2017 Summer Break Packet
for Students Entering
Biology
Name: _____________________________
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Academic Programs
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
The ‘GREAT BY CHOICE’ trademark is owned by The Good to Great Project LLC and Morten T. Hansen. Used under license.
2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Note to Students: You’ve learned so much in school this year! It is important
that you continue to engage in science content and practices over the summer to
help prepare you for a rigorous biology course next school year. In this packet,
you will find weekly activities for the summer break. You will need a Science
Journal to record your exploration ideas, data, labeled graphs, diagrams, and
scientific explanations. Some activities have handouts located in this packet;
however, many of the activities will require you to complete work in your journal.
All assignments are listed on the calendars. You may want to check off the
activities as they are completed to help you stay on task.
Directions:
 Create a science journal by stapling several pieces of paper together or
use a notebook or binder with paper. Be creative and decorate the
cover to show science in your world.
 Each journal entry should:
 Have the title of the activity.
 Have a clear and complete answer (to each question) that
explains your thinking.
 Be neat and organized.
Note to Parents/Guardians:
 Please preview the calendars with your scholar.
 Your scholar will need access to Internet to conduct scientific research
and to investigate content. They may want to go to a local library to
gather information. To locate a library near you, log onto the Prince
George’s County Memorial Library System’s website at
http://www.pgcmls.info/
 Please remind your scholar to bring their completed 2017 Biology
Summer Packet and their science journal with them on the first day of
school, Wednesday, September 6, 2017.
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Summer Break Packet
JUNE
2017 Biology Summer Break Calendar
Monday
Week 1
Science and
Engineering
Practices
Week 2
Cell Structure and
Function
Week 3
Matter and Energy
in Living Systems
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
5
6
7
12
13
14
Claims,
Evidence, and
Reasoning
Scientific
Processes
Identifying
Variables
19
List the seven
body systems
and summarize
their function in
the body. Draw
a sketch of the
structure of
each system.
20
Organ and
Tissue
Transplants:
Thinking about
autografts
21
Looking Inside
Cells: Identifying
organelles
26
27
28
Cheek Cell
Virtual
Laboratory
Investigation.
This is an
opportunity for
you to look
through a virtual
microscope!
Diagram the cell
membrane.
Label the
macromolecules
and explain why
each of them is
important in the
cell.
Diagram cellular
respiration and
label the
macromolecules
that are
necessary for
the process to
occur.
Friday
1
2
8
9
15
16
Read the article Scientific Inquiry
and answer the questions in your
journal.
22
Draw and label a
plant cell and an
animal cell.
Create a graphic
organizer to
compare/contrast
the two types of
cells.
29
23
Modeling Cell
Structures:
Cell City
30
Complete the Energy Virtual Lab.
Please note the differences
between autotrophs and
heterotrophs.
Complete questions 1 – 6 in your
Science Journal.
**Remember to record your work in your Science Journal**
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
July
2017 Biology Summer Break Calendar
Monday
Week 4
Cell Energy
Week 5
Cell Processes I
Week 6
Cell Processes II
Week 7
Cell Processes III
Week 8
Matter and Its
Interactions
Tuesday
3
4
Yeast
*Holiday*
Metabolism
Independence
and
Day
Temperature
10
11
Brainstorm on the reasons cells
need energy. Hypothesize how
organisms grow. Complete the Life
Span of Human Cells activity.
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
5
6
7
Draw a diagram that shows the connections among
the respiratory system, digestive system, and
circulatory system. Explain the connections in detail.
12
13
Mitosis Tutorial
Summarize the process of mitosis
in your Science Journal.
14
Complete the
DNA Virtual
Lab. Explain
why replication
is critical for
mitosis.
17
18
19
20
21
Research and create a foldable booklet on the
Use a graphic organizer to
disease Cancer. The booklet should be glued into
identify the differences between
your Science Journal. You will need to explain how
sexual and asexual reproduction.
the disease begins, spreads, and any treatments. Be
Identify body systems and
sure to include its relationship to the cell cycle and
individual cells associated with
mitosis. A rubric is located in this packet.
reproduction.
24
25
26
27
28
Meiosis Virtual Lab
Describe and diagram the process
Research
of meiosis. Complete Part I of the
Trisomy 21
Complete Parts 2-4
Meiosis Virtual Lab.
(Down
syndrome).
Explain how it
is related to a
mutation during
meiosis.
31
August 1
Acid Rain Project
Part I
**Remember to record your work in your Science Journal**
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Summer Break Packet
August
2017 Biology Summer Break Calendar
Monday
Tuesday
1
Week 8
Matter and Its
Interactions
(continued)
Acid Rain
Project
Part I
7
Week 9
Ecology
8
Ecology Virtual Lab
“Assessing Water Quality”
(The Effects of Acid Rain)
14
Week 10
Ecosystems
15
Wednesday
Thursday
2
Acid Rain Project
Part II
9
16
Friday
3
4
Acid Rain
Project
Part III
10
11
In your journal, summarize three
takeaways or topics that you
learned this summer. What do
you believe are the most
important concepts to keep with
you in the future?
