College Biology

Biology Core Concepts

Biology Core Concepts Main Menu

Link to the Biology Core Concepts Student Learning Guide

• Biology’s 4 Big Ideas
• Properties of Living Things
• Structure Determines Function
• Levels of Biological Organization
• Understanding Controlled Experiments

Chemistry of Life

Basic Chemistry Main Menu

Link to the Basic Chemistry Student Learning Guide

• Basic Chemistry Overview and Pre-quiz
• Tutorial 1: Atoms (Atomic Structure)
• Tutorial 2: Drawing Atoms (The Octet Rule, Electron Orbitals)
• Tutorial 3: Elements, Compounds, Molecules, and Formulas
• Tutorial 4: Ionic Bonds
• Tutorial 5: Covalent Bonds
• A Musical Review: The Octet Rule Music Video
• Basic Chemistry Conclusion and Final Quiz

Chemistry and Properties of Water

The Structure of Water and Hydrogen Bonding: Main Menu

Link to the Structure of Water and Hydrogen Bonding Student Learning Guide (SLG)

1. Water, Polarity, and Hydrogen Bonds
2. Properties of Water Demonstrations: a Virtual Lab 
3. Acids, Bases, and the pH Scale

Carbon and Functional Groups

Link to the Carbon and Functional Groups Student Learning Guide

Carbon and Functional Groups: Main Menu

Link to the

1. Carbon: The Central Element
2. Functional Groups

Biochemistry

Biochemistry Main Menu

Link to the Biochemistry Student Learning Guide

1. Introduction to Biological Molecules (Monomers and Polymers, Overview of Biomolecules)
2. The Four Biomolecule Families (an optional, but highly recommended overview of what’s below)
3. Carbohydrates
4. Lipids
5. Proteins
6. Nucleic Acids (overview)
7. Cumulative Biochemistry Flashcards and Quizzes

Cell Structure and Function, Cell Membranes

Cell Structure and Function Main Menu

Link to Cell Structure and Function Student Learning Guide

1. Surface Area, Volume, and Life
2. Introduction to Cells
3. Animal Cells: Parts and Functions
4. Plant Cells: Parts and Functions
5. The Endomembrane System (ER, Golgi, Lysosomes)
6. The Evolution of Cellular Compartmentalization

Cell Membranes

Cell Membranes Structure and Function Main Menu

Link to the Cell Membranes Student Learning Guide

1. Understanding Phospholipids (tutorial, flashcards, quizzes)
2. Membrane Structure (tutorial, flashcards, quizzes)
3. Transport Across Cell Membranes  (tutorial, flashcards, quizzes)
4. Cell Membrane Model Demonstration Using Dialysis Tubing
5. Osmosis 1: Key Concepts Tutorial, Flashcards
6. Osmosis 2: Osmotic Pressure Tutorial, Interactive Diagrams, Quiz
7. Osmosis with Thistle Tubes Virtual Lab
8. Mr. W’s Diffusion and Osmosis Lab (handout for the actual lab)

Enzymes and Energy

Enzymes and Enzyme Regulation Main Menu

Link to the Enzymes Student Learning Guide

1. Understanding free energy (reading)
2. Enzymes Tutorial 1 (Enzyme Structure and Function)
3. Enzymes Tutorial 2 (Enzyme Inhibition and Regulation)
4. Mr. W’s Enzymes Slideshow
5. Enzymes! (Music Video)

Cellular Respiration

Cellular Respiration Main Menu  

Link to the Cellular Respiration Student Learning Guide

1. ATP (interactive tutorial)
2. Cellular Respiration Overview Videos (video lectures)Watch these two videos for an overview of the whole process
3. Cellular Respiration Overview (interactive tutorial)
4. Glycolysis (interactive tutorial)
5. The Krebs Cycle (interactive tutorial)
6. The Electron Transport Chain (interactive tutorial)
7. Anaerobic Respiration and Fermentation (interactive tutorial)
8. Cellular Respiration: A Musical Review
9. Mr. W’s Cellular Respiration Slideshow/Lecture
10. Measuring Respiration with a Respirometer (Video)

