Name:
Welcome to National 5 Biology.
This booklet is your “learning log” for this unit.
Roughly for each week, it details what we hope to cover. The first table lists the
learning outcomes.
What you need to learn this week:
RNA
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RNA is single stranded and contains ribose sugar instead of
deoxyribose
Tick here once you’ve been
taught this outcome. This will
help you keep track of where
you are and if you’ve missed
any work.
Tick these boxes when
you have reviewed
this work once and
then when you revise
it again.
The second table lists the suggested activities you should complete each week.
e.g.
The notes section tells you where to
find the Powerpoint for this unit to
catch up on any work missed.
Completed
Notes:
Glow – Unit 1 – DNA, synthesis and release of proteins.
Reading:
This is where you can find reading to
Higher Biology Text Book (Torrance)
47
- 56your understanding of what
expand
is done
Higher Biology Success Guide
16
- 17in class
Questions:
Activities
to complete to help assess
Higher Biology Text Book
48,
52, 54
your 7
understanding of the work
Multiple Choice Book
Set
covered in class. The answers can be
Flash Revise
31 - 33
found in the Study room at the back
Past Paper Essay (Section C)
2005
2 B31.
of Room
Additional Activity:
Some weeks I may assign an
extra activity.
Tick each activity as you complete it.
The “Comments” section is for you identify any problems or areas of difficulty you have
and to plan how to address these problems.
Key area 1 – Biodiversity and the distribution of life
Learning Intention: We are learning to understand biomes, their structure and
factors which affect their distribution.
I can:
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 State that a biome is a geographical region of the
planet that contains distinctive communities of flora
and fauna.
 State that each biome is characterised by a distinctive
climate.
 State that flora is the name given to the characteristic
types of plants found in the biome
 State that fauna is the name given to the
characteristic types of animals found in the biome.
 State that a biome is a group of connected ecosystems.
 State that biomes can be found on land and in water
 State examples of biomes are forest, desert, grass
land, tundra, freshwater and marine.
 State that the global distribution of biomes is
influenced by abiotic factors.
 State that the abiotic factors that influence the
distribution of biomes are temperature and rainfall.
 State that a population is all the organisms of one type
of species in an ecosystem.
 State that community is all the plants and animals living
in the ecosystem.
 State that the habitat is the place where the
organisms live.
 State that the community and the habitat are
influenced by non-living or physical factors called
abiotic factors.
 Give examples of abiotic factors.
 Explain the importance of plants and animals in an
ecosystem.
 State that the niche is the role an organism plays in
the ecosystem.
 State that the niche is the use the organism makes of
resources in the ecosystem and interactions it makes
with other organisms.
 Give examples of the types of interactions made by
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organisms.
Give examples of the resources that organisms make
use of in an ecosystem.
State that low levels of predation reduce biodiversity
because more dominant animals outcompete less
dominant animals
Describe how pH and temperature affect biodiversity.
State that over-hunting, over-fishing and over-grazing
are ways that humans exploit the ecosystem.
State that humans cause pollution and habitat
destruction which reduces biodiversity.
State that introduction of non-native species reduces
diversity.
Activities:
Completed
Complete copy of notes: Unit 3
(http://www.speysidehigh.net/content/national-45-biology-0)
Produce mind-map and/or study cards for this key area
Read relevant textbook pages: 230 - 237.
Read relevant revision book pages: 78 - 81.
National 5 Online Textbook Section 3.1
https://sites.google.com/a/edubuzz.org/nat5biopl/home
BBC Bitesize Biology National 5 – “Ecosystems”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/zfnc87h
Rate your understanding of the key area:
Understand
All sections
1
2
3
4
5
Don’t understand
this at all
What steps are YOU going to do to help improve your understanding?
When will you achieve this by?
Has your understanding improved?
Key area 2 – Energy in Ecosystems
Learning Intention: We are learning to understand the structure of the ecosystem, and
how organisms interact with in the ecosystem. We are also learning to understand about
the importance of nutrient cycling in the ecosystem.
I can:
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State the role of the producers, primary consumers, and
secondary consumers in the ecosystem.
Explain what is meant by herbivore, carnivore, omnivore,
prey and predator.
Describe the effects of removing one species from a food
web on the number of the other species.
State that energy can be lost from a food chain as heat, in
movement, and in undigested materials.
