AP Biology
Summer Assignment 2015
The world of Biology is often divided into and studied at various different levels of
organization, beginning at the molecular level and moving all the way to the biosphere and
maybe even extraterrestrial life. At the completion of this course, you will have an
appreciation for the fact that ALL life is related and interdependent on other life, nothing
lives in isolation. As we journey through AP Biology, we will relate all content and
laboratory investigations to four Big Ideas!
To get a head start on your journey, there are two assignments that you need to work on
over the summer:
The Assignment has two parts (each will be graded separately):
Part I:
AP Biology Definitions as Possible Sentences- see directions on pg 2
Part II:
AP Biology Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt – directions on pg. 2.
Big Ideas of AP Biology
Big Idea #1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life
Big Idea #2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to
reproduce and to maintain dynamic homeostasis.
Big Idea #3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to
life processes.
Big Idea #4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess
complex properties.
You may want to familiarize yourself with the AP Central Course Description:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/AP_BiologyCED_Effective_Fall_2012_lkd.pdf
Have a great summer – I am looking forward to exploring AP Biology with you in the fall!
Mr. Herberger
Email me with any questions you may have.
herberger.david@newfairfieldschools.org
AP Biology Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt
For this part of your summer assignment, you will be familiarizing yourself with science terms that
we will be using at different points throughout the year. On the next page is the list of terms.
1. Select 30 terms to Define as “Possible Sentences”:
A “Possible Sentence” is a sentence you create using at least 2 words from the vocabulary
list in a single sentence. Your sentence should have scientific meaning and create a
connection among the terms. The means you will write 15 sentences total.
Please highlight or underline the terms used in your sentence.
ex: Arthropods like insects and crabs all possess and exoskeleton which is composed of a
flexible carbohydrate molecule called chiton.
Submit your “Possible Sentences” the first day of class.
2. Select 20 different terms and “Collect” the chosen terms.
When I say “collect”, I mean you should collect that item by finding it and taking an
original photograph (digital or paper printed) of that item. You will post your
photographs with corresponding explanations on a poster board to be turned in this
Fall. You do not need to find the exact item on the list, say for example, if it is an
internal part to an organism, but you must apply the term to the specimen you find
and explain on the poster how this specimen represents the term.


Create a poster with your 20 collected scavenger hunt terms and explanations to be
presented and hung up in the classroom in the Fall. If you would instead like to use the
computer to set up a digital slide show that you could present (not powerpoint,
something like iMovie with music / pictures, etc), you can choose that option as well.
Poster Due the First Day of Class. NO EXCUSES !!!!!!!
2. EXAMPLE:
If you choose the term “phloem”, you could submit a photograph you have taken of a plant
leaf or a plant stem and then explain on the poster what phloem is and specifically where
phloem is in your specimen.
3. ORIGINAL PHOTOS ONLY:
You cannot use an image from any publication or the Web. You must have taken the
photograph yourself. You will prove that it is original by placing an item in all of your
photographs that only you could have added each time, something that you might usually
have on you like a pen or a coin or a key or your phone, etc. Bring this item with you when
we present the posters.
4. NATURAL ITEMS ONLY:
Some specimens may be used for more than one item, but all must be from something that
you have found in nature. Take a walk around your yard, neighborhood, and town. DON’T
SPEND ANY MONEY! Research what the term means and in what organisms it can be found...
and then go out and find one.
5. TEAM WORK:
You may work with other students in the class to complete this project, but each student
must turn in his or her own project with a unique set of terms chosen. There are 112
choices... probability says there is a very small chance that any two students will have most of
the same 50 terms chosen.
Have fun – the more fun, the more you will learn! Happy Hunting!!
AP Vocabulary List
1.
abscisic acid
2.
actin
3.
adaptation of a plant
59. gymnosperm cone
4.
adaptation of an animal
60. haploid chromosome number
5.
amniotic egg
61. hermaphrodite
6.
amylase
62. homologous structures
7.
8.
9.
angiosperm
animal that has a segmented body
animal track identified
63. imprinting
10. annelid
11. anther & filament of stamen
64. incomplete dominance
65. invasive species
66. keratin
12. archaebacteria
67. keystone species
13. arthropod
68. K-strategist
14. autotroph
69. leaf – gymnosperm
15. auxin producing area of a plant
70. lepidoptera
16. basidiomycete
71. lichen
17. Batesian mimicry
72. lignin
18. biological magnification
73. lipid used for energy storage
19. bryophyte
74.
75.
76.
77.
20. C 4 plant
21. carbohydrate – fibrous
22. cellulose
23. chitin
24. chlorophyta
25. cnidarian
26. coelomate
27. commensalism
28. conifer leaf
29. connective tissue
30. Convergent evolution
littoral zone organism
meristem
mimicry (Batesian)
mimicry (Mullerian)
78. monocot plant with flower & leaf
79. mutualism
80. mycelium
81. mycorrhizae
82. myosin
83. nematode
84. niche
85. nymph stage of an insect
31. cuticle layer of a plant
86. parasite
32. deciduous leaf
87. pine cone – female
33. detritovore
88. platyhelminthes
34. deuterostome
89. pollinator
35. dicot plant with flower & leaf
90. polygenic inheritance
36. diploid chromosome number
91. porifera
37. echinoderm
92. postzygotic reproductive isolation
38. ectotherm
93. prezygotic reproductive isolation
39. endosperm
94. prokaryote
40. endotherm
95. protostome
41. enzyme
96. pteridophyte
42. epithelial tissue
97. radial symmetry
43. ethylene
98. rhizome
44.
45.
46.
47.
99. r-strategist
eubacteria
eukaryote
evidence of evolution
evidence of cellular respiration
48. exoskeleton
49. fermentation
50. flower ovary
51. frond
100. saprophyte
101. scale from animal with twochambered heart
102. sexual dimorphism
103. spore
104. sporophyte
53. fruit – fleshy with seed
105. stigma & style of carpel
106. tendril of a plant
107. thigmotropism
54. gametophyte
108. turgor pressure
55. gastropod
109. unicellular organism
56. genetically modified organism
110. vascular plant tissue
57. gibberellins
111. xerophyte
52. fruit – dry with seed
58. glycogen
112. xylem