to the quality of your grade. You must use complete sentences.
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Good Graphs
One of the most common things students have problems with is making good graphs for their experimental
data.

1. Always give your graph a title in the following form: "The dependence of (your dependent variable)
on (your independent variable).
Cute titles are no longer cute. Make them descriptive.

2. The x-axis of a graph is always your independent variable and the y-axis is the dependent variable.
The independent variable is the one you or the experimenter have control over in the experiment, time,
temperature. This would be on the x-axis (the one on the bottom of the graph).
The dependent variable is what your are measuring and will depend on what you set. For example, growth
depends on the time of measurement and the would be on the y-axis (the one on the side of the graph)

3. Always label the x and y axes and give units.
Putting numbers on the x and y-axes is something that everybody always remembers to do (after all, how
could you graph without showing the numbers?). However, people frequently forget to put a label on the axis
that describes what those numbers are, and even more frequently forget to say what those units are. For
example, if you're going to do a chart which uses temperature as the independent variable, you should write
the word "temperature (degrees Celsius)" on that axis so people know what those numbers stand for.
Otherwise, people won't know that you're talking about temperature, and even if they do, they might think
you're talking about degrees Fahrenheit.
Always indicate where the numbers are on the graph, use line tics. The graph does have squares, but the
reader won’t know which number and line correspond unless you put a number and a line where the number
goes.

4. Always make a line graph (unless instructed otherwise)
Never, ever make a bar graph when doing science stuff. Bar graphs are good for subjects where you're trying
to break down a topic (such as gross national product) into it's parts. When you're doing graphs in science,
line graphs are way more handy, because they tell you how one thing changes under the influence of some
other variable.

5. Never, EVER, connect the dots on your graph!
Why? When you do an experiment, you always screw something up. Yeah, you. It's probably not a big
mistake, and is frequently not something you have a lot of control over. However, when you do an experiment,
many little things go wrong, and these little things add up. As a result, experimental data never makes a nice
straight line. Instead, it makes a bunch of dots which kind of wiggle around a graph. This is normal, and will
not affect your grade unless your teacher is a Nobel prize winner. However, you can't just pretend that your
data is perfect, because it's not. Whenever you have the dots moving around a lot, we say that the data is
noisy, because the thing you're looking for has a little bit of interference caused by normal experimental error.
To show that you're a clever young scientist, your best bet is to show that you KNOW your data is sometimes
lousy. You do this by making a line (or curve) which seems to follow the data as well as possible, without
actually connecting the dots. Doing this shows the trend that the data suggests, without depending too much
on the noise. As long as your line (or curve) does a pretty good job of following the data, this is called Line of
Best Fit.

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