Page 82 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

Grade 12, University Preparation
c1. analyse the role of metabolic processes in the functioning of biotic and abiotic systems, and evaluate the importance of an understanding of these processes and related technologies to personal choices made in everyday life;
c2. investigate the products of metabolic processes such as cellular respiration and photosynthesis;
c3. demonstrate an understanding of the chemical changes and energy conversions that occur in metabolic processes.
C1. Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
C2. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
c. metABolic proceSSeS OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
c1.1 analyse the role of metabolic processes in the functioning of and interactions between biotic and abiotic systems (e.g., specialized microbes and enzymes in biotechnological applications to treat wastewater in the pulp and paper industry; microbes and enzymes in bioremediation, such as in the cleanup of oil spills; energy transfer from producers to consumers) [AI, C]
Sample issue: Most restaurants dispose of cooking oil and grease in an environmentally sound way to avoid contaminating municipal sewer systems. One method they can use is bio- augmentation, which uses microorganisms to metabolize oils into bacterial biomass, carbon dioxide, and water. However, this process can create unpleasant odours, which are undesir- able in a food service setting.
Sample questions: How do symbiotic bacteria use metabolic processes to produce biohydro- gen from food waste? How are microbes used in the bioremediation of contaminated ground- water sites? What is the relationship between the position of a particular species in the food chain and the energy required to maintain that species?
c1.2 assess the relevance, to their personal lives and to the community, of an understanding of cell biology and related technologies (e.g., knowledge of metabolic processes is relevant to personal choices about exercise, diet, and the use of pharmacological substances; knowledge
of cellular processes aids in our understanding and treatment of mitochondrial diseases [a group of neuromuscular diseases]) [AI, C]
Sample issue: Some fad weight-loss diets in- clude pills that are believed to speed up the body’s metabolism to help a person lose weight quickly. Other diets rely on very low calorie in- take for rapid weight loss. However, such methods can lead to destructive metabolic pro- cesses in the body, causing organ failure.
Sample questions: How does stem-cell re- search related to degenerative diseases use technologies to change the metabolic processes of the cells? Why is it important when changing your diet to know how the cells in your body will react to the introduction of new substances or the removal of other substances?
By the end of this course, students will:
c2.1 use appropriate terminology related to metabolism, including, but not limited to: en- ergy carriers, glycolysis, Krebs cycle, electron transport chain, ATP synthase, oxidative phos- phorylation, chemiosmosis, proton pump, photolysis, Calvin cycle, light and dark reactions, and cyclic and noncyclic phosphorylation [C]
c2.2 conduct a laboratory investigation into the process of cellular respiration to identify the products of the process, interpret the qualita- tive observations, and display them in an appropriate format [PR, AI, C]
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