AP Biology Preliminary Information and Summer Assignment Requirements: AP Biology is a college level course that covers the same information as an introductory Biology course for Biology majors. It is a very challenging course where success is measured by both intellectual ability and self-motivation. Students are expected to come to class having already read the material to be covered, take notes while in class and participate in classroom discussions. Students should review their notes on a daily basis and be prepared to ask questions the following day. Students need to participate in all laboratory activities, and turn in all assignments complete and on time. Criteria: Minimum Criteria: B in Biology and Chemistry Recommended Criteria: A in Biology A or high B in Chemistry A or high B in Algebra II and Geometry Junior year in school

Class Rules and Expectations

What to expect: Each grading period you will most likely have 2 possibly 3 major tests, several quizzes, lab activities, and 2 journal article reviews that will count for grades. You will also be required to read the chapters in advance and may be asked to complete preliminary questions. You cannot over prepare for the tests in this class. This class requires self-discipline. If you are taking two or more AP classes in addition to this class or have extracurricular activities that take up large amounts of your time, you may want to reconsider taking this class. Lack of study is the largest factor that will lead to poor test performance. My Philosophy on Grades I am not here to give you an A in this class. I merely record your progress and results. I honestly am not interested in grades. I am interested in your learning. Sometimes the classes you learn the most in are the ones you do not get an A in. This will be one of the most rewarding classes you will ever take, but also one of the most difficult. Some students try their best and do not make an A. I need you to understand this before you get your feelings hurt later on. I will do my best to help you understand the material but I will not give fluff grades just to bring a GPA up. Grades: Your grades in AP Biology fit into two categories: tests and everything else. This is a college class and just as in most college science classes’ tests are the largest portion of your grade. Tests will be worth approximately 60 -70% of your grade and everything else approximately 30-40%. For each unit there will be a multiple-choice test of between 50-120 questions and an essay test of no more than 2 essays. The multiple-choice tests will count for 60% of your test grade and the essays will count for 40%. Everything else will consist of quizzes, lab reports, term papers, journal article reviews, classroom assignments and study time.

Late Work: Late work will only be accepted under extreme circumstances. Procrastination will hurt your grade tremendously. Study Time: Study time will be a required part of your grade during the 4th grading period. You will be required to complete between 3-5 hours of study in my classroom. This is time after 2:25 pm. Additional Assignments: A great deal of material must be covered in a short amount of time. Those topics, which are truly advanced materials, will be covered in the class next year. Because of the time element it is necessary for you to work independently on the ecology topic during the summer previous to the school year. You may also be given an assignment that must be completed over winter break. Summer Assignment: During the summer you will be expected to read and study chapters 50-55 in the Campbell's Biology. You will not find this difficult to read or understand. You will, however, find it time consuming. You cannot wait until school begins to start this assignment. As you do your reading focus on APPLICATION of the concepts. If you have any questions, my email address is Michael.McKinney@cmcss.net. On the first half day you will turn in your work. On the first FULL day of school you will be TESTED on this material. Make sure you are prepared when school begins. The test will be multiple choice. The Following Items Are Due On The First Half Day Of School: I. Essay Questions: Write a 1-2 page paper over each essay. (There are 3 essays.) Each paper MUST be typed (double spaced with size 12 Times New Roman Font). II. Climatograph worksheet and graphs III. Energy flow worksheet and graph If you do not write neatly please type your answers for the short answer sections.

The 3 Essays That You Are To Answer Are As Follows: 1. Living organisms play an important role in the recycling of many elements within an ecosystem. Discuss how various types of organisms and their biochemical reactions contribute to the recycling of carbon and nitrogen in an ecosystem. Include in your answer one way in which human activity has an impact on each nutrient cycle. 2. Many populations exhibit the following growth curve:

a. Describe what is occurring in the population during phase A. b. Discuss THREE factors that might cause the fluctuations shown in phase B. c. Organisms demonstrate exponential (r) or logistic (K) reproductive strategies. Explain these two strategies and discuss how they affect population size over time. 3. Using an example for each, discuss the following ecological concepts: a. energy flow between trophic levels b. carrying capacity c. limiting factors (density dependent and density independent)

Climatographs Create the following climatographs on a separate sheet of paper. You may use a computer to make the graphs or you may do them on graph paper. Be sure to label your graphs. 1. Create a climatograph for a rainforest in Brazil. Climatographs should include temperature and precipitation on the same graph. Be sure to use metric units. 2. What continents would you find tropical rain forests? 3. What type of animal life would be found in this biome? 4. What would happen to the soil if the trees were cleared for farming and then abandoned? 1. Create a climatograph for a desert in the U.S.