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis Main Menu

Link to the Photosynthesis Student Learning Guide

1. Photosynthesis 1: An Introduction
2. Photosynthesis 2: The Two Phases of Photosynthesis
3. Photosynthesis 3: Light and Pigments
4. The Light Reactions Video Lecture (Non-Cyclic Electron Flow)
5. Photosynthesis 4: The Light Reactions
6. Photosynthesis 5: The Calvin Cycle and Comparing Photosynthesis and Respiration
7. The Light Reactions: A Musical Review (music videos and interactive lyrics)

Cell Communication

Cell Communication/Signal Transduction Main Menu

Link to the Cell Communication and Cell Signaling Student Learning Guide

1. Introduction to Cell Communication
2. Cell signaling: Key Concepts
3. Reception
4. Signal Transduction
5. Signaling Hormones and Gene Regulation
6. Cell Signaling and Communication Cumulative Quiz

Cell Division: Mitosis and Meiosis

Mitosis, the Cell Cycle, and Cell Cycle Regulation Main Menu 

Link to the Mitosis and the Cell Cycle Student Learning Guide

1. Mitosis and the Cell Cycle
2. Cell Cycle Regulation
3. Cancer and Apoptosis
4. Mitosis! (Music Video)

Meiosis, Sex Determination, and Nondisjunction

Meiosis, Sex Determination, Nondisjunction and Chromosomal Variations Main Menu

Link to the Meiosis Student Learning Guide

1. Meiosis: Basic Concepts (Interactive Tutorial)
2. Meiosis 1 v. Meiosis 2 (Interactive Tutorial)
3. How Meiosis Creates Variation (Interactive Tutorial)
4. Sex Determination, Nondisjunction, and Human Chromosomal Variation (Interactive Tutorial)
5. Meiosis: Cumulative quiz
6. Sordaria: A model organism for meiosis studies

Genetics

Mendelian and Post Mendelian Genetics Main Menu

Link to Genetics Student Learning Guide

1. Mendelian Genetics and Punnett Squares
2. Solving ABO Blood Type inheritance problems
3. Solving Genetic Problems involving sex linked alleles
4. Dihybrid Crosses
5. Linkage and Recombination
6. How to do the χ² (Chi Squared) Test

DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis

 DNA Structure and Replication Main Menu   

Link to the DNA Structure and Replication Student Learning Guide

1. DNA: An Overview (Tutorial)
2. DNA Structure (Tutorial)
3. DNA Replication (Tutorial)

Transcription and Translation

Protein Synthesis  (transcription and translation) Main Menu

Link to the  Transcription and Translation Student Learning Guide

1. Transcription (tutorial)
2. The Genetic Code (tutorial)
3. Translation/Protein Synthesis (tutorial)
4. Protein Targeting to the Rough ER (Tutorial)

Understanding Mutation

Understanding Mutation (Tutorial)

Link to the Mutation Student Learning Guide.

The Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses

Bacterial Gene Regulation/Operon Main Menu 

Link to the Bacterial Genetic Diversity and Operons Student Learning Guide

1. Sources of Genetic Diversity in Bacteria
2. Operons

Viruses

Viruses Main Menu 

Link to the Viruses Student Learning Guide

1. Viruses
2. Understanding Sars-Cov-2 and Covid-19

Eukaryotic Gene Regulation

Eukaryotic Gene Regulation and Expression Main Menu

Click here for the Eukaryotic Gene Regulation and Expression student learning guide

1. Regulation of Chromatin Structure
2. Regulation of Transcription
3. Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Gene Expression

Animal Development

Animal Development and Cell Specialization Main Menu

Link to the Animal Development and Cell Specialization Student Learning Guide

1. Animal Development 1: Key Processes and Milestones
2. Animal Development 2: Principles of Development, Part 1
3. Animal Development 3: Principles of Development, Part 2

Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Main Menu

Link to the Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Student Learning Guide

1. Introduction to Genetic Engineering
2. PCR
3. DNA Fingerprinting/Profiling
4. First Generation DNA Sequencing (Sanger Method)
5. CRISPR-CAS9