17
18
Please complete the written 2017 Summer Break Packet Biology
Self-Assessment.
Please remember to bring your completed summer biology packet and your Science
Journal with you on the first day of school,
Wednesday, September 6, 2017.
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Week 1 – Focus: Science and Engineering Practices
Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning
Claim: a statement about the solution to a problem – what you think you know
Evidence: scientific data to support your claim – measureable
Reasoning: justification of how your evidence supports your claim (using scientific principles)
Directions: Find the Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning in the following paragraphs: Underline
the Claim; Circle the Evidence; and put a box around the Reasoning.
1. A common type of asexual reproduction found in nature is called Mitosis. Mitosis requires
less energy than sexual reproduction does. Mitosis can occur in seconds and does not
require a mate to reproduce. Sexual reproduction requires two compatible parents. It also
requires time to produce the egg and sperm cells and then for fertilization to occur. Energy
is required to find a compatible mate, produce sex cells, and for fertilization. Therefore,
Mitosis requires less energy than sexual reproduction does.
2. Cold air weighs more than hot air. When I filled a 9-centimeter diameter balloon with cold
air, it weighed 1 gram and when I weighed the same size balloon with hot air, it weighed 0.5
grams. When molecules are cooled, they move closer together and when they are heated
up, they move farther apart. Because of this more molecules can fit into a balloon when the
air going in is cold than when the air going in is warm.
Directions: Identify your own Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning in items below.
3. Brianna wanted to compare the densities of two different solids of the same size 6cm3
(same volume) to see which one was denser. Solid A had a mass of 2 grams and Solid B
had a mass of 0.5 grams. (Density = Mass/volume)
Claim:
Evidence:
Reasoning:
4. Sammy wants to see if plants really do grow
better in sunlight. He uses 3 plants of the same
type and size in 3 locations. Plant A is placed on
Mrs. Shaw’s countertop in the center of the
room; Plant B is placed inside the cabinet; and
Plant C was placed near windowsill. After 5
days, Sammy measures the growth of each plant
and documents it in the table to the right.
Claim:
Evidence:
Reasoning:
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Summer Break Packet
Scientific Processes
Directions: Read the description for each experiment and use your knowledge of scientific
processes to respond to the following questions or scenarios in your journal.
1. Flower Power
Mendel loves to garden and wants to grow lots of white flowers for his friend Daisy. He
bought a special Flower Power fertilizer to see if will help plants produce more flowers. He
plants two plants of the same size in separate containers with the same amount of potting
soil. He places one plant in a sunny window and waters it every day with fertilized water.
He places the other plant on a shelf in a closet and waters it with plain water every other
day.
A. What (if anything) did Mendel do wrong in this experiment? Explain your answer.
B. What should Mendel do to test the effectiveness of Flower Power fertilizer? Write an
experiment.
2. Brainiacs
Marie believed that she could improve her brainpower by eating Super Craniums Snacks. In
order to test this hypothesis, she recruited several friends to help her with an experiment.
They each ate one snack with every meal daily for three weeks. Each of them took a test
before they started eating the snacks, as well as after three weeks.
Participant
Marie
Charles
Rachel
Severo
Test Results
Before Eating Super
After Eating Super
Cranium Snacks
Cranium Snacks for
Three Weeks
64%
80%
78%
78%
82%
84%
72%
70%
Based on the data provided in the table above, do the Super Cranium Snacks work?
Explain your answer.
3. Bubble Time
Galen loves bubble gum and would like to be able to blow bigger bubbles than anyone else
in the county. To prepare for the PGCPS Big Bubble Contest, he bought four different
brands of bubble gum and needs your help to find the brand that creates the biggest
bubbles.
Write an experiment to test the bubble power of the bubble gum brands and help Galen win
the contest.
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Variables
Directions: Read the description for each experiment and answer the following questions in
your journal.
1. Prince Burgers and Fries
Prince Burgers and Fries restaurant has created a new sauce that allegedly will reduce the
production of body gas associated with eating its gourmet burgers. The manager at the
restaurant, Sheila E., recruits 100 customers with a history of gas problems. She has 50 of
them (Group A) eat gourmet burgers with the new sauce. The other 50 (Group B) eat
gourmet burgers with sauce that looks just like the new sauce but is really just a mixture of
mayonnaise and food coloring. Both groups were told that they were getting the sauce that
would reduce gas production. Two hours after eating the gourmet burgers, 30 customers in
Group A reported having fewer gas problems and 8 customers in Group B reported having
fewer gas problems.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which people are in the control group?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What should the restaurant’s conclusion be?
2. Use the graph on the right to answer the
following questions.
A. What is the independent variable?
B. What is the dependent variable?
3. Use the chart on the right to
answer the following questions.
A. What is the independent
variable?
B. What is the dependent
variable?