State that the pyramid of numbers shows the numbers of
organisms at each link in the food chain.
State the numbers of each organism decrease as you move
up the food chain.
State that size of each organism increases as you move up
the food chain.
State that pyramids of biomass shows the mass of
organisms at each link the food chain.
State that a pyramid of energy shows the energy present in
the organisms at each link the food chain.
State that a pyramid of energy always has a pyramid shape.
State that only 90% of the energy is lost at each link in the
food chain.
State that there is a limited supply of nutrients in any
ecosystem.
State that decomposers are responsible for returning
nutrients to the soil.
State that plants and animals require nitrogen to produce
proteins.
State that peas and clovers contain bacteria in their root
nodules that can convert nitrogen gas to nitrates.
Describe the stages of the nitrogen cycle.
State that fungi and bacteria are responsible for converting
proteins into ammonia then nitrite and then nitrate.
State that nitrifying bacteria increase the levels of nitrate.
State the root-nodule bacteria convert nitrogen gas to
nitrate.
State that denitrifying bacteria decrease the levels of
nitrate by converting nitrate to nitrogen gas.
State that competition occurs when resources are in short
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supply.
Give examples of what plants compete for.
Give examples of what animals compete for.
State that interspecific competition occurs between
different species in the same ecosystem.
State that intraspecific competition occurs between
members of the same species.
Explain why intraspecific competition is more intense than
interspecific competition.
State that intense competition might result in death of an
organism or force it to leave the ecosystem.
Activities:
Completed
Complete copy of notes: Unit 3
(http://www.speysidehigh.net/content/national-45-biology-0)
Complete homework booklet 3.1 and 3.2
Produce mind-map and/or study cards for this key area
Read relevant textbook pages: 258 - 279.
Read relevant revision book pages: 82 - 87.
National 5 Online Textbook Section 3.2
https://sites.google.com/a/edubuzz.org/nat5biopl/home
BBC Bitesize Biology National 5 – “Ecosystems”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/zfnc87h
Rate your understanding of the key area:
Understand
All sections
1
2
3
4
5
Don’t understand
this at all
What steps are YOU going to do to help improve your understanding?
When will you achieve this by?
Has your understanding improved?
Key area 3 – Sampling techniques and measurement of abiotic and biotic factors
Learning Intention: We are learning to measure species diversity and abiotic
factors in an ecosystem, the common error with the techniques and how to
minimise these errors. We will also learn how to use keys to identify organisms.
I can:
 Explain why it is impossible to count every organism in
an ecosystem.
 State that representative sampling requires several
samples to be taken and the larger the area the more
samples need to be taken.
 Describe what quadrats are used for and how to use
them properly.
 Explain the limitations and errors that occur when
using a quadrat.
 Describe how to minimise these errors when using a
quadrat.
 Describe what pitfall traps are used for and how to use
them properly.
 Explain the limitations and errors that occur when
using a pitfall trap.
 Describe how to minimise these errors when using a
pitfall trap.
 State that an abiotic factor is a non-living condition
that affects the growth and distribution of organisms
in an ecosystem.
 Give examples of abiotic factors.
 Describe how to measure light intensity, what common
errors are and how to minimise them.
 Describe how to measure temperature, what common
errors are and how to minimise them.
 Describe how to measure pH, what common errors are
and how to minimise them.
 Describe how to measure soil moisture, what common
errors are and how to minimise them.
 State that keys are used to identify organisms.
 Identify organisms using a paired statement key.
 Identify organisms using a branched key.
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Activities:
Completed
Complete copy of notes: Unit 3
(http://www.speysidehigh.net/content/national-45-biology-0)
Complete homework booklet 3.3
Produce mind-map and/or study cards for this key area
Read relevant textbook pages: 280 - 301.
Read relevant revision book pages: 88 - 93.
National 5 Online Textbook Section 3.3
https://sites.google.com/a/edubuzz.org/nat5biopl/home
BBC Bitesize Biology National 5 – “Ecosystems”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/zfnc87h
Rate your understanding of the key area:
Understand
All sections
1
2
3
4
5
Don’t understand
this at all
What steps are YOU going to do to help improve your understanding?
When will you achieve this by?
Has your understanding improved?
Key area 4 – Adaptation, natural selection and the evolution of species
Learning Intention: We are learning to understand what mutations are and how
they contribute to variation. We are also learning to understand how adaptations
contribute to survival. We will also learn about the process of natural selection
and how it has contributed to the formation of new species.
