South Carolina Department of Education

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SOUTH CAROLINA SCIENCE ACADEMIC STANDARDS

• South Carolina Department of Education
• Columbia, South Carolina
• November 2005

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BIOLOGYScientific Inquiry
The skills of scientific inquiry, including a
knowledge of the use of tools, will be assessed
cumulatively on statewide tests. Students will
therefore be responsible for the scientific
inquiry indicators from all of their earlier
grade levels. A table of the K12 scientific
inquiry standards and indicators is provided in
appendix A.
Standard B-1 The student will demonstrate an
understanding of how scientific
inquiry and technological design, including
mathematical analysis, can be
used appropriately to pose questions,
seek answers, and develop solutions.
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• Indicators
• B-1.1 Generate hypotheses based on credible,
  accurate, and relevant sources of scientific
  information.
• B-1.2 Use appropriate laboratory apparatuses,
  technology, and techniques safely and accurately
  when conducting a scientific investigation.
• B-1.3 Use scientific instruments to record
  measurement data in appropriate metric units that
  reflect the precision and accuracy of each
  particular instrument.
• B-1.4 Design a scientific investigation with
  appropriate methods of control to test a
  hypothesis (including independent and dependent
  variables), and evaluate the designs of sample
  investigations.
• B-1.5 Organize and interpret the data from a
  controlled scientific investigation by using
  mathematics, graphs, models, and/or technology.
• B-1.6 Evaluate the results of a controlled
  scientific investigation in terms of whether they
  refute or verify the hypothesis.
• B-1.7 Evaluate a technological design or
  product on the basis of designated criteria
  (including cost, time, and materials).
• B-1.8 Compare the processes of scientific
  investigation and technological design.
• B-1.9 Use appropriate safety procedures when
  conducting investigations.

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BIOLOGY
Standard B-5 The student will demonstrate an
understanding of biological evolution and
the diversity of life.
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Indicators B-5.1 Summarize the process of
natural selection. B-5.2 Explain how genetic
processes result in the continuity of life- forms
over time. B-5.3 Explain how diversity within a
species increases the chances of its
survival. B-5.4 Explain how genetic variability
and environmental factors lead to biological
evolution. B-5.5 Exemplify scientific evidence
in the fields of anatomy, embryology,
biochemistry, and paleontology that underlies
the theory of biological evolution. B-5.6
Summarize ways that scientists use data from a
variety of sources to investigate and critically
analyze aspects of evolutionary theory. B-5.7 Use
a phylogenetic tree to identify the evolutionary
relationships among different groups of
organisms.
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BIOLOGY
Standard B-4 The student will demonstrate an
understanding of the molecular basis of heredity.
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Indicators B-4.1 Compare DNA and RNA in terms of
structure, nucleotides, and base
pairs. B-4.2 Summarize the relationship among
DNA, genes, and chromosomes. B-4.3 Explain how
DNA functions as the code of life and the
blueprint for proteins. B-4.4 Summarize the
basic processes involved in protein synthesis
(including transcription and translation).
B-4.5 Summarize the characteristics of the
phases of meiosis I and II. B-4.6 Predict
inherited traits by using the principles of
Mendelian genetics (including segregation,
independent assortment, and dominance). B-4.7 Summ
arize the chromosome theory of inheritance and
relate that theory to Gregor Mendels principles
of genetics. B-4.8 Compare the consequences of
mutations in body cells with those in gametes.
B-4.9 Exemplify ways that introduce new genetic
characteristics into an organism or a population
by applying the principles of modern genetics.
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BIOLOGY

• Standard B-5 The student will demonstrate an
  understanding of biological evolution and
  the diversity of life.

B-5.3 Explain how diversity within a species
increases the chances of its survival.
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Genetic Variation
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Applies to all species
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All species!
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Sources of Genetic Variation

• Mutation (emphasize random nature)
• Gene Flow
• Reshuffling by sex and recombination
• B-4.6 Predict inherited traits by using the
  principles of Mendelian genetics (including
  segregation, independent assortment, and
  dominance).
• B-4.8 Compare the consequences of mutations in
  body cells with those in gametes.
• B-4.9 Exemplify ways that introduce new genetic
  characteristics into an organism or a population
  by applying the principles of modern genetics.

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Genetic Variation How Much?

• Selection studies
• Prediction if a population contains substantial
  genetic variation then it will respond rapidly to
  selection.
• Alternative if a population contains little
  variation it will not respond to selection.

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Assessing Genetic Variation how much?
Artificial Selection 47 loci
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Genetic Variation How Much?

• Studies of specific genes
• Prediction if a population contains substantial
  genetic variation then specific genes will be
  polymorphic (contain multiple alleles).
• Alternative if a population contains little
  variation specific genes will be monomorphic (one
  allele).

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Assessing Genetic Variation how much?
Glu-5
MAL-I
G/G
T/T
G/G
T/G
T/T
Mt16S-F
Mt16S-M
t
t
g
e
g
Use of PCR to amplify four gene loci
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Genetic Variation How Much?

