This is a 5-credit course, a minimum of 65% in Science 10 is recommended to be successful in Biology 20.

Course Overview

Biological knowledge is not something that can be learned just by reading a textbook.  It is inside us, it is around us, it is everywhere, and it influences absolutely every minute of our lives.  Everyday, scientists around the world work in laboratories to advance our knowledge of our bodies, minds, and of our natural environment. In this course there will be an emphasis on the development of your memorization skills, an increased use of critical and creative thinking, and the acquiring of a basic set of knowledge and skills in biology.

To do well in this course you will have to:

• 1. Work very hard

  2. Be motivated

  3. Be organized

  4. Be responsible

  5. Ask a lot of questions

  6. Attend tutorial sessions

  7. Develop your memory skills

8) Study like you never have before!

It is important to BE HERE every class unless is it absolutely unavoidable!

Course Organization

Unit A:  Energy and Matter Exchange in the Biosphere 20%

(Biosphere, equilibrium, trophic levels, food chains, food webs, pyramids, water properties, and Biogeochemical Cycles)

• • The biosphere is maintained by a constant flow of energy

  • The cycling of matter through the biosphere perpetuates its steady state equilibrium

  • A balance of energy and matter exchange in the biosphere as a system maintains its steady state equilibrium

You can refer to Chapters 1, 2, and 3 in your textbook

Unit B:  Ecosystems and Population Change 25%

(Ecosystems, niche, biotic/abiotic characteristics, limiting factors, binomial nomenclature, adaptation, variation, population, natural selection, species and evidence for evolution)

• • The biosphere is composed of a variety of ecosystems each with distinctive biotic and abiotic factors

  • Ecosystems have mechanism involved in the change of populations over time.

You can refer to Chapters 4, and 5 in your textbook

Unit C: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration 15%

(Light pigments, light-dependent reactions, glycolysis, Krebs cycle, electron transport systems, aerobic and anaerobic respiration)

• • Photosynthesis stores energy in organic compounds

  • Cellular respiration releases potential energy from organic compounds

You can refer to Chapters 6, and 7 in your textbook

Unit D: Human Systems 40%

(Structure and function of the Digestive, Circulatory, Respiratory, Excretory and Motor Systems, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, composition of blood, and immune response)

• • The human organism’s digestive and respiratory systems exchange matter and energy with the environment.

  • The human organism’s circulatory system maintains equilibrium between the body systems as well as its external environment.

  • The human organism’s excretory system is responsible for maintenance of internal homeostasis

You can refer to Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, in your textbook. This Unit is broken into 3 separate Unit tests due to its length.