Springfield Technical Community College

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Course Number:	BIOL 106	Department:	Biological Sciences	
Course Title:	General Biology 1	Semester:	Spring	Year:	1997	

Objectives/Competencies

Course Objective	Competencies	
1.	Major themes in the study of life.

2.	Basic chemistry of life.

3.	Properties of Water.

4.	Organic Macromolecules.

5.	Enzymes and Energy Transformations.

6.	Cell Structure and Function.

7.	Membrane Structure.

8.	Cellular Respiration.

9.	Photosynthesis.

10.	Cellular Reproduction

11.	Meiosis and Life Cycles.

12.	Classical Genetics.

13.	Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance.

14.	Molecular Basis of Inheritance.

15.	Protein Synthesis.
	1.	Describe the unifying themes of life.
2.	Diagram the hierarchy of structural levels in biology.
3.	Describe emergent properties associated with life.
4.	Identify the major kingdoms of life.
5.	Outline the steps of the scientific method.
6.	Distinguish between inductive and deductive reasoning.

1.	Define atom, molecule, compound, element.
2.	Identify major elements comprising life.
3.	Explain the structure of atom.
4.	Differentiate between atomic number, mass number, atomic weight, valence.
5.	Explain why radioactive isotopes are important to biologists.
6.	Explain how electron configuration influences chemical behavior of atoms.
7.	Distinguish among the types of bonds.
8.	Describe how hydrogen bond differs from ionic, and covalent.

1.	Describe structure of water and explain what properties emerge as a result.
2.	Explain the ways that water supports life.
3.	Describe the dissociation of water.
4.	Explain the basis of pH scale.
5.	Explain how acids and bases differ in hydrogen ion concentration.
6.	Explain how buffers work.

1.	Explain condensation and hydrolysis reactions.
2.	Describe characteristics of carbohydrates and how they are classified.
3.	Describe major polysaccharides and major functions that they provide.
4.	Explain what distinguishes lipids.
5.	Summarize the unique properties of fats, phospholipids, and steroids.
6.	Distinguish between saturated and unsaturated fats and list emergent properties that result from differences.
7.	Identify ester linkage.
8.	Describe importance and properties of proteins.
9.	Explain structure of amino acids and how they are categorized.
10.	Describe levels of organization in proteins.
11.	Summarize structure and function of nucleic acids and nucleotides.
12.	Distinguish between purine and pyrimidin.
13.	Describe the three-dimensional structure of DNA.

1.	Explain the role of catabolic and anabolic pathways in cell metabolism.
2.	Distinguish between exergonic and endergonic reactions.
3.	Distinguish between kinetic and potential.
4.	Describe the function of ATP in cells.
5.	List the components of ATP.
6.	Describe the energy profile of a chemical reaction including activation energy.
7.	Describe the function of enzymes.
8.	Explain relationship between enzyme structure and specificity.
9.	Explain regulation by cofactors, inhibitors, allosteric regulators.
10.	Explain how metabolic pathways are regulated.

1.	Describe techniques used in cytology.
2.	Distinguish between resolving power and magnification.
3.	Compare the light, electron and scanning microscopes.
4.	Describe the process of cell fractionation.
5.	Explain importance of compartmentalization in eukaryotic cells.
6.	Describe the structure and function of cell organelles.
7.	Describe the functioning of cilia and flagella.
8.	Compare the intercellular junctions.
9.	Outline the development of plant cell wall.
10.	List the components of cytoskelton.

1.	Explain function of plasma membrane.
2.	Outline early investigations of membrane.
3.	Compare contributions of Robertson, Singer, and Nicolson.
4.	Describe how membrane fluidity is influenced by membrane composition.
5.	Identify how proteins are spatially arranged.
6.	Explain the role of hydrophobic interaction.
7.	Describe factors affecting permeability.
8.	Compare mechanisms of transport through membranes.
9.	List example of receptor-mediated endocytosis.

1.	Summarize overall equation of cell respiration.
2.	Differentiate between substrate-level and oxidative phosphorylation.
3.	Explain coupling of endergonic and exergonic processes.
4.	Define oxidation and reduction.
5.	List and describe coenzymes involved in cell respiration.
6.	Outline steps of glycolysis
7.	Describe location, molecules in and out of the Krebs cycle.
8.	Describe the process of chemiosmosis.
9.	Explain the process of fermentation.
10.	Show how other food molecules can be metabolized to make ATP.