• DNA sequencing studies
• Prediction if a population contains substantial
  genetic variation then the genome will contain
  high levels of nucleotide diversity.
• Alternative if a population contains little
  variation the genome will contain little
  diversity.

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Assessing Genetic Variation how much?
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(No Transcript)
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Genetic Variation How Much?

• Selection studies
• rapid response
• Studies of specific genes
• highly polymorphic
• DNA sequencing studies
• high genomic diversity

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Natural selection depends on genetic variation
Populations with low genetic variation are
limited in their capacity to evolve new solutions
to current or future environmental challenges.
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Monoculture and the Irish Potato Famine cases of
missing genetic variation
In the 1800s Ireland planted a single genetic
variety of the potato called lumpers In the
1840s the potato crop was destroyed by a rot
that specifically infected lumpers. Consequently
one in eight (1.2 million) people in Ireland
starved to death. Lessons not learned 1970 the
United States loses 1/8 of the corn crop to a
fungus (cost gt 1 billion) 1980s California loses
two million acres of grapes to pest insect,
grape phylloxera
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Genetic Variation

• Large Populations
• Harbor genetic variation within populations
• Widely distributed and different populations may
  contain different alleles
• Small Populations
• May contain little genetic diversity
• Subject to inbreeding

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Application Conservation Genetics
Right whale N300
Kemp's Ridley sea turtle N1000
Hairy-nosed wombat N65
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Application Fisheries Genetics
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Application Forensics
http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/resources/guide/eartha
ppenact3.html
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BIOLOGY

• Standard B-5 The student will demonstrate an
  understanding of biological evolution and
  the diversity of life.

B-5.2 Explain how genetic processes result in the
continuity of life-forms over time.
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Indicators B-4.1 Compare DNA and RNA in terms of
structure, nucleotides, and base
pairs. B-4.2 Summarize the relationship among
DNA, genes, and chromosomes. B-4.3 Explain how
DNA functions as the code of life and the
blueprint for proteins. B-4.4 Summarize the
basic processes involved in protein synthesis
(including transcription and translation).
B-4.5 Summarize the characteristics of the
phases of meiosis I and II. B-4.6 Predict
inherited traits by using the principles of
Mendelian genetics (including segregation,
independent assortment, and dominance). B-4.7 Sum
marize the chromosome theory of inheritance and
relate that theory to Gregor Mendels principles
of genetics. B-4.8 Compare the consequences of
mutations in body cells with those in gametes.
B-4.9 Exemplify ways that introduce new genetic
characteristics into an organism or a population
by applying the principles of modern genetics.
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Genetic continuity among lineages
No shared alleles, larger differences among
alleles
species
Some shared alleles, diff. freq., new related
alleles
species
Sig. diff. in allele freq., new related alleles
sub-species
divergent populations
share alleles, new but closely related alleles
share alleles, variation in frequency
populations
population
genetically variable
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However when compared within lineage
species
species
sub-species
share alleles, variation in frequency
divergent populations
populations
population
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Extinction hides the genetic continuity
But the genetic relationship among alleles
clarifies the relationship among species
species
No shared alleles, larger differences among
alleles
species
Some shared alleles, diff. freq., new related
alleles
sub-species
divergent populations
populations
population
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Populations are genetically variable
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Populations share alleles at different frequencies
Frequency of the blotched-tabby allele
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Frequency of the orange allele
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Genetic variation within species is of the same
type as differences among species
foreign
cobby
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Genetic variation within species is of the same
type as differences among species
foreign
cobby
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Sub-species share many alleles, differ in allele
frequency, contain some new but related alleles
Pantherophis bairdi
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Closely related species share some alleles,
differ in allele frequency and differ in new but
related alleles
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• Phylogeny estimate for 25 species of the cricket
  Laupala. Rate of speciation 4.2 per million
  years
• Branches are color coded to indicate geographic
  origin (greenKauai, yellowOahu, purpleMolokai,
  blue Maui, redHawaii). Prolaupala kukui was
  used as the outgroup

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Genome sequencing humans and chimpanzees share
99 of their genomes
Percent difference between DNA sequences
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Genetic relationships among alleles clarifies the
relationship among species
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Even very ancient relationships
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Genetic evidence for the continuity of life
conservation of the genetic mechanism

• All of life use the same four nucleotides to
  encode genetic information
• In all of life these four nucleotides are
  organized into triplet codons which encode
  specific amino acids
• The code is the same for all of life
• The same 20 amino acids are used in the proteins
  of all living organisms

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Genetic Processes and the Continuity of Life

• Conclusion the evidence from the continuity of
  genetic processes indicates that all living
  organisms are descended from a common ancestor!
• Is this necessarily a prediction of Evolution?
  No! This is a conclusion drawn from the
  evidence. Evolution does not predict that life
  on Earth arose only once there is just no
  evidence that it arose more than once.