By the end of this section, you will be able to:

List the different steps in prokaryotic transcription
Discuss the role of promoters in prokaryotic transcription
Describe how and when transcription is terminated

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe the different steps in RNA processing
Understand the significance of exons, introns, and splicing
Explain how tRNAs and rRNAs are processed

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe the different steps in protein synthesis
Discuss the role of ribosomes in protein synthesis

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Explain the “central dogma” of protein synthesis
Describe the genetic code and how the nucleotide sequence prescribes the amino acid and the protein sequence

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Explain that meiosis and sexual reproduction are evolved traits
Identify variation among offspring as a potential evolutionary advantage to sexual reproduction
Describe the three different life-cycle types among sexual multicellular organisms and their commonalities

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis
Describe cellular events during meiosis
Explain the differences between meiosis and mitosis
Explain the mechanisms within meiosis that generate genetic variation among the products of meiosis

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Explain the relationship between genotypes and phenotypes in dominant and recessive gene systems
Develop a Punnett square to calculate the expected proportions of genotypes and phenotypes in a monohybrid cross
Explain the purpose and methods of a test cross
Identify non-Mendelian inheritance patterns such as incomplete dominance, codominance, recessive lethals, multiple alleles, and sex linkage

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Explain Mendel’s law of segregation and independent assortment in terms of genetics and the events of meiosis
Use the forked-line method and the probability rules to calculate the probability of genotypes and phenotypes from multiple gene crosses
Explain the effect of linkage and recombination on gamete genotypes
Explain the phenotypic outcomes of epistatic effects between genes

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe the scientific reasons for the success of Mendel’s experimental work
Describe the expected outcomes of monohybrid crosses involving dominant and recessive alleles
Apply the sum and product rules to calculate probabilities

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe how a karyogram is created
Explain how nondisjunction leads to disorders in chromosome number
Compare disorders caused by aneuploidy
Describe how errors in chromosome structure occur through inversions and translocations

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Discuss Sutton’s Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance
Describe genetic linkage
Explain the process of homologous recombination, or crossing over
Describe how chromosome maps are created
Calculate the distances between three genes on a chromosome using a three-point test cross

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.