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Summer Break Packet
Scientific Inquiry in Medicine
By: Frank W. Jackson, MD
Science has been a latecomer in the world's history. Up until the 20th century, there was
no precise testing of any treatment. If the patient didn’t die and did recover, there was
acceptance that whatever treatment was given must have worked. Most of what was done for
the patient was not helpful, but not harmful either. At times, however, it was dangerous. For
instance, our founding father, George Washington, was bled in 1799 when he had pneumonia,
undoubtedly hastening his death. In the 1800s things hadn't really changed very much. One
main reason was that there were so few good treatments for any medical condition. Even as
late as the 1950s, the effective medications were few: the heart medicine digitalis, aspirin, sulfa
and another new antibiotic called penicillin, a few toxic diuretics, some hormones, Maalox for
indigestion, and herbs. Even though there was little to offer (we didn't really know it at the time)
patients still came to see physicians and patients did get better.
So what is [Scientific Inquiry]—on which all modern medicine and science are based?
Simply put, it means that a treatment or a hypothesis is subjected to rigorous testing to see if
the treatment works or if the hypothesis is true. For example, a scientist hypothesizes that a
drug will be effective in treating a certain disease. The fact that the scientist wants to believe it
does not make it so. Testing must be done. Sometimes, it doesn't work or it actually makes the
patient worse. [The research process allows the scientific community to accumulate information
to verify scientific information.] Still, it is the best system we have. All scientists, not just
doctors, use this technique in one form or another.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses these scientific guidelines to approve
new treatments. So whenever someone or some published article mentions a great treatment
for some disease, we need to question the data. Testimonials by individuals don't really mean
much. They can sound great but, from a scientific viewpoint, they are almost meaningless. In
fact, they may actually be damaging, as there may be a serious underlying problem such as
cancer, which is not discovered early.
The FDA does an enormous amount of [regulation]. To the extent possible, they assure
us that the food we eat is safe. They brought us the new food labels that provide a great deal of
valuable information for the consumer on calories, fat, sodium, and other nutrients. They
regulate medical devices. We would never buy a heart valve from Best Buy and ask a physician
to insert it just because a friend said it was great. Likewise, the FDA regulates the
pharmaceutical drug industry [by creating a clear process for science to go through a
systematic screening. This screening ensures that devices, drugs, and medical best practices
are safe and live up to their claims.] The public benefits by being assured that the prescription
medicines they take and the medical devices used on them have undergone rigorous scientific
testing.
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Scientific Inquiry in Medicine
Directions: Respond to the following questions in your journal.
1. According to the author, what are characteristics of scientific inquiry in medicine?
2. Why is rigorous scientific testing required?
3. What do you think would happen if medicine didn’t have rigorous scientific testing?
4. What is the FDA and what are some of its responsibilities?
5. Explain what it means to ‘regulate’ something?
6. Do you think it’s a good idea to use scientific processes in medicine? Why or why not?
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Summer Break Packet
Week 2 – Focus: Cell Structure and Function
Organ and Tissue Transplants
When a doctor performs a transplant operation, he or she replaces a diseased or damaged
organ or tissue. Sometimes a tissue is moved from one place to another on the same person.
This procedure is called an autograft. (Auto- means “self,” and -graft means “transplant.”) A
burn victim may have an autograft in which a section of his or her healthy skin is transplanted to
cover the burn.
Sometimes a person receives an organ or tissue
from another person. This is called an allograft. (Allomeans “different.”) An example of an allograft is the
transplantation of a kidney from the body of one person into
that of another person. One problem with allografts is
rejection. Rejection occurs when the patient’s body
recognizes the transplanted organ or tissues as foreign,
similar to the way in which a mother cat recognizes a kitten
from another litter as not belonging to her. Rejection is a
serious problem because the body begins to attack the
transplanted organ or tissue. One way of preventing
rejection is by giving the patient certain drugs.
Transplants are performed to save a patient’s life or
to correct a serious medical condition. For example, a
person with severe liver disease might need a new liver in
order to survive. Transplanting a part of the eye called the
cornea can help some blind people to see. The illustration
shows some of the many organs and tissues that doctors can transplant.
Answer the following questions in your Science Journal.
1. Autografts are never rejected. Why do you think this is true?
2. Why do you think doctors try to use autografts rather than allografts on burn
patients?
3. A patient’s body is less likely to reject an allograft if it comes from a close relative.
Why do you think this is true?
4. Do you think doctors would have more difficulty transplanting an organ system
than transplanting an organ? Think of an example to explain your answer.
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Looking Inside Cells
Understanding Main Ideas – Identify each of the cell structures in the figure.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Building Vocabulary
Fill in the blank to complete each statement.
6.
cell.
are tiny cell structures that carry out specific functions within the
7. The rigid layer of nonliving material that surrounds the cells of plants and other organisms
is called the
.
8. In cells without cell walls, the
separates the cell from its environment.
9.
The
forms the outside boundary that
is a large, oval structure that directs all of the cell’s activities.
