SBI 4U/AP
Ms. Girvan
Grade 12/AP Biology
2013 Exam Review
Unit #1 – Biochemistry (~ 22.5%)
1. Matter: Atoms (composition), Elements (atomic mass and number),
Compounds, Microelements
2. Isotopes (radioisotopes)
3. Ions (cation and anion), Lewis-Dot diagrams, Bohr-Rutherford diagrams
(valence shell electrons)
4. Electronegativity, bonding patterns (covalent, ionic, polar and non-polar
covalent), polarity and partial charges
5. Molecular shape and polarity
6. Properties of water
7. Intermolecular bonds
8. Solubility of substances in water (hydrophilic vs. hydrophobic regions)
9. Acids, bases, and neutralization reactions
10. Buffers
11. Composition of organic molecules
12. Types of isomers (structural, geometric, enantiomers)
13. Functional groups
14. Types of chemical reactions (hydrolysis and dehydration synthesis)
15. Types of macromolecules (structure and function) and bonding patterns
[carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids]
16. Be able to identify the structural diagrams of the following molecules: amino
acid, steroid, monosaccharide, nucleic acid, fat or oil, phosphate group, glycerol,
disaccharide, dipeptide, phospholipid, polysaccharides
17. Indicators (Benedict’s, Iodine, Biuret, Sudan III)
18. Enzyme structure, function, specificity
19. Induced fit model of enzyme function
20. Catalytic cycles (enzyme-substrate complex)
21. Factors affecting enzyme function (temperature, pH, cofactors & coenzymes,
inhibitors)
22. Allosteric Regulation
23. Control of metabolism (feedback inhibition and structural order)
24. Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes
25. Animal Cell vs. Plant Cell
26. Organelles
27. Cell Membranes: structure and function
28. Transport Across the Cell Membrane: diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion,
active transport, bulk transport
Unit #2 – Metabolic Processes (~ 22.5%)
1. Metabolism: anabolic and catabolic reactions
2. Potential vs. Kinetic Energy
3. Laws of Thermodynamics
4. Free Energy – endergonic and exergonic reactions
5. ATP
6. Understand how energy flows.
7. Know the difference between an oxidative and reductive reaction.
8. What are NAD+ and FAD?
9. What is the formula for cellular respiration?
10. Be able to sketch and label a diagram of a simple mitochondria.
11. What are the four major steps in cellular respiration? Where does each
reaction occur? What are the reactants and products of each reaction?
12. Be able to distinguish between the two types of ATP production: substratelevel phosphorylation and chemiosmotic phosphorylation. 1
13. What is the net amount of energy produced for one molecule of glucose
through respiration?
14. Be able to compare aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
15. What is the formula for photosynthesis?
16. Be able to draw and label a diagram of a chloroplast.
17. What is the electromagnetic spectrum? What portion of it is relevant for the
study of photosynthesis?
18. What are pigments? What is special about chlorophyll’s structure? Name
some secondary pigments.
19. What are the main stages of photosynthesis?
20. What are the reactants and products of the ‘LIGHT’ reactions?
21. Be able to follow the path of electrons through cyclic and non-cyclic electron
pathways.
22. Be able to follow the path of CO2 through the Calvin cycle.
23. C3 is a common metabolic pathway, what are other pathways that can be used
by plants?
24. Be able to compare and contrast photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
Unit #3: Homeostasis (~ 22.5%)
1. Introduction of Homeostasis
2. Feedback Systems (positive and negative feedback systems)
3. Maintaining Human Body Temperature
4. Stimulus, Receptor, Integrator/Regulator, Effector and Response
5. The Urinary System (know organs and structures involved)
6. Pathway of Human Urinary System
7. Kidney: Structure and Function
8. The Nephron: Structure and Function
9. Formation of Urine (Filtration, Re-absorption and Secretion)
10. Urine Output (ADH, Blood pH and buffers)
11. Kidney Diseases
12. The Structure of the Nervous System (CNS and PNS – divisions)
13. Types of Nerve Cells (glial and neurons)
14. Sensory, Motor and Interneurons
15. Structure of a Neuron
16. Reflex Arc (5 essential components)
17. Resting Potential of a Neuron
18. Action Potential (initiation, refractory period, threshold level, all or none
response, depolarization, repolarization)
19. How an action potential moves along the axon of a neuron
20. Synaptic Transmission (synaptic cleft, neurotransmitters, etc…)
21. The Brain: Structure and Function
22. The Spinal Cord
23.Peripheral Nervous System (somatic, autonomic, sympathetic,
parasympathetic)
24. Articles: Drugs, Synapses and the Brain & the Facts about Crack
25. Endocrine vs. Exocrine Glands
26. Glands and Hormones of the Endocrine System
- definition of hormone
- hormone action on target cells
- steroid vs. water-soluble hormones
- negative feedback loops and hormonal regulation
27. Effect of Endocrine Hormones
- hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid, parathyroid, pancreas, adrenal
glands, testes and ovaries
- related disorders
28. Male and Female Reproductive Systems and Hormones
29.The Menstrual Cycle
Unit #4: Molecular Genetics (~ 22.5%)
1. Scientists and Experiments
- Griffith, Avery and Colleagues, Hershey-Chase, Chargaff, Watson and
Crick, Franklin
2. DNA Structure
3. The Structure and Organization of Genetic Material in Prokaryotes vs.
Eukaryotes
4. DNA Replication – Semi-conservative theory (Meselson-Stahl Experiment)
- initiation, elongation, termination, proofreading and correction
5. Comparing DNA Replication in Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes
6. One Gene-One Polypeptide Hypothesis
- Garrod, Beadle and Tatum
7. The Genetic Code and Gene Expression: An Overview
- central dogma, types of RNA, DNA vs. RNA, the genetic code
8. Transcription: From DNA to RNA
- initiation, elongation, termination, posttranscriptional modification of
mRNA
9. Translation: From RNA to protein
- tRNA, ribosomes, initiation, elongation, termination
10. Mutations and Mutagens
- types (point vs. chromosome), causes, repair mechanisms
11. Regulation of Gene Expression
- the operon model in prokaryotes
- lac and trp operon
- gene regulation in eukaryotes
12. Recombinant DNA
13. Restriction Enzymes
14. Plasmids
15. Bacterial Transformation
17. Gel Electrophoresis
18. The Polymerase Chain Reaction
19. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) Analysis
20. Applications of Biotechnology
21. Epigenetics
Unit #5: Population Ecology (~ 10%)
1. Characteristics of populations
2. Measuring Populations (quadrat and mark-recapture methods)
3. Dispersion Patters (clumped, uniform, random)
4. Life Histories and Populations (survivorship curves)
5. Changes in Population Size (exponential & logistic growth)
6. Growth Model Calculations
7. Factors that Regulate Natural Populations