Modern Genetics

An understanding of the molecular basis of how genotype influences phenotype can be useful in a variety of areas including attempting to cure genetic diseases, producing genetically modified organisms, and using genetic techniques to identify individuals.

DNA Fingerprinting

http://protist.biology.washington.edu/fingerprint/dnaintro.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dna-fingerprinting.htm

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/05/02/how-do-you-id-a-dead-osama/

Geneticall Modified Organisms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

1) briefly discuss how cells that contain the same genetic information can have different phenotypes,

2) briefly and generally discuss how mutations could lead to diseases,

3) breifly discuss the production of geneticall modified organisms,

4) describe the use of DNA fingerprinting to identify individuals

Genotype to Phenotype

We know that our genotype helps to determine our phenotype. I think that it makes sense to originally think about things backwards.

phenotype <= chemical reactions in cell <= enzymes in the cell <= order of amino acids in proteins <= order of nucleotides in DNA.

Genetic information in DNA is converted to information in mRNA by the process of transcription and information in mRNA is used to determine the order of amino acids in a protein.

Website

I encourage you all to spend some time looking at the LearnGenetics website created by the University of Utah. Consider this website to be your interactive textbook for this portion of the class.

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

I suggest you examine the following sections in detail.

Tour of the Basics
DNA to Protein

The other sections are cool as well and they will help you to understand how our knowledge about genes to phenotype can be applied.

Video

This video does a pretty good job of discussing the processes of transcription and translation (but goes into just a bit more detail than required in this class).

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynmxwqiv7j8&feature=related

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, a fully engaged student should be able to

1) discuss the structure of the three important macromolecules (DNA, RNA, and proteins) and identify their subunits.

2)  briefly discuss the process of genetic replication

3) briefly discuss the process of translation and transcription

4) if provided with the DNA sequence of a gene determine (a) the order of bases in the complementary strand of DNA, (b) the order of bases in the complementary strand of mRNA, and (c) determine the order of bases in the anticodon in the complementary tRNA and which amino acid should be attached to that tRNA.

Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change

Human activity, including burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and buring trees, has altered the global carbon cycle. This alternation of the global carbon cycle is the proposed cause of global climate change (global warming).

Obviously, global climate change is a very imporant issue facing us today. If you are alive and paying any attention, then you probably know that there is some disgreement out there about (1) whether global warming is occuring, (2) if it is occuring is it a natural occurence or is it caused by humans, and (3)what should we as individuals and a society do about these issues. As I mentioned in class, it is very important that you understand what components of the debate are facts and what components of the debate are based on mathematical models or other forms of argument. I think that it is important that you should be able to explain to other people why scientists will never be able to conduct the experiment that will nail down whether or not humans are causing global warming (we have only one earth).

I think that it is important for you to have access to good information. Here are some links to what I consider to be some of the best and most reliable sources of information about this topic. Although some of these articles go into much more detail than are required for this class you should know where to find reliable information about this topic.

Further Reading

Carbon cycle- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Carbon_cycle

Global warming- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warming

Global warming Frequenty Asked Questions- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warming_frequently_asked_questions

Climate change FAQ- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_change_FAQs

Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change_%28IPCC%29

IPCC Assessment for Policymakers- http://www.eoearth.org/article/IPCC_Fourth_Assessment_Report%2C_Working_Group_I%3A_Summary_for_Policymakers

If you would like additional information about global climate change then you can take a look at a presentation I developed for another class.

Global Carbon Cycle and Global Climate Change
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/C6iDTujQlIh73C

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- diagram the global carbon cycle
- discuss how humans have altered the global carbon cycle
- discuss how the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide varies annually
- discuss the proposed relationship between human caused changes in the global carbon cycle and global warming
- discuss alternative causes of global warming
- discuss the experiment that would be required to determine whether or not human activity is the cause of global warming
- articulate and defend their own personal view of how they intend to deal with the global warming issue

Ecosystem Ecology

Ecosystem ecologists focus on the flow of enery and the cycling of nutrients through the ecosystem.

Further Readings

Ecosystems- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecosystem

Ecological energetics- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecological_energetics

Nitrogen cycle- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Nitrogen_cycle

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- diagram and discuss the flow of energy through an ecosystem
- diagram, discuss the causes of, and discuss some of the implications of the enegy pyramid
- diagram nitrogen cycle within an ecosystem
- discuss the factors that influence the rate of flow from dead bodies to the soil and discuss the implications of differences in this rate

Community Ecology: The Portal Experiment

Here are some photos from the research site in Portal, Arizona. For more information about the research project at Portal you can look at their website at
http://portal.weecology.org/

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- distinguish between direct and indirect, positive and negative effects
- describe the experiemental design that Dr. Brown and his colleagues used to study exploitative competition between desert rats and rodents
- discuss the "search the the missing indirect positive effect of rodents on ants" and how that dilema was solved
-discuss why and how the outcome of studies of interactions betwen organisms can vary over time
- discuss the way that the ecological community responded when they learned the importance of long term studies
- discuss how indirect interactions lead to one of my favorite phrases "the world is complicated"

Best Community Ecology Video Ever!?!?!?

A past biology student sent me a link to this video. It seems like almost everything that we have talked about so far in Honors Integrated Science is going on in this video. The highlight of my biology life was visiting Kruger Park when I was about 13 (how sad to peak so young). I saw lots of amazing animals, but I didn't see anything like this. This video keeps getting better so watch it all the way to the end. Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM

Community Ecology

Community Ecology will be the final topic covered on the First Midterm.

Required Readings

Community Ecology- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Community_ecology

Competition- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Competition

Interspecific Competition- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Interspecific_competition

Exploitative Competition- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Exploitative_competition

Predation- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Predation

Mutualism- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mutualism

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define competition, exploitative competition and interference competition

- identify and explain examples of exploitative and interference competition from a variety of environments

- define predation (narrow and broad sense), herbivory, and parasitms

- identify and explain examples of predation, herbivory, and parasitism from a variety of environments

- identify examples of morphological and behavioral adaptations that animals have to help capture their food

- identify examples of morphological, biochemical, or behavioral adaptations that animals have to protect them from predators

- identify and explain examples of mutualisms from a variety of habitats