Last updated: 11/19/2021

Living Environment Regents

Scientific Method
(1) MST1.C.P.SI3.1a Use appropriate methods to present scientific information (e.g., lab reports, posters, research papers, or multimedia presentations)
(1) MST1.E.SI3 Scientific Inquiry: The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into phenomena.
(1) MST1.I.SI3 Scientific Inquiry: The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into phenomena.

Experiments and Labs.pdf

Scientific Method Quizlet Vocabulary

 

Sci Method Vocab Filled In.pdf


Sci Method Vocab Worksheet.pdf
  • Ask relevant, testable questions about a phenomena
  • Identify the independent, dependent variables as well as constants in a controlled experiment
  • Identify the experimental and control groups in a controlled experiment
  • Generate an appropriate hypothesis
  • Design a controlled experiment
  • Generate and fill in data tables
  • Collect accurate data pertinent to the experiment
  • Analyze and represent the data in appropriately generated graphs and/or charts
  • Draw appropriate conclusions from the data collected
  • Idenitfy the flaws in a controlled experiment

Labs Associated with This Topic (in no particular order):

 
Lab Title  Skills Addressed Materials Needed Time Needed
M&M Lab  Sorting, Data Collection, Graphing, Sample Size  M&M's, Electronic Balance  2 periods
 Potato Sprout Lab  Predictions, Data Collection, Graphing, Comparison, Argumentation  Potatoes, Knife, Trays,   2 days, 1 week apart
       
       

Measurement
  • Properly use scientific tools such as Ruler, Meter Stick, Electronic Balance, Graduated Cylinder
  • Properly convert SI measurements using common prefixes

Measurement Lab

Height Lab

Microscope/Tools of the Biologist
  • Properly focus the microscope using low, medium and high power
  • Using low power for field of view
  • Using high power for depth of view
  • Using a gridded slide to deterimine the size of a microscopic object
  • Preparing a wet mount slide

Microscope Lab

BioChemistry
(1) MST4.E.LE.1 Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from nonliving things.
(1) MST4.E.LE.1.1a Animals need air, water, and food in order to live and thrive.
(1) MST4.E.LE.1.1b Plants require air, water, nutrients, and light in order to live and thrive.
(1) MST4.E.LE.1.1c Nonliving things do not live and thrive.
(1) MST4.E.LE.1.2a Living things grow, take in nutrients, breathe, reproduce, eliminate waste, and die.

 BioChemistry Notes.pdf

BioChem Vocabulary Filled In.pdf


BioChem Vocabulary Worksheet.pdf

pH Lab

Delaware River pH Graphing

Chromatography Lab

 

Cells w/ Diffusion & Osmosis
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.1a Living things are composed of cells. Cells provide structure and carry on major functions to sustain life. Cells are usually microscopic in size.
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.1b The way in which cells function is similar in all living things. Cells grow and divide, producing more cells. Cells take in nutrients, which they use to provide energy for the work that cells do and to make the materials that a cell or an organism needs.
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.1c Most cells have cell membranes, genetic material, and cytoplasm. Some cells have a cell wall and/or chloroplasts. Many cells have a nucleus.
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.1d Some organisms are single cells; others, including humans, are multicellular.
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.1e Cells are organized for more effective functioning in multicellular organisms. Levels of organization for structure and function of a multicellular organism include cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.1f Many plants have roots, stems, leaves, and reproductive structures. These organized groups of tissues are responsible for a plant's life activities.
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.1g Multicellular animals often have similar organs and specialized systems for carrying out major life activities.

Cell Notes.pdf

Cell Quizlet Vocabulary
  • Identify organelles in both plants & animal cells
  • Describe the function of certain organelles within plant & animal cells
  • Compare the processes of respiration, photosynthesis in both plant & animal cells

Photosynthesis
(1) MST4.C.LE.LE.5.1a The energy for life comes primarily from the Sun. Photosynthesis provides a vital connection between the Sun and the energy needs of living systems.
(1) MST4.C.LE.LE.5.1b Plant cells and some one-celled organisms contain chloroplasts, the site of photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis uses solar energy to combine the inorganic molecules carbon dioxide and water into energy-rich organic compounds (e.g., glucose) and release oxygen to the environment.
(1) MST4.I.LE.6.2a Photosynthesis is carried on by green plants and other organisms containing chlorophyll. In this process, the Sun's energy is converted into and stored as chemical energy in the form of a sugar. The quantity of sugar molecules increases in green plants during photosynthesis in the presence of sunlight.
(1) MST4.I.LE.6.2b The major source of atmospheric oxygen is photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and oxygen is released during photosynthesis.