1.	Distinguish between modes of nutrition.
2.	Differentiate between chemosynthetic and photosynthetic autotrophs.
3.	Explain role of REDOX reactions in photosynthesis.
4.	Summarize equation for photosynthesis.
5.	Show relationship between action spectrum and absorption spectrum.
6.	List components of photosystems.
7.	Trace electron flow through photosystems I and II.
8.	Compare cyclic and noncyclic flow of electrons in light reaction.
9.	Summarize major events of light and dark reactions.
10.	Describe role of ATP and NADPH in Calvin cycle.

1.	Describe process of binary fission.
2.	List phases of cell cycle and describe the events in each phase.
3.	Distinguish between interphase and mitosis proper.
4.	List phases of mitosis and events occurring.
5.	Compare cytokinesis in plants and animal.
6.	Describe changes in spindle apparatus.
7.	List several factors stimulating and inhibiting cell growth.
8.	Explain the role of MPF in regulation of cell cycle.
9.	Describe how abnormal cancerous cell division differs from mitosis.

1.	Distinguish between asexual and sexual reproduction.
2.	Distinguish among the life cycle patterns of animals, fungi, and plants.
3.	List the phases of meiosis I and meiosis II and characteristics of each phase.
4.	Describe process of synapsis and how recombination occurs.
5.	Point out key differences between mitosis and meiosis.
6.	Distinguish between interphase and interkinesis.
7.	Describe all the factors contributing to genetic variation in sexually reproducing organisms.

1.	Describe early theories of heredity.
2.	Tell how Mendel’s hypothesis differed from the blending theory.
3.	State Mendel’s laws.
4.	Solve monohybrid, dihybrid problems.
5.	Explain the applicability of testcrosses.
6.	Give example of incomplete dominance.
7.	Explain factors that affect the phenotypic expression of genotype.
8.	Describe the inheritance of the ABO system.
9.	Define and give examples of pleiotrophy.
10.	Explain how epistasis affects the phenotypic ratio.
11.	Describe how environmental conditions can influence phenotypic expression.

1.	Describe contributions of Morgan, Sutton, Sturtevant to field.
2.	Explain why Drosophila is a good experimental organism.
3.	Define linkage and explain why it interferes with independent assortment.
4.	Distinguish between parental and recombinant phenotypes.
5.	Describe mechanisms of sex determination in different animals.
6.	Solve sex-linkage problems.
7.	Differentiate between nondisjunction, aneuploidy, polyploidy.
8.	Distinguish between deletions, duplication translocations, and inversions.
9.	Describe the common chromosomal alterations implicated in human disorders.

1.	Describe why earlier scientists believed that protein was the genetic material.
2.	Summarize experiments of Griffith, Hershey & Chase, and Chargaff.
3.	Identify the three components of a nucleotide.
4.	Distinguish between ribose and deoxyribose.
5.	List the bases found in DNA and distinguish between pyrimidine and purine.
6.	Describe how Watson and Crick determined the structure of DNA and the evidence that they used.
7.	Explain the base-pairing rule and its significance.
8.	Explain the Meselson-Stahl experiment and semi-conservative replication.
9.	Describe the process of DNA replication noting the role of helicase, single-strand binding protein, DNA polymerase ligase and primase.
10.	Explain antiparallel and why continuous replication of both DNA strands is not possible.
11.	Explain the role of repair enzymes in DNA proofreading and repair.

1.	Describe Beadle and Tatum’s experiments with Neurospora.
2.	Summarize how information flows from genes to proteins.
3.	Explain the “one gene-one enzyme” theory.
4.	Indicate how RNA differs from DNA.
5.	Distinguish between transcription and translation.
6.	Compare transcription and translation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
7.	Explain what a codon is and the association between mRNA codons and the linear sequence of amino acids in protein.
8.	Describe the significance of a universal genetic code.
9.	Explain the process of transcription including the three major steps of initiation, elongation, and termination.
10.	Describe the role of RNA polymerase in transcription.
11.	Differentiate between mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA.
12.	Describe the wobble effect.
13.	Explain how aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase functions.
14.	Describe ribosomal structure.
15.	Explain how proteins can be targeted for specific sites in cells.