Bio 121 PreLabs are meant to serve as an introduction to some of the exercises and concepts you will encounter in the Bio 121 Lab course. As such, they can be a valuable learning tool, but only if you wish them to be. Simply "running" through the exercises, clicking about randomly, ignoring the information will be of absolutely no benefit to you. The prelabs do not simulate all the experiments you will perform in Bio 121 Lab.
Carefully
read each Prelab a couple of days before your Lab date, complete any
exercises, and the answer the questions thoughtfully. Understanding the
material is much more important than just answering the questions correctly.
After you complete each prelab, download, print, read, & bring the appropriate Bio 121 lab manual pages (and any related material in your Bio 120 text) to your Lab session for the week. Together, these tools should better prepare you to succeed in Bio 121.
| If you do not see a red button on the left, you will need the Shockwave/Flash plugin to complete the Prelabs. It is free and can be downloaded here. Clicking the red button in the Animations will walk you thru the Prelab experiments. |
| If you do not see a spinning water molecule on the left, you will need the Chime plugin to view 3-D molecules. It is free and can be downloaded here. Chime is not required to complete the prelabs. |
You will need to print portions of each Prelab. Also, we are monitoring your performance on these prelabs so do not attempt to submit a prelab for another student. We can tell when two prelabs are submitted within minutes from the same or adjacent computers.
Check the Bio 121 Lab Manual and/or your syllabus to see which Prelabs apply to the week's Lab exercises. The amount you learn (and the grade you earn) is up to you.
| Laboratory: | Prelab exercises - Topics: |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction and Metric System |
| 2 | Biological Molecules - I. Chemical Analysis of Food (Carbs) |
| 3 | Biological Molecules - II. Proteins and Nucleic Acids |
| 4 | Biological Membranes - Diffusion/Osmosis |
| 5 | Properties of Enzymes - Biological Catalysts |
| 6 | Cellular Respiration |
| 7 | Photosynthesis |
| 8 | Nuclear division - Mitosis & Meiosis |
| 9 | Mendelian Genetics |
| 10a | Population Genetics & Evolution |
| 10 | Polymerase Chain reaction |
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