Curriculum Map

Introductory Biology

Author:
Ella L. Ingram, Associate Professor of Applied Biology, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana

This Curriculum Map provides a list of highly relevant and engaging content from throughout AccessScience for use in enriching your teaching. Site assets such as tables, graphs, diagrams, photos, and animations have been mapped to standard topics taught in an introductory Biology course. Use the "Copy Link" functionality to paste a direct link from each asset into your school's learning management system for easy incorporation into your curriculum.

Course Topics

Diversity of Life
Asset Description
Diagram This figure from the Biodiversity article summarizes the known and estimated number of species in selected phyla of each kingdom.

Suggested use: Support a discussion on biological diversity within oceanic ecosystems.		 copy link
Map This image illustrates regions that were sampled and organisms that were targeted for the Census of Marine Life.

Suggested use: Have students use the map to summarize data gathered by the Census of Marine Life project, then discuss marine biodiversity.		 copy link
Graph This figure from the article on extinction documents the rise and fall in marine family and genera diversity from 600 MYA to the present.

Suggested use: Have students use the graph to explain how the diversity of marine organisms has changed over geologic time.		 copy link
Biography This biography summarizes the contributions of Lynn Margulis, noted for developing the theory of serial endosymbiosis.

Suggested use: Refer students to this biography to learn about Lynn Margulis' contributions to our understanding of the evolution and diversity of life.		 copy link
Graph This bar graph illustrates the extinction rate of modern times compared to past major extinction episodes.

Suggested use: Challenge students to use this graph to compare and contrast extinction rates for modern and past extinctions.		 copy link
Cells
Asset Description
Image Gallery This image collection contains 11 depictions of cells in the human brain, and includes a PowerPoint slideshow. The first 6 images depict drawings by Cajal, and the remaining 5 are images reproduced using modern techniques.

Suggested use: Download the PowerPoint slides to support a discussion on the histology of brain neurons and glial cells.		 copy link
Graphs These graphs from the Plant pigment article show both the action spectrum of photosynthesis and the absorption spectra of the main photosynthetic pigments.

Suggested use: Have students use the top graph to suggest which wavelengths of visible light best support photosynthesis, and the bottom graph to summarize plant-cell absorption of chlorophyll and carotene pigments.		 copy link
Diagram This diagram from the article on glucose summarizes the process by which cells break down (catabolize) glucose to obtain energy.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of the processes of glucose catabolism and ATP production.		 copy link
Animation This animation shows how cells divide in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Suggested use: Have students view the animation prior to a discussion of binary fission and mitosis.		 copy link
Animation This animation explains the signal pathway that results in cell division.

Suggested use: Support a deep dive into the topic of cell division.		 copy link
Genetics
Asset Description
Biography Theodosius Dobzhansky pioneered the use of fruit flies to study modern genetics and contributed to the synthesis of genetics and evolution.

Suggested use: Refer students to this biography to learn Dobzhansky's important contributions to the study of genetics.		 copy link
Animation This animation illustrates the process of DNA replication via annotated slides.

Suggested use: Show this animation following a discussion of DNA replication.		 copy link
Image This photomicrograph from the article Sex determination shows relative sizes of human X and Y chromosomes.

Suggested use: Ask students to view this image and summarize the difference in morphology between human X and Y chromosomes.		 copy link
Diagram This figure diagrams the mixing of genomes through sexual reproduction.

Suggested use: Refer to this diagram when discussing how genetic information is inherited in generations that are the product of sexual reproduction.		 copy link
Diagram This figure shows the process and products of meiotic crossing-over between genes on homologous chromosomes.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of crossing-over while reinforcing the concepts of chromatids, centromeres, and alleles.		 copy link
Evolution
Asset Description
Biography This biography details the adventurous life of Alfred Russel Wallace, credited with extensive explorations in biogeography and contributing evidence to the theory of natural selection.

Suggested use: Assign to students to learn about Wallace's work on evolution and the theory of natural selection.		 copy link
Animation This animation simulates how genetic drift operates in a small population.

Suggested use: Download and play this animation during a discussion of genetic drift.		 copy link
Diagram This illustration shows the likely evolution of the Cyrtosoma, which is a subphylum of the Mollusca.

Suggested use: Have students use the diagram to trace the evolution of this animal group in a written assignment.		 copy link
Diagram Two phylogenetic trees from the article Phylogeny illustrate a hierarchical pattern of sister-group relationships.

Suggested use: Show to explain the concept of phylogenetic trees and how relationships are determined by identifying derived characteristics.		 copy link
Diagram This figure from the Speciation article contrasts two different models of species evolution: punctuated equilibrium and phyletic gradualism.

