Biology 12 (BIO621A)

Unit 1: Working Like a Biologist

The nature of science and the laboratory, data, argumentation, and design practices used throughout Biology 12: evaluating a biology technology, working safely in the lab, collecting and analysing data, handling uncertainty, arguing from evidence, designing controlled experiments, communicating research, and constructing evidence-based arguments.

• Evaluating a biology technology

• Safe laboratory protocols
• Collecting and analysing data
• Uncertainty in measurement
• Evaluating phenomena with argumentation
• Designing a controlled experiment
• Communicating research and results

• Constructing an argument from evidence and perspectives

Unit 2: Reproduction and Cell Division

How cells divide and organisms reproduce: mitosis and meiosis and their roles in growth and diversity, the types and mechanisms of plant reproduction, and human reproduction and development from fertilization through birth.

• The cell cycle and mitosis
• Meiosis and genetic diversity

• Plant reproduction
• Human reproductive systems and hormones
• Fertilization and embryonic development
• Birth and positive feedback

Unit 3: Genetics

Classical and molecular genetics: Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance including sex-linkage and pedigrees, the structure and role of DNA and RNA and the central dogma of gene expression, and the sources, types, and effects of genetic variation and mutation.

• Mendelian inheritance and crosses
• Non-Mendelian and sex-linked inheritance

• DNA and RNA structure and replication
• The central dogma of gene expression
• Genetic variation and mutation

Unit 4: Evolution and Biodiversity

The theory of evolution and the diversity of life: the historical development of evolutionary thought, the mechanisms of evolution and how new species form, the Hardy-Weinberg principle for detecting microevolution, and the taxonomy and diversity of the kingdoms of life.

• The history of evolutionary thought
• Mechanisms of evolution and natural selection
• The evidence for evolution

• How new species form
• Hardy-Weinberg and microevolution

• Taxonomy and classification
• Phylogeny and evolutionary relationships
• The diversity of the kingdoms
• Animal diversity and the chordates

Unit 5: Disease and Homeostasis

How disease disrupts homeostasis: examining the signs, symptoms, and causes of infectious, genetic, and environmental diseases, how a disease affects the normal functioning of a system and the whole organism, and available cures and treatments.

• Disease and its impact on homeostasis