Nutrition, Photosynthesis, & Respiration Notes

Reminder: All life processes are chemical activities that make up an organism’s metabolism

 

  1. Nutrition - taking in nutrients (food) for various activities including:

  • Growth
  • Repair (healing)

  • Synthesis

  • Respiration (releasing energy)

  1. Ingestion - to take nutrients into the body

  2. Digestion - to break down nutrients into smaller pieces

    1. Nutrients must be broken down into smaller parts so they can be absorbed into the blood and cells of organisms

  • Starches are broken down into simple sugars

  • Proteins are digested into amino acids

  1. Autotrophic Nutrition - Organisms take in inorganic materials (CO2, H2O, light) and convert them into organic nutrients (carbohydrates)

    1. Auto = self, troph = feed; Autotroph means “self feeder” describes the process of Photosynthesis

    2. Includes: Plants, algae, and blue-green bacteria (cyanobacteria)

  2. Heterotrophic Nutrition - Organisms must consume nutrients from other organisms.

    1. Hetero = other; Heterotroph means “feeds on others”. These organisms must release energy through process of Respiration

    2. All animals and fungi are heterotrophs

    3. Includes:

      1. Carnivore - eats mostly animals

      2. Herbivore- eats mostly plants or algae

      3. Omnivore- eats both plants and animals

      4. Decomposer- breaks down dead organisms and waste

        1. Decomposers are important for recycling nutrients

        2. Most decomposers are fungi and bacteria.




  1. Photosynthesis - process in which energy from the sun is trapped in the chemical bonds of carbohydrates

    1. Requires sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2)

    2. Produces glucose (C6H12O6) as food

    3. Water and oxygen (O2) are waste products

    4. Benefits:

      1. Provides food for all plants, animals and other organisms (the basis of all food chains)

      2. Provides oxygen to breathe

      3. Removes CO2 from the atmosphere

 

Figure 1: Formula for Photosynthesis

Image cited from: http://www.lifeadrift.info/ages-11-16/phytoplankon-extra.aspx

 

  1. Plant Adaptations:

    1. Chloroplast - cell organelle that performs photosynthesis

    2. Gas exchange

      1. Stomates - pores under a leaf that let gases in and out

      2. Guard Cells - specialized cells that open and close the stomates to prevent dehydration






Figure 2: Stomata & Guard Cells of a plant

Image used under creative commons license

    1. Transport

      1. Xylem - tubes that transport water throughout a plant

      2. Phloem - tubes that transport food throughout a plant

  1. Cellular Respiration - process that synthesizes ATP from the energy found in carbohydrates

    1. Requires Oxygen (O2), Glucose (C6H12O6), and water (H2O)

    2. Produces Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and H2O are waste products

    3. Most organisms carry out aerobic respiration (uses O2) in their mitochondria

    4. Benefits:

  1. It makes ATP - (Adenosine Triphosphate) - molecule used by all life for energy

    1. No organism can get energy from the sunlight or sugar without first putting the energy into ATP

  2. Provides energy for all metabolic processes

Figure 3: Formula for Cellular Respiration

Image cited from: http://www.anatomyofhuman.info/chemical-equation-for-cellular-respiration/

Important Notes

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration are opposite reactions!! They are also important in cycling oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and water through the environment!

Figure 4: Opposite Reactions Visual

Image cited from: http://tomatosphere.org/teachers/guide/grades-8-10/plants-and-light

 

Common Mistakes:

  1. “Plants use photosynthesis, animals use respiration”

All organisms, including plants, use respiration to get their energy

  1. “Respiration is breathing”

Breathing is not respiration. Breathing exchanges the gases needed for cellular respiration. Inhaling and exhaling do not give you ATP.

  1. “Oxygen is used to breathe”

This is backwards. Breathing is used to get oxygen which is used for respiration. Without oxygen, you have no respiration, no ATP, no energy.

  1. “All living things need oxygen/need to breathe”

Single celled organisms diffuse gases, but do not breathe like humans. Anaerobic organisms can exist without oxygen and do not have to breath.

 

Nutrition, Photosynthesis, & Respiration Quizlet Vocabulary
  • Identify the chemical formula for photosynthesis
  • Describe the reactants and products of photosynthesis
  • Compare photosynthesis and respiration
  • Identify the organelle that is the site of photosynthesis in plant cells

Cellular Respiration
(1) MST4.C.LE.LE.5.1d In all organisms, the energy stored in organic molecules may be released during cellular respiration. This energy is temporarily stored in ATP molecules. In many organisms, the process of cellular respiration is concluded in mitochondria, in which ATP is produced more efficiently, oxygen is used, and carbon dioxide and water are released as wastes.
(1) MST4.I.LE.1.2d During respiration, cells use oxygen to release the energy stored in food. The respiratory system supplies oxygen and removes carbon dioxide (gas exchange).

