Welcome to Ms. Bottarini’s “Summer of Biology” 2016
An evolving creation!
Dun…dun………dun…dun…dun….dun
Is it safe to go back in the water? NO! Like a shark, there lurks the AP Biology Summer Assignment!
This summer you will delve into the world of biology like you never thought you would in these hot months!
This summer assignment has been designed to:
 Get you to think during the summer to keep your mind sharp, because I will expect a lot out of it come August!
 To introduce you to the scientific skills necessary for AP Biology and to explore the topics of animal behavior and
evolution through non-classroom methods of learning
 To have you earn several strong grades to help you begin the first quarter with confidence
 To decrease the amount of new material that you will have to learn during the school year.
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Due Date
*Wednesday, May 25
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*Friday, June 10
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Recommended:
Monday, June 29
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*Wenesday, August
17
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*Monday, August 22
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Throughout summer
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Wednesday, August
31
*DUE DATES
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Assigned Task
Due Wed, May 25: Send your contact information to Ms.
Bottarini at [email protected]
Sign out a textbook, if you wish to have a “hard copy”.
Sign up for Remind101 to receive text and/or email reminders.
Due June 10: Letter of introduction shared with me through
GoogleDocs (See attached instructions).
Purchase or check out and begin reading of Dr. Sharon
Moalem’s “Survival of the Sickest”.
Do “Introduction to Class” Pre-Discussion Questions
Assignment
Do “Animal Behavior” PDQ
Download instructions and Lab Report Form for Animal
Behavior lab on itsLearning.com
Plan and conduct experiment
Bring Animal Behavior Lab data to school – WE ARE USING
THIS IN CLASS!!!
Summer Metro Park Extra Credit Due
Summer assignments completed and turned in to Ms.
Bottarini. (*See attachments)
Metro Parks Extra Credit
Work on assignments
Check your email regularly for messages from me! 
Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words Unit 1 Test (PSR)
AP Biology Pre-Discussion Questions: Intro - Course Introduction
Instructions:
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Open the presentation.
Interact with it.
Answer the “Questions to answer”.
Make sure you understand the “Things you should make sure you understand”.
Feel free to view the “Supplementary Resources”.
Write down any questions that you have about the material.
Topic Presentation:
click here
http://prezi.com/6gn_5zw5k6yn/ap-bio-introductory-presentation/
Textbook Reading:
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Chapter 1- The whole chapter.
Supplementary Resources:
Videos By Paul Anderson:
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“Essential Characteristics of Life”
Questions to answer:
1
2
3
4
5
6
What is unique to science as a way of understanding the Universe?
Compare reductionism with systems-thinking.
Explain the concept of emergence.
Explain the concept of feedback.
Explain the necessity and limitations of using models to understand things.
Why/how does life demonstrate the following properties:
a evolution
b high degree of order
c energy processing
d reproduction & development
e cellular organization
f information storage & expression
Things you should make sure you understand:
(feel free to ask questions about them in class)
● How science works as a process.
● How science differs from other modes of human thought.
● What is unique about living systems, and how living systems exist within the constraints of the physical Universe.
● How and why life is organized across the domains of time and space over which it occurs.
AP Biology Pre-Discussion Questions: Ecology 1- Behavior
Instructions:
Topic Presentation:
Supplementary Resources:
Videos by Paul Anderson:
Questions to answer:
Things you should make sure you understand:
Instructions:
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Open the presentation.
Interact with it.
Answer the “Questions to answer”.
Make sure you understand the “Things you should make sure you understand”.
Feel free to view the “Supplementary Resources”.
Write down any questions that you have about the material.
Topic Presentation:
click here
http://prezi.com/wt0jgzaklumd/ap-bio-communication-3-behavior/
Supplementary Resources:
Videos by Paul Anderson:
“Animal Behavior”
“Behavior & Natural Selection”
“Information Exchange”
Questions to answer:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
How does organismal behavior demonstrate an emergent property of an organism’s physiology?
Explain the difference between proximate and ultimate explanations for a particular behavior.
Why does behavior require communication?
Explain the difference between innate and learned behaviors?
Are there any limitations on the complexity of innate behaviors? If so, what are they?
Are there any limitations on the complexity of learned behaviors? If so, what are they?
How can natural selection act on innate and learned behaviors?
Why would an organism behave in a way that reduces its individual fitness?
Things you should make sure you understand:
(feel free to ask questions about them in class)
● Proximate and ultimate explanations for all behaviors discussed in this presentation.
● The processes and mechanics of communication among all lineages discussed in this presentation.
● The evolutionary explanation for the emergence of agonistic and altruistic behaviors.
Name _____________________________________________
Survival of the Sickest Summer Reading Assignment
You will need to purchase or check out the novel “Survival of the Sickest” by Dr. Sharon Moalem. It is available
at most bookstores in paperback for $8-$12. You could check it out at the library, but you would not be able
to make annotations in it.
