AP Biology Unit 2

Big Idea:

Student Expectations:

Main Ideas

Big Idea 2: Energy - Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis

Big Idea 4: System - Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.

Enduring Understanding

2.A: Growth, reproduction and maintenance of the organization of living systems require free energy and matter

4.A: Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties.

4.B: Competition and cooperation are important aspects of biological systems.

4.C: Naturally occurring diversity among and between components within biological systems affects interactions with the environment.

Essential Knowledge

2.A.1 - All living systems require constant input of free energy

2.A.2 - Organisms capture and store free energy for use in biological processes

4.A.1 - The subcomponents of biological molecules and their sequence determine the properties of that molecule.

4.B.1: Interactions between molecules affect their structure and function.

4.C.1: Variation in molecular units provides cells with a wider range of functions.

Student Learning Targets:

• The Chemical Context of Life
  • The three subatomic particles and their significance.
  • The types of bonds, how they form, and their relative strengths.
• Water and the Fitness of the Environment
  • The importance of hydrogen bonding to the properties of water.
  • Four unique properties of water, and how each contributes to life on Earth.
  • How to interpret the pH scale.
  • The importance of buffers in biological systems.
• Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life
  • The properties of carbon that make it so important.
• The Structure and Function of Macromolecules
  • The role of dehydration synthesis in the formation of organic compounds and hydrolysis in the digestion of organic compounds.
  • How to recognize the four biologically important organic compounds (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids) by their structural formulas.
  • The cellular functions of all four organic compounds.
  • The four structural levels that proteins can go through to reach their final shape (conformation) and the denaturing impact that heat and pH can have on protein structure.

Essential Questions:

• Why is life known as carbon-based?
• What are the four macromolecules that life is composed from?
• What makes up these molecules that create life?
• How are the molecules named?
• What are the properties of water and why is it so important to life?

Extra Information:

Adopted Textbook:

District Grading Policy

Texas Gateway Online Resource Center