10. The region between the cell membrane and the nucleus is called the ____________.
11.
functions.
produce most of the energy the cell needs to carry out its
12. A maze of passageways called the
materials from one part of the cell to another.
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carries proteins and other
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Summer Break Packet
Modeling Cell Structures
The figure below shows a city that is a model for a cell. Study the figure, and use it to
respond to the items that follow.
1. In your journal, state the function performed by each numbered structure in the figure.
2. Now name a cell structure that performs each of these same functions.
3. Does “Cell City” represent a plant cell or an animal cell? Explain your answer.
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Week 3 – Focus: Matter and Energy in Living Systems
Virtual Microscope Lab – Cheek Cells
Introduction: If you missed the microscope lab we did in class, you will
need to make it up by using a "virtual microscope" which can be
accessed on the Internet. In class, we obtained cheek cells by scraping
the inside of the mouth with a toothpick and then rubbing the toothpick
on a drop of water with blue stain. The blue helps you see the cells,
which are normally a clear color. The virtual lab begins at the step
where you place the slide on the microscope page.
Write your answers in your Science Journal.
Access the Virtual Microscope at http://www.udel.edu/biology/ketcham/microscope/. Click on
the link that says "the virtual scope."
1. Familiarize yourself with the microscope, run the tutorial, and examine the parts you will be
working with.
2. View the slide labeled cheek smear. Sketch the image at Scanning, Low, and High Power.
LABEL on high power the CELL MEMBRANE, CYTOPLASM, and NUCLEUS.
3. Go to any search engine and type "cheek cells" into the search box. Click on "images" to
see all the images the search engine has found on the web showing cheek cells (there
should be hundreds).
What do all of these images have in common?
How do the cells vary from one picture to the next (how are they different)?
4. Why are the search engine’s images of cells different colors? What is the natural color of a
cheek cell?
5. Use the Internet or other resources to define or describe each of the five following terms:
eukaryote, nucleus, cell, membrane, cytoplasm
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Summer Break Packet
Week 4 – Focus: Cell Energy
Yeast Metabolism and Temperature
Directions:
Read the article. While reading, highlight words that you do not know. Try to figure out their
meanings based on context clues within the article. If you cannot determine the meaning of a
word, look up the definition and write it in the margin. After reading, complete the questions at
the end of the article.
The tantalizing aroma of bread baking in the bakery is due to a process called
fermentation of baker's yeast, or Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is a single-celled fungus
that undergoes alcoholic fermentation to make ethyl alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide gas.
These organisms have long been used to ferment the sugars of rice, wheat, barley, and corn to
produce alcoholic beverages and in the baking industry to expand, or raise, dough.
Dry yeast available in the grocery store is a collection of dormant yeast spores. Once
these spores are mixed into water and dough, the culture is active. They are active in that they
begin to undergo alcoholic fermentation. To start this process and make the bread rise faster,
the baker sometimes mixes yeast with water or milk before adding to the dough. Yeast
fermentation, and thus yeast metabolism, is temperature-dependent, meaning that
temperature affects the rate of yeast metabolism.
The yeast's function in baking is to ferment sugars present in the flour or added to the
dough. This fermentation gives off carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol (ethanol). The carbon
dioxide is trapped within tiny bubbles and causes the dough to expand, or rise. Their
usefulness is based on their ability to convert sugars and other carbon sources into ethanol in
the absence of air (anaerobic), and into carbon dioxide and water in the presence of air
(aerobic).
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Yeast Metabolism and Temperature
Answer the following questions in you Science Journal.
1. What is fermentation?
2. What are the products of fermentation?
3. What is yeast?
4. What is yeast used for?
5. What does yeast do fermentation?
6. List 4 factors that you believe can affect the rate that yeast does
fermentation.
7. Create a hypothesis about yeast and the rate that it performs fermentation that you
will test in a group of 4. Speak with your group in order to come up with the best
possible hypothesis.
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Summer Break Packet
Week 5 – Focus: Cell Processes I
Life Span of Human Cells
LIFE SPANS OF
VARIOUS HUMAN
CELLS
Cell Type
Lining of esophagus
Lining of small intestine
Lining of large intestine
Red blood cells
White blood cells
Smooth muscle
Cardiac (heart) muscle
Skeletal muscle
Neuron (nerve cell)
Life Span
2-3 days
1-2 days
6 days
Less than 120 days
10 hours to decades
Long-lived
Long-lived
Long-lived
Long-lived
Cell Division
Can divide
Can divide
Can divide
Cannot divide
Many do not divide
Can divide
Cannot divide
Cannot divide
Most do not divide
Like all organisms, cells have a given life span from birth to death. In multicellular
organisms, such as humans, the health of the organism depends on cells not
exceeding their life span; this is especially true of cells that tend to divide rapidly.
If these cells did not die on schedule, overcrowding of cells would occur, causing
uncontrolled growth that could be life threatening.
The data table shows the life spans of various human cells. It also contains
information about the ability of the cells to multiply through cell division.
