AP Biology
Organisms and Populations Unit Topic 2
Organisms and Population
Structure and Function of Plants and Animals
Topical Understanding:
Comparative anatomy and physiology in the animal kingdom illustrates evolutionary
trends as well as adaptations to unique environments. Systems of organization in animals,
including humans, help them solve the problems of life: reproduction, acquisition and
distribution of nutrients, elimination of waste, movement and support, homeostasis, and
response to stimuli.
Plants evolved from green algae and have unique structural and functional adaptations to
allow them to survive on land. Plants have specialized cell, tissues, and organs for reproduction,
growth and development, as well as the acquisition and distribution of water and nutrients. Plant
hormones regulate many functions in plants including germination; growth and development;
flower, fruit and seed development.
Essential/Probing Questions:
 What patterns of reproduction and development are found in plants and animals and how are
they regulated?
 What is the adaptive significance of alternation of generations in the major groups of plants?
 How does the organization of cells, tissues, and organs determine structure and function in
plant and animal systems?
 How are structure and function related in the various organ systems?
 How do the organs systems of animals interact?
 What adaptive features have contributed to the success of various plants and animals on
land?
 What are the responses of plants and animals to environmental cues, and how do hormones
mediate them?
Areas of Focus:
 Comparative Animal Anatomy and Physiology
 Human Organ Systems: Anatomy and Physiology
 Plant Structure and Function
C. Gay Revised 6/19/07
Steamboat Springs High School
AP Biology
Organisms and Populations Unit Topic 2
Knowledge:














Hierarchy of Structural Organization in Animals
o Hierarchy of animal structure
o Tissues: Epithelial, Connective, Muscle, Nervous
o Organ systems
o Technology and human anatomy
Exchanges with the External Environment
o Structural adaptations for environment/organism exchange
o Homeostasis and negative feedback
Obtaining and Processing Food
o Ways of food ingestion
o Food Processing: ingestion, digestion, absorption, elimination
o Comparative digestion
Human Digestive System
o Oral cavity and pharynx
o Esophagus and peristalsis
o Stomach and enzyme activation
o Small intestine and absorption
o Large intestine and water reabsorption
Diets and Digestive Adaptations/Nutrition
o Digestive system adaptations
o Role of healthy diets
o Vitamins and minerals
Mechanisms of Gas Exchange
o Comparative anatomy of gas exchange systems: Gills and counter current flow, Insect trachea, terrestrial vertebrates
and lungs
o Process and control of breathing
Transport of Gases in the Body
o Blood and hemoglobin
o Blood buffering and CO2
o Fetal/mother gas exchange
Mechanisms of Internal Transport
o Comparative internal transport systems
o Evolutionary trends in vertebrate cardiovascular systems
Mammalian Cardiovascular System
o Heart and blood vessel anatomy
o Control of heartbeat, heart attacks
o Blood pressure and cardiovascular problems
o Blood distribution and capillaries
Structure and Function of Blood
o Blood components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and blood proteins
o Stem cells
Nonspecific Defenses against Infection
o Nonspecific defenses: skin, mucous membranes, phagocytic cells, antimicrobial proteins
o Inflammatory response
o Lymphatic system
Specific Immunity
o Active vs. passive immunity
o Lymphocytes: humoral immunity vs. cell-mediated immunity
o Antigens and antibodies
o Clonal selection
o Primary and secondary immunity
o Humoral immunity and B cells
o Cell-mediated immunity and antibodies: monoclonal antibodies and T cells, cytotoxic T cells
o Major Histocompatibiliy Complex
Disorders of the Immune System
o Autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiency diseases, allergies
o AIDS
Thermoregulation
o Heat gain and loss: convection, conduction, radiation, evaporation
C. Gay Revised 6/19/07
Steamboat Springs High School
AP Biology