Nutrition, Photosynthesis, & Respiration Notes

Reminder: All life processes are chemical activities that make up an organism’s metabolism

 

  1. Nutrition - taking in nutrients (food) for various activities including:

  • Growth
  • Repair (healing)

  • Synthesis

  • Respiration (releasing energy)

  1. Ingestion - to take nutrients into the body

  2. Digestion - to break down nutrients into smaller pieces

    1. Nutrients must be broken down into smaller parts so they can be absorbed into the blood and cells of organisms

  • Starches are broken down into simple sugars

  • Proteins are digested into amino acids

  1. Autotrophic Nutrition - Organisms take in inorganic materials (CO2, H2O, light) and convert them into organic nutrients (carbohydrates)

    1. Auto = self, troph = feed; Autotroph means “self feeder” describes the process of Photosynthesis

    2. Includes: Plants, algae, and blue-green bacteria (cyanobacteria)

  2. Heterotrophic Nutrition - Organisms must consume nutrients from other organisms.

    1. Hetero = other; Heterotroph means “feeds on others”. These organisms must release energy through process of Respiration

    2. All animals and fungi are heterotrophs

    3. Includes:

      1. Carnivore - eats mostly animals

      2. Herbivore- eats mostly plants or algae

      3. Omnivore- eats both plants and animals

      4. Decomposer- breaks down dead organisms and waste

        1. Decomposers are important for recycling nutrients

        2. Most decomposers are fungi and bacteria.




  1. Photosynthesis - process in which energy from the sun is trapped in the chemical bonds of carbohydrates

    1. Requires sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2)

    2. Produces glucose (C6H12O6) as food

    3. Water and oxygen (O2) are waste products

    4. Benefits:

      1. Provides food for all plants, animals and other organisms (the basis of all food chains)

      2. Provides oxygen to breathe

      3. Removes CO2 from the atmosphere

 

Figure 1: Formula for Photosynthesis

Image cited from: http://www.lifeadrift.info/ages-11-16/phytoplankon-extra.aspx

 

  1. Plant Adaptations:

    1. Chloroplast - cell organelle that performs photosynthesis

    2. Gas exchange

      1. Stomates - pores under a leaf that let gases in and out

      2. Guard Cells - specialized cells that open and close the stomates to prevent dehydration






Figure 2: Stomata & Guard Cells of a plant

Image used under creative commons license

    1. Transport

      1. Xylem - tubes that transport water throughout a plant

      2. Phloem - tubes that transport food throughout a plant

  1. Cellular Respiration - process that synthesizes ATP from the energy found in carbohydrates

    1. Requires Oxygen (O2), Glucose (C6H12O6), and water (H2O)

    2. Produces Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and H2O are waste products

    3. Most organisms carry out aerobic respiration (uses O2) in their mitochondria

    4. Benefits:

  1. It makes ATP - (Adenosine Triphosphate) - molecule used by all life for energy

    1. No organism can get energy from the sunlight or sugar without first putting the energy into ATP

  2. Provides energy for all metabolic processes

Figure 3: Formula for Cellular Respiration

Image cited from: http://www.anatomyofhuman.info/chemical-equation-for-cellular-respiration/

Important Notes

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration are opposite reactions!! They are also important in cycling oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and water through the environment!

Figure 4: Opposite Reactions Visual

Image cited from: http://tomatosphere.org/teachers/guide/grades-8-10/plants-and-light

 

Common Mistakes:

  1. “Plants use photosynthesis, animals use respiration”

All organisms, including plants, use respiration to get their energy

  1. “Respiration is breathing”

Breathing is not respiration. Breathing exchanges the gases needed for cellular respiration. Inhaling and exhaling do not give you ATP.

  1. “Oxygen is used to breathe”

This is backwards. Breathing is used to get oxygen which is used for respiration. Without oxygen, you have no respiration, no ATP, no energy.

  1. “All living things need oxygen/need to breathe”

Single celled organisms diffuse gases, but do not breathe like humans. Anaerobic organisms can exist without oxygen and do not have to breath.