Task: The following questions should be answered on separate paper and
attached to this assignment page.
Introduction
1. What is the “big” question the book will attempt to answer?
Chapter I
2. The author points out many ways in which iron impacts life. Identify/describe at
least five.
3. In the context of this chapter, explain the author’s reference to Bruce Lee and to the barber pole.
Chapter II
4. Distinguish between each of the three types of diabetes.
5. What did the ice cores of 1989 reveal about the Younger Dryas?
6. Describe the body’s “arsenal of natural defenses” against cold.
7. Describe the connection between Rana sylvatica and diabetes.
8. In Chapters I and II several inherited disorders were discussed. Complete the chart (see end of
assignement) with the following information: Disease/Disorder, Symptoms, Evolutionary Advantage
Chapter III
9. Why do we need Vitamin D? Cholesterol? Folic acid?
10. Briefly describe the connection between the two concepts:
a. tanning beds; birth defects
b. sunglasses; sunburn
c. hypertension; slave trade
d. Asian flush; drinking water
e. skull shape; climate
f. body hair; malaria
11. What’s so fishy about the Inuits skin color?
12. Explain the good and the bad of ApoE4.
Chapter IV
13. Explain the role of G6PO.
14. Briefly describe the connection between the two concepts:
a. European clover; Australian sheep breeding crisis of the 1940s
b. Capsaicin; birds and mammals
c. Malaria; air conditioning
d. Fauvism; fava beans
15. Explain the following statement found on page 87: “Life is such a compromise.”
Chapter V: “Of Microbes and Men”
16. Complete Parasite Chart (go to end of assignment)
17. Identify 3 ways in which microbes/parasites move from host to host.
18. For each pathway listed in question #2, explain the relationship of the mode of transmission to the
virulence of the invader.
19. What is our advantage in the survive-and -produce race?
Chapter VI: “Jump into the Gene Pool”
20. Briefly discuss the following terms/scientists:
a. Jenner
b. vaccine
c. antibodies
d. B-cells
e. “junk DNA”
f. Lamarck
g. McClintlock
h. retroviruses
21. What is the Weissman barrier?
22. Make connections between the following terms:
a. transposons; viruses; evolution
b. sunspots; flu epidemics
23. Humans have about 25,000 genes and more than a million different antibodies. How is this possible?
24. What is a persisting virus?
Chapter VII: “Methyl Madness”
25. Make connections between the following terms:
a. vitamin supplement; agouti mice
b. snakes; long-tailed lizards
c. Barker Hypothesis; fathers who smoke
d. Smoking grandmothers; asthmatic children
e. Betel nut chewing; cancer
26. Epigenesist may be partially responsible for the childhood epidemic of obesity. Explain.
27. “Good times mean more boys. Tough times mean more girls.” Explain.
Chapter VIII: “That’s Life: Why You and Your iPod Must Die”
28. Make connections between the following terms:
a. Progeria; lamina A
b. Hayflick limit; telomeres
c. Cancer cells; stem cells
d. Size; life expectancy
e. Risky child birth; big brains and bipedalism
29. Explain the author’s iPod and aging analogy.
30. Identify the 5 lines of cancer defense.
31. What are the two accomplishments of biogenic obsolescence?
32. Compare and contrast the Savanna and aquatic ape hypotheses.
Conclusion
33. The author hopes that you will come away from this book with an appreciation of three things:
 Life is in a constant state of creation
 Nothing in our world exists in isolation
 Our relationship with disease is often much more complex than we may have previously realized.
On a personal note, what would you add to his list?
34. “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” How does the book, Survival of the
Sickest, support this quote by Theodosius Dobzhansky, a noted evolutionary biologist?
Parasites: Survive and Reproduce!
Parasite
Host/s
Dracunculus
metinensis
Guinea worm
Hymenoepimecis
argyraphaga
wasp
Dicrocoelium
dentriticum
Liver fluke
Spinochordodes
tellinii
Hairworm
Rabies virus
Toxoplasma gondii
Pin worms
Cholera
Plasmodium
Malaria
Manipulative
Adaptation
Evolutionary
Advantage
Inherited Genetic Disorders
Disease/Disorder Symptoms
Evolutionary Advantage
Letter of Introduction
Welcome to AP Biology!
We are going to spend a lot of time together next year, so I would like to get a head start on learning a bit
about you. I have had some of you in class before, but not all of you, so this assignment gives you a chance to
tell me about yourself. Also, we will use the Internet and email quite a bit in this course; this will get you used
to communicating with me electronically.
Your first digital assignment is to successfully share with me using your school GoogleDocs account:
Due by Friday, June 10, 2016.
