Since we are residents of planet Earth few of us consider our relationship to the cosmos. In this lecture you will learn the relative position of the Earth in relation to the known universe. The technology of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st Century has allowed us to begin to be more precise about the age and size of the universe. You will learn the basic parameters of Earth, and with that knowledge you will be able to begin to understand why we have the distribution of plants and animals we do on Earth.
Read Chapter 34 in the textbook: Biology:Concepts & Connections.
Refer to page 28 - Chapter Summary in Survey of Biology Lecture Notes - for the terms and key points you need to know. The Key Points are your guide to success in the course because they focus your attention on those topics upon which you need to concentrate your study to be optimally prepared for the upcoming examination.
Also study the references to the textbook which are indicated in the Survey of Biology Lecture Notes.
There is no lab manual assignment.
Quiz everyone in the group on the flashcards labeled "Macro to Micro." Try to complete this before the
lecture called "Macro to Micro: The Universe and Your Position in It." Review all of the terms and key points. It is a good idea to assign key points to each member to present to the group during the study session.
Use 34A Major Terrestrial Biomes to gain a basic understanding of biomes. We will not have time to cover all of these biomes in lecture, so you will need to rely on this information for questions on biomes on the next examination.