Course Syllabus—Dual Credit General Biology 1 Laboratory
Course Title/Course #: General Biology I Laboratory (BIO 1131)
Dates of Course: August 6, 2015 – December 10, 2015
Instructor: Ms. Emily Bethea
e-mail Address: emily.bethea@rcsd.ms
Textbook: Pendarvis, M. and Crawley, J., Exploring Biology in the Laboratory Morton
Publishing Company. 2nd edition
Course/Departmental Grading Scale:
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F= Below 60
Methods of Evaluation: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!! The laboratory is a completely
separate college course from the lecture, and students will receive a separate grade. Students
will participate in ten labs throughout the semester. Students will answer questions assigned in
the lab book. Students will also have three lab practicals throughout the semester. Completing
the questions and participating in lab will count for 10% of the grade. The average of the lab
practicals will count for 90% of the grade.
In the high school grading, the lab is not a separate course. Whatever your college lab
grade is, that number will count for 25% of your high school grade, and the lecture will
count 75%. The final number will be weighted by 1.10.
Course Description: Laboratory to accompany General Biology I for majors with emphasis on
cell chemistry, cell structure, cell physiology, cell processes to include respiration and
photosynthesis, cell reproduction, genetics and embryology. (Corequisite BIO 1133)
$20 Lab Fee. Make checks payable to BHS.
Course Goals:
Students will:
1. Develop skills in scientific method, organizational and lab techniques and data
processing.
2. Understand the structure and function of the macromolecules important to cellular
activities to include: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
3. Be proficient in the use of the light microscope
4. Describe the structure of cells and structure and function of organelles.
5. Describe the activity of enzymes in cells.
6. Explain why diffusion and osmosis are important to cells.
7. Execute an experiment involving the process of cellular respiration.
8. Describe the roles played by light and pigment in photosynthesis.
9. Identify the phases of mitosis in root tip.
10. Describe the activities of chromosomes in each stage of meiosis I and II.
11. Define terminology used in the study of genetics.
12. Discuss the basic principles of electrophoresis in general and for DNA specifically.
13. Understand the process of animal development.
Lab Topic: The Scientific Method
Lab Objectives:
1. Use the scientific method and understand which types of questions can be answered
through scientific investigation.
2. Explain what characterizes a good scientific hypothesis.
3. Use experimental data to evaluate a hypothesis.
4. Understand how to write a lab report.
Lab Topic: The Microscope
Lab Objectives:
1. Demonstrate proper care and use of a compound microscope.
2. Identify the parts of the compound light microscope and describe the function of each
part.
3. Compare magnification, resolving power and contrast.
4. Demonstrate proper technique of preparing a wet mount slide.
5. Demonstrate depth of field.
6. Use the compound microscope as an instrument of measurement.
Lab Topic: The Biochemistry of Cells
Lab Objectives:
1. Describe the basic structures of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.
2. Recognize the positive and negative tests for reducing sugars, starches, lipids, proteins
and vitamin C.
3. Test food substances to determine the presence of biologically important
macromolecules.
Lab Topic: The Cell
Lab Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Prepare wet mount slides of eukaryotic cells.
Identify each cell part and state its function.
Distinguish between plant and animal cells.
Lab Topic: Diffusion, Osmosis and the Functional Significance of Biological Membranes
Lab Objectives:
1. Measure the water potential of a solution in a controlled experiment.
2. Determine the osmotic concentration of living tissue or an unknown solution from
experimental data.
3. Describe the effects of water gain or water loss in animal and plants cells.
4. Relate osmotic potential to solute concentration and water potential.
Lab Topic: Enzyme Catalysis
Lab Objectives:
1. Observe the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen by the enzyme
catalase.
2. Measure the amount of oxygen generated and calculate the rate of the enzyme-catalyzed
reaction.
3. Measure the effects of changes in temperature, pH, enzyme concentration and substrate
concentration on reaction rates of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in a controlled
experiment.
4. Explain how environmental factors effect the rate of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
Lab Topic: Cell Respiration
Lab Objectives:
1. Measure oxygen consumption during seed germination.
2. Relate gas production to respiration rate.
3. Test the rate of cellular respiration in germinating versus nongerminated seeds in a
controlled experiment.
4. Calculate the rate of cell respiration from experimental data.
5. Test the effect of temperature on the rate of cell respiration in germinating versus
nongerminated seeds in a controlled experiment.
Lab Topic: Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
Lab Objectives:
1. Separate plant pigments using chromatography and calculate their Rf values.
2. Identify the pigments in spinach chloroplast extract.
3. Identify the structures composing the chloroplasts and indicate the function of each
structure.
Lab Topic: Mitosis and Meiosis
Lab Objectives:
1. Recognize the stages of mitosis in a plant or animal cell.
2. Calculate the relative duration of the cell cycle stages.
3. Use chromosome model to demonstrate the activity of chromosomes during meiosis I
and meiosis II.
4. Compare and contrast the results of meiosis and mitosis in plant cells as well as
animal cells.
Lab Title: Animal Development/Embryology
Lab Objectives:
1. List and define the five stages of development.
2. Compare and contrast cleavage in the sea star and chick.
3. Explain the differences in cleavage according to the amount and distribution of yolk in
the egg as well as symmetry.
4. Describe gastrulation and the formation of the germ layers.
5. List derivatives of germ layers.