Draft an email to me following these rules:
a. Use clearly written, full sentences. Do not abbreviate words like you are texting with a friend. Use spell
check! This is a professional communication like you would have with a college professor, so let’s
practice for your rapidly approaching future!
b. Make the subject: AP Bio: Introduction to <insert your name here>” (Do not include the quote marks or
the brackets, just the words).
c. Begin the email with a formal salutation, such as “Ms. Bottarini,” or “Dear Ms. Bottarini,”
d. Now introduce yourself (your name) and tell me a little bit about yourself, like:
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What do you like to do (hobbies, sports, music, interests, etc.)?
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Do you have a job?
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Tell me a little bit about your family (Mom? Dad? Guardian? Siblings? Pets?) What do your parents
do for a living?
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Was there anything that you liked about your earlier biology classes?
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What was the last book you read for fun?
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What are you most looking forward to in AP Biology?
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What are you most anxious about in AP Biology?
e. End the email with a formal closing: “Cordially”, “Sincerely”, “Warm regards”, etc. and add your name
as if you signed a letter.
Animal Behavior Lab
AP Biology – Ms. Bottarini
Background
Ethology is the study of animal behavior. It was founded by Niko Tinbergen, Konrad Lorenz, and Karl von Frisch, all of
whom used an evolutionary outlook to ask how and why animals behave as they do. Behavior encompasses a diverse
set of activities, from simple responses to external stimuli (e.g., the knee-jerk reflex in humans) to complex
communication and social interactions (e.g., the social behavior of whales, birds, or ants). Although one could argue
persuasively that all organisms "behave" in some way, the term is customarily used to describe the activities of animals,
individually or in groups.
Questions about animal behavior fall into four categories, defined by whether they concern proximate issues ("How"
questions) or ultimate ones ("Why" questions), and by whether they consider the causes or the origins of behavior. To
approach a complete understanding of animal behavior requires asking all four kinds of questions.
 Causes
 Origins
 How? Proximate mechanism (physiology) development, genetics
 Why? Ultimate adaptiveness phylogeny
Proximate questions are usually posed at the level of individual organisms. Questions about proximate causes often
concern individual physiology (e.g., How and with what sensory modes does a bird perceive that it is time to breed? How
does that perception stimulate mating behavior by affecting the endocrine or nervous systems?). Proximate questions
about the origins of behavior deal with individual development (e.g., How does a juvenile bird's sensory apparatus
develop? How does a juvenile develop courtship behavior?) or genetics (e.g., How is the timing of breeding behavior
inherited?). Ultimate questions, which concern evolutionary reasons for behavior, are posed at the population level or
above. These may concern evolutionary causes (Why does breeding time matter to survival and reproductive success in
this bird population's environment?) or origins (What is the contribution of evolutionary ancestry to this species'
breeding time?) The contemporary field of behavioral ecology focuses primarily on ultimate questions, but uses
information about proximate causes and origins to formulate those questions.
Experimental Design
In this lab, you will develop skill at addressing questions about animal behavior and practice experimental design. You
will ask a scientific question and write a hypothesis about an animal behavior of your choice, then design and carry-out
the scientific experiment. The experiment should address a specific hypothesis (If. . . then statement), and you should
consider the important features of experimental design, i.e., independent and dependent variables, proper controls,
replication, etc. Use the Animal Behavior Lab Report Form found on itsLearning to record all information. You may
hand-write or type the report form. If you hand-write, please write neatly. When we return to school, we will complete
a statistical test.
A couple of rules:
1) Data must be QUANTITATIVE!!!!
2) You MUST show repetition of the experiment.
If you are having difficulties coming up with ideas for an experiment, you may do an Internet search.
Experiment:
Name:
Date:
Introduction (Purpose, Hypothesis)_____________________________________________________________________
Materials:__________________________________________________________________________________________
Procedure:_________________________________________________________________________________________
Data/Observations:__________________________________________________________________________________
Metro Parks Extra Credit
For Extra Credit, you can attend up to 3 educational programs at one of our local Metro Parks. (5 points for
each program you attend.)
Go to the following website to view the parks, locations, and programs available over the summer:
http://www.metroparks.net/
Bring back a picture of yourself at the program or a handout that was distributed and have the naturalist or
park ranger sign the form below:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Canal Winchester High School AP Biology student _________________________ attended the
____________________________________ (program) at ________________________ Metro Park on
____________________ (date).
Verified by Metro Park Representative: ____________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Canal Winchester High School AP Biology student _________________________ attended the
____________________________________ (program) at ________________________ Metro Park on
____________________ (date).
Verified by Metro Park Representative: ____________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Canal Winchester High School AP Biology student _________________________ attended the
____________________________________ (program) at ________________________ Metro Park on
____________________ (date).
Verified by Metro Park Representative: ____________________________