Biology Overview
A. Organization and Development: Living organisms are composed of cellular units (structures) that carry out functions required for life. Cellular units are composed of molecules, which also carry out biological functions.
(Textbook Chapters: 2, 7, 10, 12, 13)
1. Biochemistry, including the functional roles of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
2. Cellular Processes, including the breakdown, rearrangement and synthesis of molecules
3. Homeostasis, including maintenance of optimal conditions, gene regulation, and enzyme function in response to a changing external environment
4. Mitosis, including DNA replication, segregation, division, and its role in growth, repair and development
5. Gene Regulation, including selective expression of genes and creation of proteins (enzymes) based on external conditions
6. Organization of Living Systems, including control of structures, transportation of materials, movement, feedback, reproduction and capture and release of energy occurring at the organelle, cell, tissue, organ and body system levels
B. Matter and Energy Transformations: Food is required for energy and building cellular materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of obtaining food, and some organisms obtain their food directly from other organisms.
(Textbook Chapters: 2, 8, 9)
1. Biosynthesis, including water, carbon and nitrogen cycles in biological systems
2. Energy Flow, including chemical recombination, heat dissipation and limits on usable energy
3. Photosynthesis, including reactants, products, the conversion of light to chemical energy, and factors influencing the rate of reaction
4. Respiration, including reactants, products, and the release of chemical energy
C. Interdependence: All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their environment to meet their basic needs.
(Textbook Chapters: 3, 4, 5, 6)
1. Populations and Communities, including abiotic and biotic limits on the distribution and abundance of organisms and populations, and niche specialization
2. Ecosystem Stability, including population dynamics, specialized interactions and relationships among organisms, relationship between diversity and stability, energy available in an ecosystem, and impact of technology and anthropogenic changes to local and global environment
D. Heredity and Reproduction: Organisms reproduce, develop, and have predictable life cycles. Organisms contain genetic information that influences their traits, and they pass this on to their offspring during reproduction.
(Textbook Chapters: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
1. Genomes, including DNA, the sequence of nitrogen bases determining proteins, protein formation, and proteins determining traits
2. Gene Alterations, including mutations and chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic engineering
3. Sexual Reproduction, including mechanisms for the transmission and expression of traits
E. Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different environments. These selective differences may lead
(Textbook Chapters: 16, 17, 18, 19)
1. Adaptations and Character Traits, including emergence of novel traits (new combinations of existing genes or mutations), effects of environmental pressures, variable survival and reproductive success conferred by certain traits, and gene frequencies in populations
2. Scientific Evidence of Evolution, including geology (fossils, radiometric dating), comparative anatomy (homologous structures, anatomical similarities), and biochemistry (DNA base or amino acid sequences)
3. Diversity of Extant Organisms, including those evolutionary processes supported by scientific evidence such as reproductive isolation, adaptive radiation, divergent evolution, and convergent evolution and co-evolution
4. Mechanisms for Biological Evolution, including species’ reproductive potential, genetic variability, finite resources, and natural selection