1. Inferring – White blood cells help protect the body from infection and
disease-producing organisms. How might their function relate to their life
span?
○
What is the function (job, role) of white blood cells?
○
According to the data table, what is the life span of white blood cells?
○
How might the function affect the life span of white blood cells? In other
words, how might their function relate to their life span?
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
2. Comparing – Based on the data, how are the consequences of injuries to heart,
and spinal cord similar to each other? How are they different from the
consequences of injuries to smooth muscle?
○
What is the life span of cardiac (heart) muscle cells?
○
Can heart cells divide?
○
What is the life span of neuron (nerve) cells, which make up your spinal cord?
○
Can nerve cells divide?
○
How might the life spans of heart and spinal cord cells, and whether or not
they can divide, affect whether or not those parts of your body can repair
themselves after an injury?
○
What is the life span of smooth muscle cells? Can they divide?
○
How might the life span of smooth muscle cells, and whether or not they can
divide, affect whether or not those parts of your body can repair themselves
after an injury?
3. Formulating hypotheses – Propose a hypothesis to account for the data related
to the cell life spans of the lining of the esophagus, small intestine, and large
intestine.
○
What are the cell life spans of these three types of cells?
i. Esophagus:
ii. Small intestine:
iii. Large intestine:
○
What is the function (job, role) of these three parts of your body?
○
How might the function of these three parts of your body affect the life span
of their cells?
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Summer Break Packet
Week 6 – Focus: Cell Processes II
Cancer Book Foldable Rubric
Category
4
3
2
1
Cover
Cover contains all the
required elements: a
title, an appropriate
graphical
representation, and an
accurate description of
Cancer.
Cover contains a
title, a graphical
representation,
and a description
of Cancer.
Cover contains
a title, and
either a
graphical
representation
or a description
of Cancer.
Cover is missing
at least two of
the required
elements.
The interior of the
foldable contains all
requested headings,
and the information
present is both detailed
and accurate.
The interior of
the foldable
contains all of
the requested
headings, and
detailed
information is
present.
The interior of
the foldable
contains most
of the requested
headings, and
information
about each
topic is present.
The interior of
the foldable
contains some
requested
information.
All requested drawings
are present, neat, and
correct. There may also
be additional drawings.
All requested
drawings are
present and
mostly neat.
All requested
drawings are
present.
Some requested
drawings are
present and
correct.
Foldable was
submitted on the due
date.
Foldable was
submitted 1 day
late.
Foldable was
submitted 2
days late.
Foldable was
not submitted.
Information
Drawings
Timeliness
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Week 7 – Focus: Cell Processes III
Meiosis Virtual Lab
Log onto the Meiosis Virtual Lab located at:
http://bio.rutgers.edu/~gb101/lab10_meiosis/meiosis_web/index10.html
Investigation Objectives:
1. To review the structure of a chromosome.
2. To study the events associated with meiosis.
3. To apply this knowledge to human genetics by analyzing a karyotype.
Introduction:
Meiosis is the second important kind of nuclear division. It resembles mitosis in many ways but
the consequences of meiotic divisions are very different from those of mitotic divisions. While
mitotic division may occur in almost any living cell of an organism, meiosis occurs only in
special cells. In animals, meiosis is restricted to cells that form gametes (eggs and sperm).
Each species has a characteristic number of chromosomes per somatic cell. Fruit flies have 8;
normal humans have 46. They exist as homologous pairs (partners) that are similar in size and
shape and carry the same kinds of genes. Thus humans have 23 homologous pairs. The full
complement of 46 chromosomes is referred to as the diploid number (referring to the fact that
each kind of chromosome is represented twice). In higher organisms when an egg is fertilized,
the egg and sperm fuse to form a single cell called a zygote, which develops into a new
organism. If the egg and sperm were both diploid (46 chromosomes each in the case of
humans), then the resulting zygote would be tetraploid. This would be an intolerable situation,
so a mechanism has evolved to ensure that each gamete (egg or sperm) contains only one
representative of each homologous pair (or half the diploid number). This is referred to as
the haploid number.
Haploid Egg + Haploid Sperm = Diploid Zygote
The mechanism that makes this possible is meiosis. Meiosis consists of two divisions, Meiosis
I and Meiosis II, and can potentially result in the production of four cells. However, the DNA is
only synthesized once (prior to Meiosis I). The subdivisions of meiosis are named like the
subdivisions of mitosis (prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase) but as we shall see the
events are somewhat different.
**Please complete the assignment by ‘clicking’ the button in the lower left corner of the
webpage.
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Summer Break Packet
Week 8 – Focus: Matter and Its Interactions
Acid Rain Project
Part I
You have been hired to investigate acid rain. You will research and investigate the problems
caused by acid rain. You will write a report that details your findings, and recommend ways to
alleviate acid rain problems.
Respond to the following questions in your Science Journal.





What is acid rain? What chemicals make rain acidic, and how does it happen?
How does acid rain affect humans? Are there any health problems associated with acid
rain?