Organisms and Populations Unit Topic 2
o Counter current heat exchange and behavior
o Metabolic regulation: hibernation and estivation
Osmoregulation and Excretion
o Osmoregulation: osmoconformers vs. osmoregulators
o Sweating and seasonal dehydration
o Nitrogenous waste disposal: ammonia, urea, uric acid
o Mammalian excretory system: filtration, reabsorption, secretion and excretion
o Bloodfiltrate to urine
o Dialysis
Homeostatic Functions of the Liver
Nature of Chemical Regulation
o Chemical regulation of body functions
o Hormone signaling mechanisms: steroid and nonsteriod hormones
Vertebrate Endocrine System
o Vertebrate endocrine system
o Hypothalamus and pituitary glands
Hormones and Homeostasis
o Thyroid and parathyroid glands: calcitonin and PTH
o Pancreas: insulin and glucagons
o Adrenal glands: epinephrine and norepinephrine
o Gonads and sex hormones
Modes of Animal Reproduction
o asexual
o reproductive cycles and patterns
Mechanisms of Reproduction
Patterns of fertilization and development
o protection of the embryo
o diversity in reproductive systems
o Invertebrate reproduction
o vertebrate reproduction
Mammalian Reproduction
o male anatomy
o female anatomy
o gametogenesis
o hormonal control of reproduction
o human sexual response, STDs, and contraception
Embryonic Development
o Properties of sperm cells
o Processes of fertilization
o Cleavage and gastrulation, organogenesis
o Programmed cell death: apoptosis
o Induction and pattern formation
o Human development: extraembryonic membranes and the placenta, trimesters
o Hormonal control of childbirth and reproductive technologies
Nervous System Structure and Function
o Nervous system function: sensory input, integration, motor output
o Neuron structure
Nerve Signals and their Transmission
o Membrane potential (sodium and potassium pumps) and nerve signal transmission (resting potential, action
potential, threshold potential)
o Nerve propagation and synapses
o Chemical synapses and neurotransmitters
o Drugs and the nervous system
The Nervous System and Human Brain
o Comparative anatomy of nervous systems
o Cephalization of nervous systems
o Peripheral nervous system: sensory division, motor division (sympathetic and parasympathetic)
o Embryological development of the human brain
o Structure of the brain: cortex, sleep and arousal, limbic system, chemical changes of memory
Sensory Reception
C. Gay Revised 6/19/07
Steamboat Springs High School
AP Biology















Organisms and Populations Unit Topic 2
o Structure and function of Receptor cells
o Sensory receptors: pain receptors, thermoreceptors, mechanoreceptors, stretch receptors, chemoreceptors
Vision
o Comparative anatomy of eyes
o Structure and function of eyes: photreceptors
Hearing and Balance
o Structure and function of ears
o Inner ear and balance
Taste and Smell
o Detection of chemicals
Movement and Locomotion
o Evolutionary adaptations of locomotion
Skeletal Support
o Comparative anatomy of skeletal systems: support, movement and protection
o Structure of human skeleton: axial vs. appendicular
o Structure and function of bones
Muscle Contraction and Movement
o Muscle structure
o Muscle function: contraction and the sliding filament model
o Muscle contraction and nerves
Plant Structure and Function
o Monocots vs. dicots
o Plant structure and adaptations
o Plant tissues: parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma, water conducting cells, food conducting cells
o Tissue systems: epidermis, ground tissue, vascular tissue
Plant Growth
o Intermediate vs. determinant growth, primary vs. secondary growth
Plant Reproduction
o Flower structure and flowering plant lifecycle
o Development of pollen and fertilization
o Development of ovules, seeds, and ovaries, seed germination
o Asexual reproduction
Uptake and Transport of Plant Nutrients
o Uptake of water and nutrients and water by roots: Casparian strip
o Transpiration-cohesion-tension mechanism
o Guard cells and transpiration
o Pressure-flow mechanism
Plant Nutrients and the Soil
o Plant nutrients and soil structure
o Fungi and plant symbioses, adaptations for obtaining nutrients, plants and bacteria
Plant Nutrients and Agriculture
o Agricultural research and GMO
Plant Hormones
o Darwin’s experiments on phototropism
o Plant hormones: auxin, cytokinins, gibberellins, abscisic acid, ethylene
Growth Responses and Biological Rhythms in Plants
o Tropisms: phototropism, gravitropism, thigmotropism
o Circadian rhythms and biological clocks (nastic movements)
o Photoperiod: long day vs. short day plants, phytochrome
Plant Defenses
o Types of defenses: herbivores, disease
o Adaptations to plant defensive chemicals
Skills:



Text-based discussions
Laboratory techniques: biotechnology, PCR, electrophoresis, ELISA assay
Computer/calculator probeware and data collection
C. Gay Revised 6/19/07
Steamboat Springs High School