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Topic Outline

The following topic outline indicates the percentage of the course and exam devoted to each major subset of biology.

  1. Molecules and Cells
  2. Heredity and Evolution
  3. Organisms and Populations

I. Molecules and Cells (25%)

A. Chemistry of Life (7%)

  1. Water
  2. Organic molecules in organisms
  3. Free energy changes
  4. Enzymes

B. Cells (10%)

  1. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
  2. Membranes
  3. Subcellular organization
  4. Cell cycle and its regulation

C. Cellular Energetics (8%)

  1. Coupled reactions
  2. Fermentation and cellular respiration
  3. Photosynthesis

II. Heredity and Evolution (25%)

A. Heredity (8%)

  1. Meiosis and gametogenesis
  2. Eukaryotic chromosomes
  3. Inheritance patterns

B. Molecular Genetics (9%)

  1. RNA and DNA structure and function
  2. Gene regulation
  3. Mutation
  4. Viral structure and replication
  5. Nucleic acid technology and applications

C. Evolutionary Biology (8%)

  1. Early evolution of life
  2. Evidence for evolution
  3. Mechanisms of evolution

III. Organisms and Populations (50%)

A. Diversity of Organisms (8%)

  1. Evolutionary patterns
  2. Survey of the diversity of life
  3. Phylogenetic classification
  4. Evolutionary relationships

B. Structure and Function of Plants and Animals (32%)

  1. Reproduction, growth, and development
  2. Structural, physiological, and behavioral adaptations
  3. Response to the environment

C. Ecology (10%)

  1. Population dynamics
  2. Communities and ecosystems
  3. Global issues