What effect does acid rain have on trees and soil?
What happens when lakes and aquatic systems become acidic?
Are the aquatic systems in our area being affected by acid rain? If yes, to what extent?
Part II
Draw and label diagrams of the water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle.
Use the information you gathered during your research on acid rain to explain how the water
cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle affect acid rain production and circulation.
Part III
Summarize your findings from Part I and Part II, and describe at least two ways in which you
believe that problems resulting from acid rain can be alleviated.
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Week 9 – Focus: Ecology
Ecology Virtual Lab
“Assessing Water Quality” (and the Effects of Acid Rain)
Go to this website:
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/BL_09/BL_09.html
Record your responses to the following questions in your Science Journal.
Read the Purpose, Objective, Information, and Procedure sections, and answer the following
questions.
1.
What is the question you are trying to answer in this lab?
2.
What organism(s) is/are being used to test the quality of the water?
3.
In this model ecosystem, what are you testing the effects of?
4.
The pollutants come from
such as gasoline, oil, and
coal being burned by automobiles, factories, and power plants.
5.
When the fossil fuels are burned, they release _____________ and ___________?
These pollutants can combine with
and other
chemicals to form
and
sulfuric acid in the atmosphere.
6.
When the water falls to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, fog, or dew, it is called _________.
7.
The
8.
The strength of acid rain is determined by reading a pH scale. The lower the pH, the
used in this investigation represents acid rain.
more
9.
the solution.
On the pH scale a change of one unit is actually a
change. For example,
pure distilled water is neutral at pH 7. A solution at pH 6 is 10 times more acidic than
pure water, and a solution at pH 5 is 100 times more acidic than pure water.
Prince George’s County Public Schools
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Summer Break Packet
10.
All rain naturally has some amount of acid in it. Unpolluted rain has a pH of 5.0 5.6. By contrast, acid rain has a pH range of ________________________.
11.
In highly
regions, acid rain can be extremely acidic. With pH
readings below 4.0, the acid rain in these areas can be as strong as
(3.3) and
sometimes even as strong as
(2.3).
12.
When acid rain falls, it can produce many problems for the environment, particularly
for forest and aquatic habitats because
.
13.
What is an indicator species?
List 3 ecological variables that influence their population size:
14.
The 3 aquatic invertebrates that were chosen by the computer for me to start with
were:
Complete the Data Table – Populations of Aquatic Invertebrates at Various pH Levels.
Once the table is complete, click on the ‘Graph’ tab to have your information converted into a
graph.
Prince George’s County Public Schools
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2017 Biology Summer Break Packet
Ecology Virtual Lab
“Assessing Water Quality” (and the Effects of Acid Rain)
Analysis Questions
1. What are the names of the species used in this experiment? Which of these species was
the most tolerant of increased acidity in the aquarium? Which species was the least
tolerant?
2. Describe how acid precipitation affects ecosystems.
3. What is an indicator species? How are indicator species used to assess pollution levels in
the environment?
4. Suppose you are an ecologist studying the effects of acid precipitation on plant life.
Describe an experiment you would perform in order to determine which plant species would
be a useful indicator species for acid rain pollution.
5. How do the data represented on the Population Bar Graph compare to the data
represented in the line graph titled Populations of Aquatic Invertebrates at Various pH
Levels?
Prince George’s County Public Schools
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2017 Summer Break Packet
Biology
End-Of-Summer
(Self-Assessment)
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Academic Programs
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
The ‘GREAT BY CHOICE’ trademark is owned by The Good to Great Project LLC and Morten T. Hansen. Used under license.
1. Researchers have discovered a toxin that stops cells from releasing stored energy. Cells
exposed to this toxin cannot carry out many of their normal processes. What organelle
in the cell is responsible for producing energy that can be stored later?
(A) ribosomes
(B) chloroplasts
(C) mitochondria
(D) vacuoles
2. The energy pyramid below shows the flow of energy through the organisms in a kelp
forest ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean. Use the energy pyramid to answer the following.
FLOW OF ENERGY IN A KELP FOREST ECOSYSTEM
What is the lowest level of the energy pyramid that contains carnivores?
(A) Level 1
(B) Level 2
(C) Level 3
(D) Level 4
3. Which of these is an example of an organism working to maintain homeostasis?
(A) the movement of salts from cells into the bloodstream
(B) the release of insulin into the bloodstream when blood sugar increases
(C) the decrease in oxygen levels in the blood after vigorous exercise
(D) the use of energy when muscles contract
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Summer Break Packet
4.
A group of individuals of the same species occupying a given area at the same time is called
(A) niche
(B) species
(C) population
(D) community
5. A drug company tests a new blood pressure medication before getting FDA approval to market the
drug to the public. The researchers are testing the medication to determine if it is effective in
reducing blood pressure in patients. Pills containing no medication are given to 500 people in
Group I, and pills containing 50 mg of the new medication are given to 500 people in Group II.
Patients’ blood pressure is monitored for a 3-month period.