I can:
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 Explain what mutations are.
 State that mutations are rare, random and
spontaneous.
 Give examples of environmental conditions (mutagenic
agents) that can increase the rate of mutation.
 State that mutations can be advantageous (create new
alleles) or disadvantageous (e.g. sickle cell anaemia,
cystic fibrosis).
 State that all members of population show variation.
 State that variations allow organism to evolve over time
in response to changing environmental conditions.
 Explain what is meant by adaptations.
 Give examples of special adaptations that allow
organisms to survive in extreme environments.
 Give examples of behavioural, physiological and
structural adaptations.
 State that all organisms produce more offspring than
the environment can support.
 State that variation will exist between the offspring
and those better suited to the environment will survive
to breed.
 State that the alleles which allowed them to survive
will then be passed on to their offspring.
 State that natural selection is an ongoing process that
happens over long periods of time.
 Using the peppered moth as an example, explain the
process of natural selection.
 State that a species is a group of organisms that can
interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
 Explain what is meant by speciation.
 Describe the order of events that occur during
speciation.
 List the three isolation methods in speciation.
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Activities:
Completed
Complete copy of notes: Unit 3
(http://www.speysidehigh.net/content/national-45-biology-0)
Complete homework booklet 3.4
Produce mind-map and/or study cards for this key area
Read relevant textbook pages: 302 - 319.
Read relevant revision book pages: 94 - 99.
National 5 Online Textbook Section 3.4
https://sites.google.com/a/edubuzz.org/nat5biopl/home
BBC Bitesize Biology National 5 – “Adaptations”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/zfnc87h
Rate your understanding of the key area:
Understand
All sections
1
2
3
4
5
Don’t understand
this at all
What steps are YOU going to do to help improve your understanding?
When will you achieve this by?
Has your understanding improved?
Key area 5 – Human impact on the environment
Learning Intention: We are learning to understand the effect of humans on the
environment.
I can:
 State that the human population is increasing, and that
the biggest increases are in developing countries.
 Explain why feeding a growing population requires
intensive farming techniques.
 Describe what meant by intensive farming.
 Describe what is meant by “monocultures” and the
advantages and disadvantages of using monocultures.
 Explain what fertilisers are and list the main chemicals
they contain.
 Explain the importance of nitrates and magnesium to
plant growth.
 State that fertilisers can be leached from the soil and
washed into fresh water.
 Describe the problems caused by fertilisers entering
freshwater (algal blooms).
 Explain what pesticides are.
 State that bioaccumulation means the levels of
pesticide found in the body of organisms increases as
you move along the food chain.
 Describe the accumulation of the pesticide DDT in
birds and the effects it had on bird breeding.
 Give examples of pollution.
 Explain what is meant by “indicator species” and how
they can be used to monitor pollution.
 Give examples of indicator species for (a) fresh water
pollution by organic waste, and (b) sulphur dioxide
pollution.
 State that biological control uses natural predators to
control pests in farming.
 Explain the advantages and disadvantages of biological
control.
 Give an example of a method of biological control.
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Activities:
Completed
Complete copy of notes: Unit 3
(http://www.speysidehigh.net/content/national-45-biology-0)
Complete homework booklet 3.5
Produce mind-map and/or study cards for this key area
Read relevant textbook pages: 320 - 341.
Read relevant revision book pages: 100 - 111.
National 5 Online Textbook Section 3.5
https://sites.google.com/a/edubuzz.org/nat5biopl/home
BBC Bitesize Biology National 5 – “Humans and the environment”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/zfnc87h
Rate your understanding of the key area:
Understand
All sections
1
2
3
4
5
Don’t understand
this at all
What steps are YOU going to do to help improve your understanding?
When will you achieve this by?
Has your understanding improved?
Unit Assessment Revision
What you need to learn:
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Key area 1: Biodiversity and the distribution of life on earth
Key area 2: Energy in ecosystems
Key area 3: Sampling techniques and measurement of abiotic
and biotic factors
Key area 4: Adaptation, natural selection and evolution of
species
Key area 5: Human impact on the environment
Target Grade
UA 1st Attempt
UA 2nd Attempt
1. Areas of strength
2. Areas identified as needing further work
3. Tips learned to help answer future questions
Unit 3 AB Test
On target?