Suggested use: Display during a discussion of species evolution to compare and contrast the two models of speciation (relatively rapid versus slow and gradual).		 copy link
Ecology
Asset Description
Diagram This diagram offers a detailed view of the carbon cycle, including photosynthetic fluxes between the atmosphere and oceans, and the atmosphere and land.

Suggested use: Show to illustrate a biogeochemical cycle, or have students prepare an essay based on the diagram.		 copy link
Table This table lists properties of the major life zones in the United States, based on Merriam's work.

Suggested use: Ask American students to study the table and identify the life zone in which they live, based on vegetation, typical animals, and/or important crops.		 copy link
Diagram This figure from the Trophic ecology article shows how trophic levels interact to regulate population sizes in subtidal kelp forests.

Suggested use: Support an introductory discussion of food chains and trophic levels.		 copy link
Equation This equation from the article Mathematical ecology describes the growth relationships of two interacting populations.

Suggested use: Support an advanced discussion of competition and predation models.		 copy link
Graph This graph from the Population ecology article shows how a population reaches a stable equilibrium phase when the carrying capacity is approximately maintained.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of carrying capacity with regard to population ecology.		 copy link
Animal Form and Function
Asset Description
Biography This biography of Santiago Ramón y Cajal describes his Nobel-prize-winning work in exploring the cellular structure of the brain.

Suggested use: Refer students to this histologist's biography as an example of how a scientist might study form and function of neurons in the nervous system.		 copy link
Diagram This diagram from the Cardiovascular system article shows a simplified version of the fetal vertebrate four-chambered heart and its major blood vessels.

Suggested use: Display during a discussion of the four-chambered hearts of birds and mammals.		 copy link
Diagram This diagram from the Respiratory system article illustrates the structure of fish gills, showing how blood flow and water flow create a countercurrent exchange system.

Suggested use: Have students analyze the diagram to explain how gills function in the respiratory system of fishes.		 copy link
Animation This animation discusses the organs involved in the process of digestion, including chemical and mechanical activity.

Suggested use: Assign to students prior to a discussion of the functions of digestive organs.		 copy link
Diagram A cartoon of a midgestation mouse embryo shows the locations of the developing limbs, followed by photographs of mouse embryos that have been stained to show the expression of certain genes.

Suggested use: Support an advanced discussion of how gene expression affects embryonic development.		 copy link
Plant Form and Function
Asset Description
Images This figure from the article Plant development shows both microscopic images and line drawings of root and shoot meristems.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of root development in plants, including epidermal cells, ground tissue, and vascular tissue.		 copy link
Micrograph This figure from the Plant growth article illustrates the regions of cell division and elongation in the meristem.

Suggested use: Have students observe and summarize the micrograph as it relates to plant growth at a root meristem.		 copy link
Diagram This illustration from the article on photosynthesis provides a simplified diagram of a chloroplast.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of the function of chloroplasts during photosynthesis.		 copy link
Diagram This illustration from the article on plant cells depicts a large vacuole within a plant cell.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of vacuoles as membrane-bound compartments in the cell.		 copy link
Biography This biography of Robert Brown (1773–1858) discusses his work as a Scottish botanist.

Suggested use: Assign to students to learn the origin of the term nucleus.		 copy link
Molecular Basis of Life
Asset Description
Molecule This figure from the Nucleic acid article shows the chemical structure of a nucleotide and nucleic acid.

Suggested use: Show to emphasize the three main parts of a nucleotide and the bonds that form nucleic acids.		 copy link
Diagram This diagram from the article Molecular biology illustrates the central dogma of molecular biology by showing how sequence information is transferred between nucleic acids and proteins.

Suggested use: Use this diagram to review the processes of transcription and translation, as they take place in the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively.		 copy link
Animation This animation illustrates the process of plasmolysis, in which plant cell membranes pull away from the cell wall in hypertonic conditions.

Suggested use: Play this animation to demonstrate how cell membranes respond to various conditions of osmotic pressure.		 copy link
Diagram This figure from the Carbohydrates article compares five monosaccharides in terms of the number of carbon atoms, as triose, tetrose, pentose, and hexose.

Suggested use: Support a preliminary discussion of carbohydrates.		 copy link
Diagram This illustration from the Lipoprotein article shows the basic simplified structure of a lipoprotein. It depicts a spherical structure with a core of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides coated with proteins and phospholipids.

Suggested use: Have students use this diagram to qualitatively describe the structure of a lipoprotein.		 copy link
Animation This animation shows the basic action of enzymes, using the example of sucrase.

Suggested use: Show this animation to demonstrate how sucrase breaks sucrose down into glucose and fructose.		 copy link