Which statement best describes the dependent variable in the experiment?
(A) the medication being tested
(B) the blood pressure of the patients
(C) the amount of the medication given to each patient
(D) the possible approval of the medication by the FDA
6. During the winter, the surface of a lake may become covered with ice. Fish can survive below the
lake’s surface despite this ice covering. Which property of ice enables the fish to survive in these
conditions and is responsible for the ice floating?
(A) Ice is less dense than water.
(B) Ice is a good conductor of heat.
(C) Ice is more dense than water.
(D) Ice is a good solvent.
7. An ecosystem contains organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment.
Which of these is the best indicator of a healthy ecosystem?
(A) There are few decomposers.
(B) There are many different species.
(C) There are few herbivores.
(D) There is a large population of only one species.
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8. Which cell structure correctly matches structure to function?
(A) mitochondria — makes sugars
(B) nucleus — site of protein synthesis
(C) cell membrane — provides physical support to all cells
(D) chloroplast — captures energy from sunlight to use in the process of photosynthesis
9. The following food chain was discovered in an arctic ecosystem:
phytoplankton → zooplankton → Arctic cod → ringed seals → polar bears
A pollutant is introduced into this ecosystem by a company using the waters for transport. The
pollutant is most toxic to the zooplankton. As a result, the population of zooplankton decreases.
What is the next change you would predict in this food chain?
(A) The number of polar bears will not be affected.
(B) The number of ringed seals will increase.
(C) The number of phytoplankton will increase.
(D) The number of Arctic cod will increase.
10. Vitamin D is one of several essential vitamins that the human body needs to grow and develop.
Vitamin D helps our body to absorb calcium, which is a mineral. A lack of vitamin D can lead to
rickets, a disorder marked by soft, weak bones. Recently, scientists have learned that vitamin D’s
impact extends far beyond the bones. It is involved in the function of more than 200 genes. In
adults, low levels of vitamin D are associated with heart disease and 17 different types of cancer.
Calcium is a mineral. What would happen if you did not have enough calcium in your diet?
(A) You would develop scurvy.
(B) You may have weak or fragile bones.
(C) You would have poor blood clotting.
(D) You do not need calcium because you have enough vitamin D.
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Summer Break Packet
11. Your class performed an experiment using a bacterial specimen. You placed a small amount of
bacteria on 3 petri dishes. You placed each dish at 3 different temperatures. You checked the
number of bacterial colonies on each plate after 24 hours. You did so again at 48 hours. Your data is
recorded in the table below.
Data
Table
Temperature
Number of Bacterial Colonies
24 hours
48 hours
3 ˚C
2
4
20 ˚C
11
22
37 ˚C
35
70
Which statement is supported by the data from the experiment?
(A) Temperature has no significant impact on the number of bacterial colonies.
(B) If the temperature is increased, then the number of bacterial colonies increases.
(C) If the temperature is increased, then the number of bacterial colonies decreases.
(D) The number of bacterial colonies triples for each increase in temperature.
12. Cheryl wants to perform an investigation that requires using hazardous chemicals. The following
steps of the investigation are not in the correct order.
1. Perform the investigation.
2. Design the investigation.
3. Put on gloves, goggles, and an apron.
4. Dispose of waste materials.
Which of these is the correct sequence of steps to safely complete the investigation?
(A)
1-3-4-2
(B)
4-1-3-2
(C)
3-2-1-4
(D)
2-3-1-4
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13. To increase energy just before running a short race, a person should eat more of which
macromolecule?
(A) lipids
(B) proteins
(C) nucleic acids
(D) carbohydrates
14. A dog breeder sees an unusual dog at the park. He writes careful notes on the dog’s color,
shape, and other physical features in a log book. What scientific process is being used in this
situation?
(A) gathering data from an observation
(B) conducting an experiment
(C) forming a hypothesis
(D) making an inference
15. Students are conducting an experiment to determine if sugars are present in various foods. They
heat a test tube containing a sugar solution in a beaker of hot water. Which of these is an unsafe
laboratory practice in this experiment?
(A) Heating the sugar solution in a closed test tube.
(B) Rinsing hands with water after handling the materials.
(C) Using a test tube clamp to hold the test tube.
(D) Wearing safety goggles while heating the sugar solution.
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Summer Break Packet
Read the passage below and answer Question 16.
The number of sea otters living along Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has fallen to 10% of what it
was a decade ago. The investigation into what is happening to this population is revealing a great
deal of information about the complex nature of food webs. It is also showing how fragile the links in
a food web can be. The immediate cause of the sea otters’ decline seems to be predation by killer
whales, which are turning to sea otters as a food source.
James Estes, a University of California marine ecologist, first witnessed a killer whale eating
a sea otter in 1991. Since then, a dozen such attacks have been reported. Estes suspected that
these attacks were ultimately caused by disruption of the marine food web. Many fish populations
have declined dramatically, and species that marine mammals feed upon have been hit especially
hard. The cause of this decline is not entirely understood, but it is thought to be due to a
combination of overfishing, warming ocean temperatures, and other factors. Killer whales normally
eat sea lions and harbor seals, but with local fish populations so low, these seal populations have
rapidly declined. This has caused killer whales to resort to a new food source, the smaller and less
nutritious sea otter.
