Analyze and evaluate the relationship of natural selection to adaptation and to the development of diversity in and among species.
Interpret relationships, including predation, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism, and competition, among organisms.
Identify and illustrate changes in DNA and evaluate the significance of these changes.
Describe how events and processes that occur during ecological succession can change populations and species diversity.
Categorize organisms using a hierarchical classification system based on similarities and differences shared among groups.
Describe how environmental change can impact ecosystem stability.
Describe the roles of DNA, ribonucleic acid (RNA), and environmental factors in cell differentiation.
Compare characteristics of taxonomic groups, including archaea, bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.
Explain the purpose and process of transcription and translation using models of DNA and RNA.
Compare the functions of different types of biomolecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Recognize that components that make up the genetic code are common to all organisms.
Describe the interactions that occur among systems that perform the functions of regulation, nutrient absorption, reproduction, and defense from injury or illness in animals.
Compare the structures of viruses to cells, describe viral reproduction, and describe the role of viruses in causing diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and influenza.
Compare the reactants and products of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in terms of energy, energy conversions, and matter.
Analyze other evolutionary mechanisms, including genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, and recombination.
Describe the stages of the cell cycle, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication and mitosis, and the importance of the cell cycle to the growth of organisms.
Investigate and explain cellular processes, including homeostasis and transport of molecules.
Describe the interactions that occur among systems that perform the functions of transport, reproduction, and response in plants.
The student knows the mechanisms of genetics such as the role of nucleic acids and the principles of Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics.
Analyze the flow of matter and energy through trophic levels using various models, including food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids.
Identify and investigate the role of enzymes.
Analyze and evaluate how evidence of common ancestry among groups is provided by the fossil record, biogeography, and homologies, including anatomical, molecular, and developmental.
Predict possible outcomes of various genetic combinations such as monohybrid crosses, dihybrid crosses, and non-Mendelian inheritance.
Define taxonomy and recognize the importance of a standardized taxonomic system to the scientific community.
Recognize that gene expression is a regulated process.
Analyze the levels of organization in biological systems and relate the levels to each other and to the whole system.
Examine scientific explanations of abrupt appearance and stasis in the fossil record.
Recognize the significance of meiosis to sexual reproduction.
Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, including their complexity, and compare and contrast scientific explanations for cellular complexity.
Describe the flow of matter through the carbon and nitrogen cycles and explain the consequences of disrupting these cycles.
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