Nutrition, Photosynthesis, & Respiration Quizlet Vocabulary
  • Identify the chemical formula for Cellular Respiration
  • Describe the reactants and products of Cellular Respiration
  • Compare photosynthesis and respiration
  • Identify the organelle that is the site of Cellular Respiration in plant cells

Cell Division (Mitosis/Meiosis)
(1) MST4.C.LE.LE.5.2i Gene mutations in a cell can result in uncontrolled cell division, called cancer. Exposure of cells to certain chemicals and radiation increases mutations and thus increases the chance of cancer.
(1) MST4.I.LE.4.1b There are many methods of asexual reproduction, including division of a cell into two cells, or separation of part of an animal or plant from the parent, resulting in the growth of another individual.
(1) MST4.I.LE.4.3a Multicellular organisms exhibit complex changes in development, which begin after fertilization. The fertilized egg undergoes numerous cellular divisions that will result in a multicellular organism, with each cell having identical genetic information.
(1) MST4.I.LE.4.4a In multicellular organisms, cell division is responsible for growth, maintenance, and repair. In some one-celled organisms, cell division is a method of asexual reproduction.
(1) MST4.I.LE.4.4b In one type of cell division, chromosomes are duplicated and then separated into two identical and complete sets to be passed to each of the two resulting cells. In this type of cell division, the hereditary information is identical in all the cells that result.
(1) MST4.I.LE.4.4c Another type of cell division accounts for the production of egg and sperm cells in sexually reproducing organisms. The eggs and sperm resulting from this type of cell division contain one-half of the hereditary information.
(1) MST4.I.LE.4.4d Cancers are a result of abnormal cell division.

Mitosis & Meiosis

  1. Asexual reproduction:

    1. Advantages:  one parent, faster, safer, easier, less energy

    2. Disadvantages:  no variety

  2. Sexual reproduction:

    1. Advantage:  variety-  recombines genes in new ways

    2. Disadvantage:  need to find mate, higher risk, more time and energy

  3. Mitotic cell division (Mitosis)

    1. Used in all forms of asexual reproduction

    2. The number and types of chromosomes in the daughter cells are the same as in the parent cell

    3. Multicellular organisms use mitosis for growth and repair of damaged tissue

    4. Simple organisms like bacteria use it to reproduce

    5. One division of a cell yields two identical, diploid (2n) cells

      1. Diploid -  a cell with two sets (a pair) of chromosomes (one from Mom, one from Dad)

  4. Meiotic cell division (Meiosis)

    1. Make gametes used in sexual reproduction

      1. Gamete -  a sex cell (sperm or egg)

    2. One cell divides twice yielding four differenthaploid (n) cells

      1. Haploid -  a cell with one set of chromosomes and no pairs ( 1/2 to normal amount)

      2. The process of crossing over (Synapsis),  makes new and unique combinations of genes, adding to the variety

    3. Pairs of homologous chromosomes separate so that offspring get a 1 chromosomes of each pair

      1. Homologous - the matching chromosome for traits from both parents

    4. Each daughter cell (gamete)  gets only one-half of the chromosomes (n) of the parent cell


Cell Division Diagram 1: Mitosis vs. Meiosis

 

Image: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/genetics/vgec/highereducation/topics/cellcycle-mitosis-meiosis

 

Cell Cycle - Complete event where cells prepare, replicate DNA, and divide into 2 new cells

Mitosis - DNA replicated and divided

Cytokinesis - cytoplasm divides separating the cells

Chromatid - 1 side of the replicated chromosome

Centromere - center point where two chromatids join together

Diploid - 2 sets of chromosomes (2n)

Haploid - 1 set of chromosomes (n)

Gametes - sex cells

Gametogenesis - making of sex cells

Sperm  - male sex cell (haploid, n)

Spermatogenesis - making of sperm cells

Egg - female sex cell (haploid, n)

Oogenesis - making of egg cells

Fertilization -  when sperm and egg meet

Synapsis - (crossing over) the exchanging of sections of chromosomes during Prophase I

Homologous - one maternal and one paternal chromosome for the same traits pair up

Zygote - fertilized egg (diploid, 2n)

Human Reproduction
(1) MST4.C.LE.LE.4.1e Human reproduction and development are influenced by factors such as gene expression, hormones, and the environment. The reproductive cycle in both males and females is regulated by hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
(1) MST4.C.LE.LE.4.1f The structures and functions of the human female reproductive system, as in almost all other mammals, are designed to produce gametes in ovaries, allow for internal fertilization, support the internal development of the embryo and fetus in the uterus, and provide essential materials through the placenta, and nutrition through milk for the newborn.
(1) MST4.C.LE.LE.4.1h In humans, the embryonic development of essential organs occurs in early stages of pregnancy. The embryo may encounter risks from faults in its genes and from its mother's exposure to environmental factors such as inadequate diet, use of alcohol/drugs/tobacco, other toxins, or infections throughout her pregnancy.
(1) MST4.I.LE.4.1c Methods of sexual reproduction depend upon the species. All methods involve the merging of sex cells to begin the development of a new individual. In many species, including plants and humans, eggs and sperm are produced.