This decline in the sea otter population has disrupted much of the coastal ecosystem along
the Aleutian Islands. Sea otters prey upon sea urchins, which, in turn, feed upon kelp, a type of
large seaweed that is abundant in many coastal ecosystems. Kelp beds provide protection for many
species of fish and other small animals, and are an important basis of the coastal food web. In
Estes’ view, these changes are “an ecological chain reaction,” with events that occur far out at sea
causing massive changes to the coastal ecosystem.
16. Which of these statements best summarizes James Estes’ hypothesis about the decline of
sea otter populations?
(A) The killer whales are eating more seals and sea lions.
(B) Kelp beds are an important basis of the coastal food web.
(C) The sea otter population has fallen to 10% of what it was a decade ago.
(D) Killer whale attacks on sea otters are caused by a disruption of marine food webs.
17. What is a biotic factor that can affect the population size of animal populations?
(A) food
(B) oxygen
(C) water
(D) temperature
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Use the graph below to answer questions 18 and 19.
The graph shows the changes in the sizes of four animal populations over 16 years.
18. Which population had a birthrate that was most likely equal to the death rate from year 0 to year 16?
(A) Population 1
(B) Population 2
(C) Population 3
(D) Population 4
19. Which population had a higher birthrate than death rate from year 8 to 12?
(A) Population 1
(B) Population 2
(C) Population 3
(D) Population 4
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Summer Break Packet
Use the following information to answer questions 20 through 22.
The graph below shows the rate of activity for the enzyme catalase at different temperatures.
Catalase helps break hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. The rate of catalase can be
measured by the amount of oxygen that is released. If there is more oxygen, catalase is
working faster.
20. What kind of macromolecule is catalase?
(A) lipid
(B) nucleic acid
(C) protein
(D) carbohydrate
21. What conclusions can be made from this graph?
(A) Catalase works best at 34ºC.
(B) Catalase is denatured at 34ºC.
(C) Catalase does not function at 10ºC.
(D) Catalase works best at 51ºC.
22. What is the dependent variable in this experiment?
(A) water because it is the solvent
(B) temperature as measured in oC
(C) hydrogen peroxide because it is the substance being tested
(D) rate of catalase activity as measured by percent increase in oxygen per minute
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23. Identify the independent variable in the student’s experiment.
(A) starch concentration in the beaker
(B) the amount of water in the tubing
(C) change in the mass of the dialysis tubing
(D) temperature as measured in degrees Celsius
24. Which of the following correctly represents the function for the cell membrane?
(A) converts energy for use in the cell
(B) holds hereditary information that directs cell activities
(C) transfers light energy to chemical energy in the cell
(D) regulates what substances move in and out of the cell
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Summer Break Packet
Read the following passage and answer Question 25.
Officials in Maryland have used the presence of lesions on fish as a reason for closing
coastal waterways to fishing and all other water activities. They thought that the lesions on the
dead fish were caused by a type of microscopic algae known as Pfiesteria. The toxins
produced by Pfiesteria are believed to cause headaches, fatigue, and short-term memory loss
in humans who come into contact with contaminated waterways.
A new study suggests that lesions on fish may not always be caused by Pfiesteria. A
team of U.S. Geological Survey scientists led by Vicki Blazer, a specialist in fish diseases,
examined menhaden, a type of fish, from five Chesapeake Bay rivers where fish lesion
outbreaks had been reported. The researchers found that when the fish had lesions, they
were almost always the type that are associated with infection by a fungus called
Aphanomyces.
Researchers now hypothesize that Pfiesteria may infect fish first, leaving them more
susceptible to infection by Aphanomyces. The fish then break out in lesions. An alternative
explanation is that Aphanomyces infects the fish first, causing lesions and leaving them
more susceptible to infection by Pfiesteria. The question of whether outbreaks of fish
lesions are a useful indicator of the presence of Pfiesteria has erupted into a full-blown
controversy. Blazer’s study has suggested that lesions are not a reliable indicator. Blazer
has stated that anxiety about Pfiesteria has “overstepped the bounds of reality,” and she
expressed concern about the economic cost of closing waterways.
JoAnn Burkholder, the biologist who discovered Pfiesteria, strongly disagrees with
Blazer’s point of view. “To abandon the lesion approach is to take some very serious
chances with people’s health.” According to Burkholder, this approach is “an extra
precaution” that allows officials to go “the extra mile” in protecting human health.
25. Which of these would be least useful to researchers investigating Pfiesteria?
(A) identifying the prey of menhaden
(B) identifying organs in fish that are affected by Pfiesteria
(C) studying other species of fish that are affected by Pfiesteria
(D) studying the connection between water temperature and the
release of toxins from microorganisms.
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