Rationale
After completing this unit, students will be able to demonstrate the ability to present the life of a microbe in detail and trace the effects that microbe has on a particular population. There is a gap in the AP curriculum regarding the types of microbes that exist and their effects on our lives. This will be a relatively short unit for the students as the AP curriculum is rather inclusive of all life sciences and the time spent on topics seems to always be too short. I anticipate spending no more than five to seven days on this unit. This unit will be after students have learned about the various aspects of viruses and bacteria. Relatively early on in the school year, the students will learn about DNA replication, transcription, translation, and the refining of the final protein. Sometime later they explore evolution and the differences between viruses, archeabacteria, bacteria, and protists. Students will also already have learned about the life cycles of viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Included in this instruction are bacterial transformation and conjugation, viral replication, and the life cycle of fungi.
This unit aims to look at the big picture of how species interact with one another. The topics of various microbes, the history of their interactions with other species, the lasting effects of those interactions, and the various responses of the affected species are normally taught as stand-alone units. They may not even be taught in the same type of class. For example, a truly detailed history of the effects of smallpox on indigenous peoples may or may not be taught in a history class and is not included in the AP Biology curriculum. Microbes are often handled as separate entities and dealt with as if they live in a vacuum. That not being the case, this unit seeks to address the fact that interactions between microbes and other species are often quite complex and can have lasting effects. Exposure to this level of complexity will be beneficial to the students when working with other, more commonly known, complex ecosystems.
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