Human Reproduction

Male reproductive system

    1. Testes produce sperm and sex hormones (testosterone)

      1. Testes -  the male gonad that produces sperm (male gamete)

      2. sperm are haploid cells made by meiosis in the testes

      3. sperm are produced in large numbers throughout a male's life

      4. sperm are smaller than the egg and mobile

      5. sperm only provide offspring with 22 somatic chromosomes, and 1 sex chromosome (either an X or a Y) for gender. The other 23 come from the egg

    2. Testosterone- is the male hormone and produced in the testes

    3. Vas Deferens - The duct that connects the testes to the urethra

      1. Also called sperm duct

    4. Penis - Male reproductive organ that transfer sperm into the female reproductive system

    5. Semen -  the fluid that carries sperm.  It contains sugar to give sperm energy

Reproduction Diagram 2: Male Reproductive System

Left Image: http://www.edusolution.com/edusolution2/regentsquiz/livingenvir/topics/reproduction/page4.htm

Right Image: http://ibguides.com/biology/notes/reproduction

 

A = testes, B = vas deferens, C = bladder, D = penis

 

  1. Female Reproductive System

    1. Ovaries produce eggs  and sex hormones (estrogen)

      1. Ovaries - female gonads that produce eggs (female gametes)

      2. Eggs -  are haploid cells made by meiosis  in the ovary

      3. Females are born with millions of eggs but only ever use a small percentage.

        1. An egg is not fully developed until ovulation

      4. Eggs are the largest cell in the body

      5. Eggs do not move on their own. They are propelled by cilia and muscles

      6. Eggs contain 23 chromosomes and all the organelles (mitochondria, ribosomes ect.) the offspring will need to grow and develop.

    2. The menstrual cycle  prepares the female body for pregnancy and lasts 28 days on average

      1. Ovulation-  the release of an egg typically 1 per cycle

      2. Menstration -  shedding of the uterine wall if fertilization does not occur

      3. If pregnancy does occur the menstrual cycle ceases

    3. Fallopian tube -  the duct that carries an egg from the ovary to the uterus

      1. Also called the Oviduct

      2. Note:  The site of fertilization of an egg by sperm

    4. Uterus -  the site of fetal development also called the womb

    5. Cervix - the small entry way from the vagina into the uterus

    6. Vagina -  the birth canal for the baby will leave the  body.

      1. Note:  not the site of fertilization

Reproductive Diagram 3: Female Reproductive System

Left Image: http://wghsjuniorscience.weebly.com/reproduction-organs.html

Right Image: http://ibguides.com/biology/notes/reproduction


1 = Fallopian Tube, 2 = Ovary, 3 = Cervix, 4 = Uterus, 5 = Vagina



  1. Fetal development

    1. Fertilization of an egg occurs in the fallopian tube

      1. A fertilized egg is called a zygote

      2. Fertilization restores the diploid (2n) set of chromosomes. A gamete is haploid (n) but a zygote is diploid (2n).

        1. n + n = 2n or 23 + 23 = 46

    2. A zygote develops in the following order:

      1. Cleavage - a form of mitosis - cells divide but do not differentiate

      2. Differentiation - cells begin to perform different tasks as tissues or organs.

      3. Implantation in the walls of the uterus (uterine lining)

      4. Fetus - most major organs are formed, but not complete

        1. Continues to grow through cell division

    3. The placenta transfers nutrients and oxygen from the mother’s blood into the blood of the fetus through the process of diffusion

      1. The blood of the mother and fetus do not mix

      2. The fetus is attached to the placenta by the umbilical cord

      3. Wastes produced by the fetus are also removed by the placenta.

        1. Wastes (CO2, salts, urea) diffuse into the mother’s blood

        2. Since the fetus does not eat solid food, it does not have to eliminate feces.

      4. The baby is vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, drugs, etc. because organs and systems are still developing.

        1. If the mother consumes alcohol or drugs, it can affect the development of the baby

Reproduction Diagram 4: Fetal Development in the Uterus

Image: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z9fgr82/revision/5

 

Quizlet Human Reproduction Vocabulary

 

Female Reproductive (L).pdf
Fetal Development Diagram.pdf
Male Reproductive Diagram (L).pdf
Reproduction Practice #1.pdf
Reproduction Practice #2.pdf
Reproduction Practice #4.pdf
Reproductive Practice #3.pdf
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