Module 8
1. Module 8
1.2. In this Module
Module 8—Populations, Individuals, and Gene Pools
In This Module
Inquiry Question: How does the biology of populations differ from the biology of individual organisms?
How can an individual’s contributions to the gene pool of a population and the interactions within a population and between populations result in changes in communities?
There are eleven lessons in Module 8. Most of the lessons in Module 8 are designed to take you approximately 80 minutes to complete; however, because of the significance of certain concepts, some lessons may take longer to complete. The suggested lesson times do not include the time needed to complete such activities as “Try This,” “Watch and Listen,” assignments, practice questions, review, or research.
This unit involves Chapters 19 and 20, or pages 676 to 747, in your textbook.
Lesson 1: Hardy-Weinberg Principle—the Gene Pool
This is a significant lesson in your studies and may require a longer period of time to complete. In this lesson you will study the concepts of a population’s gene pool and gene frequency. You will learn how to calculate frequencies using the Hardy-Weinberg equation.
You will consider the following focusing questions:
- How do biologists quantitatively describe the composition of a population’s gene pool?
- What are the five conditions of the Hardy-Weinberg principle that affect frequency of alleles in a population’s gene pool, resulting in microevolution?
- What happens when conditions of the Hardy-Weinberg principle are not met?
Lesson 2: Causes of Change in the Gene Pool
In this lesson you will examine stability and change in populations and the factors (natural and artificial) that cause frequencies in the gene pool to change.
You will consider the following focusing question:
- What factors cause changes in the diversity of gene pool composition?
Lesson 3: Hardy-Weinberg Calculations
In this lesson you will learn the Hardy-Weinberg equation and apply the equation to population calculations.
You will consider the following focusing questions:
- How can the Hardy-Weinberg equation, involving allele and genotype frequencies in populations, graphs, and population data, be used to study changes in population over time?
- How do we analyze and interpret this data to make predictions and decisions about population management?
Lesson 4: Human Activity, Biotechnology, and Gene Pool Change
In this lesson you will examine the positive and negative roles of humans in bringing about gene pool change and evolution of natural species.
You will consider the following focusing question:
- What are the intended and unintended consequences of human activities and scientific and technological developments on gene pools?
Lesson 5: Species Interactions and Symbiotic Relationships
In this lesson you will learn to identify various interactions between species and explain the types of symbiotic relationships that exist between species.
You will consider the following focusing questions:
- What relationships exist between species and ecosystems?
- What effects do these interactions have on population changes?
Lesson 6: Role of Defence
In this lesson you will examine how organisms compete in every-day relationships and how they protect themselves from members of other species.
You will consider the following focusing question:
- What are the defence mechanisms within predation and competition?
Lesson 7: Populations and Communities Changing Over Time—Succession
In this lesson you will explore the features and types of succession that change the species composition of communities over time.
You will consider the following focusing question:
- How do communities and their populations change or remain stable over time?
Lesson 8: Factors Influencing Growth
In this lesson you will explore the factors that influence the growth of a population and determine whether or not the population size increases, decreases, or remains stable.
You will consider the following focusing questions:
- What are the factors that influence population size?
- How do these factors influence population change?
Lesson 9: Measuring Growth
In this lesson you will explore the type of data that can be collected about population sizes, how data can be interpreted, and how the results of these studies can be used to manage natural populations.
You will consider the following focusing questions:
- How can data be analyzed to study population dynamics?
- How can population data be expressed to give the data meaning?
Lesson 10: Growth Patterns
In this lesson you will discover the many different growth patterns for natural populations. You will examine and compare them to the unique pattern of human population growth.
You will consider the following focusing questions:
- What are the different types of population growth patterns?
- How do growth patterns illustrate these types of changes over time?
Lesson 11: r- and K-Selected Growth Patterns
In this lesson you will examine the characteristics and reproductive strategies of two categories of population types.
You will consider the following focusing question:
- What are the characteristics and reproductive strategies of r- and K- selected organisms?