Find resources that fit your syllabus

Want to do more to help students recognize evolution as the overarching concept of biology and not just an end-of-semester topic? Use this guide to locate resources that will help you incorporate evolution into different subjects in Introductory Biology. Photosynthesis, transcription, translation, physiology, and many other topics can all be taught with an evolutionary “twist.” You may not want to relate every class topic to evolution, but doing this just a few times throughout the semester can make a big impression on students and reinforce key evolutionary concepts.

Click on the topics below to see relevant evolution teaching resources for that topic, and choose the resource that fits your class best. You will find:

• Short slide sets to be incorporated into lectures
• Classroom and lab activities for classes of different sizes
• Online activities and labs
• Research profiles, Evo in the News articles, and other articles for students to read

Some of the topics have no resources associated with them yet. We are still looking for good resources that connect evolution to these subject areas. Send us an email to suggest a resource for inclusion on the syllabus.

Select a topic

Links will take you to targeted resources in the Teaching resource database.

The nature and process of science

Chemistry/biochemistry

• Atoms and molecules
• Properties of water, acids, bases, and buffers
• Proteins
• Lipids
• Carbohydrates
• Nucleic acids

Cells

• Organelle structure and function (including chromosome structure)
• Cell membranes, cell signals, and membrane transport (including osmosis and diffusion)
• Cell types and tissues

Genetics

• Cell cycle and mitosis
• Life cycles and meiosis (including concepts of haploid and diploid)
• Mendelian genetics
• Chromosomal basis of inheritance, linkage, and recombination
• DNA structure and replication
• Mutation
• Transcription/translation
• Regulation of gene expression
• Cancer
• Genetic basis of development
• Biotechnology (including cloning, sequencing, etc.)
• Structure of the genome (including transposable elements, gene families, coding vs. noncoding DNA, etc.)

Diversity of life

• Classification/taxonomy
• Classification and Evolution
• Viruses
• Major branches of the tree of life: Archaea and Eubacteria
• Major branches of the tree of life: Protists
• Major branches of the tree of life: Fungi
• Major branches of the tree of life: Plants
• Major branches of the tree of life: Animals

Anatomy and physiology of animals

• Homeostasis/feedback mechanisms
• Nutrition/digestive system
• Gas exchange/respiratory system
• Circulatory system
• Immune system (including HIV/AIDS)
• Osmoregulation/urogenital system
• Reproduction
• Development
• Nervous systems and neurons
• Sensory and motor mechanisms
• Behavior

Ecology

• Biogeochemical cycles (C,N, etc.)
• Global climate change
• Population ecology and growth
• Community ecology (including species interactions)
• Ecosystems (including trophic levels, food webs, and energy flow)
• Conservation/restoration ecology