Natural Selection and Population Genetics

Natural Selection and Population Genetics Main Menu

Link to the Natural Selection and Population Genetics Student Learning Guide

1. Thinking Like Darwin: Adaptation, Artificial Selection, and Natural Selection
2. Alleles in Gene Pools
3. Understanding Allele Frequencies in Gene Pools
4. The Hardy-Weinberg Equation
5. The Hardy Weinberg Principle
6. Natural Selection in Gene Pools
7. Why Harmful Recessive Alleles Don’t Disappear
8. Mutation in Gene Pools, and Heterozygote Advantage
9. Genetic drift (founder effect, bottleneck effect)
10. Population Genetics Cumulative Quiz

Evidence for Evolution

 Evidence for Evolution Main Menu 

Link to the Evidence for Evolution Student Learning Guide

1. Evolution: Claims and Historical Observations
2. Homologous and Vestigial structures
3. The Fossil Record and Biogeographical Evidence
4. Embryological, Molecular, and Genetic Evidence 
5. Evidence for Evolution Cumulative Quiz

Species, Speciation, Extinction

Species, Speciation, Extinction and Phylogeny Main Menu

Link to Species and Speciation Student Learning Guide.

1. What is a species?
2. Allopatric speciation
3. Sympatric speciation
4. Adaptive Radiation
5. Extinction
6. Speciation and Extinction: Cumulative Quiz

Phylogeny and Classification

Phylogeny and Classification

Link to the Phylogeny and Classification Student Learning Guide

Origin and Early Evolution of Life

Origin and Early History of Life Main Menu 

Link to the Origin of Life Student Learning Guide 

1. Life, LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor) and When Life Began
2. Early Earth, Key Steps in the Emergence of Life, Stanley Miller and the Primordial Soup
3. Problems with the Primordial Soup, Alkaline hydrothermal vents
4. The Origins of Heredity (the RNA World) and The First Cells

Animal Behavior

Responses to the Environment (Animal Behavior)  Main Menu

Link to  Animal Behavior Student Learning Guide 

1. Fixed Action Patterns and Behavior Genes
2. Learning and Orienting
3. Migrating
4. Living in Groups

Ecosystems

Energy Flow through Ecosystems Main Menu

Link to the Ecosystems Student Learning Guide

1. Carbon Cycle
2. Nitrogen Cycle
3. Food Chains and Food Webs 
   1. Part 1
   2. Part 2

Population Ecology

Population Ecology Main Menu

Link to the Population Ecology Student Learning Guide

Community Ecology

Community Ecology and Biodiversity Main Menu

Link to the Community Ecology Student Learning Guide 

1. Species Interactions
2. Keystone Species and Trophic Cascades
3. Ecological Succession
4. Measuring Biodiversity: The Simpson Biodiversity Index

Ecosystem Disruption and Restoration

Ecosystem Disruption and Restoration Main Menu

Link to the Ecosystem Disruption Student Learning Guide

Feedback and Homeostasis

Feedback: (Thermoregulation, Blood Glucose, Osmoregulation) Main Menu

Link to the Feedback and Homeostasis Student Learning Guide

1. Feedback/Homeostasis 1: Key Processes, Thermoregulation
2. Feedback/Homeostasis 2: Blood Glucose Regulation
3. Feedback/Homeostasis 3: Osmoregulation 
4. Feedback/Homeostasis 4: Biological Clocks (coming someday soon)

Immune System

The Immune System Main Menu

Link to the Immune System Student Learning Guide

1. Immune System 1: Non-Specific (Innate) Immunity
2. Immune System 2: Overview of Specific Immunity
3. Immune System 3: The Humoral Response
4. Immune System 4: Cell-Mediated Immunity and Immunological Memory

Nervous System

Neurons and the Nervous System Main Menu

Link to the Neurons and Nervous System Student Learning Guide

1. Reflex arcs
2. Neurons
3. Synapses and Summation
4. Neurons and the Nervous System: Cumulative Quiz

Transpiration and Water Movement in Plants

Transpiration and Water Transport in Plants Main Menu

Link to the Water Transport in Plants/Transpiration Student Learning Guide