Book Viewer

Short Contents | Full Contents | Other books @ NCBI

Modern Genetic Analysis Chapter 1. Genetics and the Organism
Concept Map

Each chapter contains an exercise on drawing concept maps. As you draw these maps, you will be organizing knowledge you have just acquired. As we learn, we must place new knowledge into the overall conceptual framework of the discipline. An essential part of this is to discern the interrelationships between new knowl-edge and previously acquired knowledge. It is not as easy as it sounds, and the mind can sometimes trick us into believing that we have the overall picture. Concept maps are a good way of proving to ourselves that we really do know how the various structures, processes, and ideas of genetics interrelate. The maps can also help in pinpointing gaps in our understanding.

A selection of terms is given, and the challenge is to draw lines or arrows between the ones that you think are related, with a description on the arrow showing just what the relationship is. Draw as many relationships as possible. Force yourself to make connections, no matter how remote they might first seem. The arrow description must be clear enough that another person reading the map can understand what you are thinking. Sometimes the maps reveal a simple series of consecu-tive steps, sometimes a complex network of interactions. There is no one correct answer; there are many correct variations. But of course, you may make some incorrect connections, and finding these misunderstandings is part of the purpose of the exercise.

Figure 1-17 on the following page shows a sample concept map inter-relating the following terms from several different chapters:

Now draw a concept map for this chapter, inter-relating as many of the following terms as possible. Note that the terms are listed in no particular order.

genotype/phenotype/norm of reaction/environment/ development/organism

© 1999 by W. H. Freeman and Company. All rights reserved.