BIO EXAM TOPICS

Chapter 1:

1. Steps of scientific method (Scenario based questions)

2. Variables of experiment (Independent variable, dependent variable)

3. Properties of living organisms.

Chapter 2:

1. What are the major elements of life?

2. Atoms, what is it made of? Atomic number, Isotopes

3. Properties of water

4. Different types of chemical bonds (how are they formed)

Chapter 3:

1. What are the four major groups of biological molecules? (monomers, polymers, their key functions)

2. Dehydration synthesis

3. Hydrolysis

Chapter 4:

1. Differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

2. Plasma membrane (Structure, different membrane proteins)

3. Endomembrane system (cellular organelles of this system and their functions)

4. Nucleus

Chapter 5:

1. Energy, Potential energy vs Kinetic energy

2. Thermodynamics laws: law of conservation of energy, Entropy

3. Enzymes: What are these molecules, how do they function?

4. Passive transport: diffusion, facilitated diffusion.

Chapter 6:

1. Cellular respiration: Location and equation (reactants and products)

2. Differences and similarities of aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration

3. Stages of cellular respiration: Glycolysis, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation

Chapter 7:

1. Photosynthesis equation: Location and equation (Reactants and Products)

2. Photosystem, pigments

3. Stages of photosystem: Light reactions and Calvin cycle. (Starting and end molecules)

Chapter 8

1. Chromosomes, chromatids

2. Mitosis: Stages of Mitosis (What events happens in each stage)

3. Human chromosome number and composition.

4. Meiosis: Stages of Meiosis (What events happens in each stage)

5. What causes genetic recombination in gametes / cells? (Hint :What happens in Prophase I and Metaphase I of meiosis)

6. Nondisjunction

Chapter 9

1. Genes, alleles, Homozygous, Heterozygous, genotype and phenotype

2. Mendel's laws

3. Genetic cross, patterns of inheritance, probability rules

4. Sex linked inheritance

5. Epigenetics

Chapter 10

1. DNA and RNA structure (what are they made of)

2. Complementary base pairing

3. Transcription (location, stages)

4. Translation (Location, stages)

5. RNA processing

Chapter 11

1. Restriction enzyme

2. Gel electrophoresis, DNA fragment separation on gel

Chapter 12

1. Gene expression

2. Eukaryotic gene regulation

3. Cancer (genes, inherited cancer)

Chapter 13 

1. Taxonomy

2. Linnaean system

3. Natural selection

4. Homology

5. Homologous structures

6. Vestigial structures

7. Gene pool

8. Allele frequency

9. Hardy-Weinberg equation

10. Microevolution

11. evolutionary fitness 

12. Reproductive success

13. Sexual selection

14. Sexual dimorphism

15. Stabilizing selection 

16. Outcomes of natural selection 

17. Common ancestry

18. What were the earlier ideas about evolution of species? And what evidence contradicted these ideas?

19. What was Lamarck’s idea about evolution?

20. What observations were made by Charles Darwin on his voyage? Based on these observations, what mechanism did Darwin propose for evolution?

21. What are the different types of evidence that support Darwin’s idea of evolution?

22. What are fossils? What are the different types of fossils? Describe how they help us understand that life forms change?

23. What is an evolutionary tree? What does it show? Can you interpret it?

24. Define population and describe the three mechanisms by which populations can evolve (or change) over a period of time?

25. What are the different mechanisms that cause genetic variation among individuals?

26. How do analysis of gene pools show populations evolve?

27. What are allele frequencies?

28. What is hardy Weinberg equation? What do we use it for?

29. What is microevolution? What mechanisms cause microevolution?

30. What is genetic drift? What are the two ways by which genetic drift can happen?

31. What is gene flow? How does it change allele frequencies?

32. How do sexual selection cause evolution?

33. What are the three outcomes of natural selection? How are they different from each other?

Chapter 14 

1. homology vs. analogy 

2. Convergent evolution

3. Reproductive barrier

4. Allopatric speciation

5. Sympatric speciation

6. Exaptations

7. Analogous structures

8. Cladistics

9. Clades

10. Phylogenetic tree

11. How do mass extinctions cause species to evolve and diversify?

12. What are the different underlying biological mechanisms by which macroevolution occurs? (Changes in genes, simple structures become complex, exaptation)

13. How are phylogenetic trees created using the cladistics approach?

Chapter 15

1. Heterotroph

2. Mixotroph

3. Protozoans

4. Amoeba

5. Ciliates

6. Flagellates

7. Apicomplexans

8. Slime molds (cellular slime mold, plasmodial slime mold)

9. Unicellular Algae (Dinoflagellate, Diatoms, Euglena)

10. Multicellular Algae (Sea weeds)

11. Precell

12. Binary fission

13. Exotoxins

14. Endotoxins

15. What is the four-stage hypothesis about the origin of life?

16. What were the first genes like?

Chapter 16

1. Charophytes

2. Plants vs. algae

3. Stomata

4. Cuticle

5. Vascular tissue

6. Xylem, Phloem

7. Lignin

8. Alternation of generations

9. Sporophyte

10. Gametophyte

11. Pollen grain

12. Ovules

13. Ovary

14. Seed

15. Fruit

16. Pollination

17. Fertilization

18. Hyphae

19. Mycelium

20. Symbiosis

21. Mutualism

22. Lichen

23. Mycorrhizae

24. fungi

25. What are the major characteristics of the Bryophytes, Ferns (pterophytes), Gymnosperms and Angiosperms?

Chapter 17

1. Body symmetry

2. Bilateral symmetry

3. Radial symmetry

4. Body cavity 

5. Cnidocytes

6. Polyp and medusa

7. Radula

8. Exoskeleton

9. Metamorphosis

10. Ectothermic

11. Endothermic

12. Amniotic egg

13. Tetrapod evolution

14. Hominins

15. What are the major features of each animal phylum?

16. Colonial flagellated protist 

17. 3 groups of mammals 

18. Primates & evolution

Chapter 18

1. Ecology

2. Organismal Ecology

3. Population Ecology

4. Community Ecology

5. Ecosystem Ecology

6. Biomes

7. Wetlands

8. Estuaries

9. Pelagic realm

10. Benthic realm

11. Intertidal zone

12. Continental zone

13. Phytoplankton

14. Zooplankton

15. Climate change

16. Global warming

17. Different organisms responses to environmental changes

18. Aquatic zones

19. Terrestrial biomes 

Chapter 19 

1. What are the three types of survivorship curves? And how are they different from each other?

2. What are the different life history traits that affect an organism's survival and reproduction?

3. Differentiate the two life history patterns: opportunistic pattern and equilibrial pattern.

4. Be familiar with the two growth models use to show change in population size

5. How do density dependent factors affect population size?

6. Population Ecology

7. Survivorship curve

8. Logistic growth model

9. Carrying capacity

10. Mutualism

11. Parasitism

12. Commensalism 

Chapter 20 

1. Biodiversity

2. Community

3. Community ecology 

4. Ecological niche

5. Mutualism

6. Predation

7. Herbivory

8. Pathogen

9. Parasite

10. Commensalism

11. Food chain

12. Trophic structure/level

13. Food web

14. Keystone species

15. Conservation biology

16. Restoration biology

17. Biomass

18. Biogeochemical cycles

19. Carbon cycle 

20. Nitrogen cycle

21. Phosphorus cycle 

22. Primary production

23. How does energy flow through ecosystems