2. What areas of the earth would contain a desert biome? 3. What animal and plant life would be found in this biome? 4. There are 2 types of desert biomes. Compare and contrast the two types. 1. Create a climatograph for a temperate grassland in the United States.

2. What areas of the earth would contain this biome? 3. What animal and plant life would be found in this biome? 4. What are the biggest threats to this biome? Energy Flow 1. Energy from this is the major source for all living things? 2. The process of ________ traps energy so living things can use it. 3. Plants are considered ______ since they carry out the process of photosynthesis. They are also called producers. 4. Producers are eaten by organisms called what? 5. All of these organisms are considered ______ since they cannot produce their own food. 6. Organisms living off of dead and decaying material are called ? 7. In a biomass pyramid, the _____level contains the most abundant amount living tissue.

8. In an energy pyramid the lowest level would contain what type of organisms? 9. Only approximately ______ % of the total energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level. This means approximately ______% is lost and not passed on. 10. Using the diagram below, calculate the amount of energy transferred from one trophic level to another if the top consumer’s energy is 25 J.

11. In the above diagram, label each trophic level and give an example of an organism that would be found in each level. 12. Define the following terms:

a. Transpiration

b. Condensation

c. Evaporation

d. Ground water 13. Explain the relationship between transpiration and evaporation. 14. List the main causes of CO2 deposits into the atmosphere. 15. List the main areas that will trap CO2 in the biosphere. 16. How is gaseous nitrogen made available to living organisms in an ecosystem? 17. Nitrogen makes up what percent of the earth’s atmosphere? 18. Oxygen makes up what percent of the earth’s atmosphere?

Using the diagram above answer the following questions: a. What is the top carnivore in this food web? b. What is the producer in this food web? c. List the primary consumers in this food web? d. List the secondary consumers in this food web. e. List the tertiary consumers in this food web. f. List the quaternary consumer or consumers in this food web. g. Discuss the implications of a die off in the zooplankton population.

Different ecosystems produce food at different rates. The main difference in this production lies in the characteristics of the individual ecosystems. There have been several attempts to measure the total productivity (food making process) of these various ecosystems. Below is the data that was collected. Examine it, bar graph it (on graph paper), and then answer the questions that follow. Ecosystems Area of Ecosystems Total production (106 km2 ) Kcal/m2/year Coastal zone 34.0 2000 Estuaries 2.0 20,000 Deserts 40.0 200 Grasslands 42 2500 Temperate Forests 4.9 8000 Tropical Rain Forrest 14.7 20,000 1. Of the above ecosystems, which one is largest in area? 2. Which one of the above ecosystems is smallest? 3. Which ecosystem is the most productive? 4. Explain the difference between the grassland and desert biomes in relation to their productivity. Succession 1. What is primary succession and give examples of where it would be seen. 2. What is secondary succession and give examples of its occurrence?

The diagram above shows the succession of communities from bare rock to a mature forest in a specific area over a period of time. 1. Discuss the expected changes in biodiversity as the stages of succession progress as shown in the diagram above. 2. Describe and explain TWO changes in abiotic conditions over time that lead to the succession, as shown in the diagram above.

I understand that this is a very demanding fast paced class. Because of this, a summer assignment is necessary to help cover material. I agree to do the summer assignment and turn it in on the first half-day of school. I understand and agree that if I do not turn in the summer assignment when it is due, that I will pick up a schedule change form and choose another class instead of AP Biology. Student Signature __________________________________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature _____________________________________________

All Incoming AP biology students need to stop by and see Mr. McKinney as soon as possible for their summer assignment and important class information.