The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he's one who asks the right questions. ~Claude Levi-Strauss, 1964

AP Bio - Course Details

What are the major themes in the course?

  1. Science as a Process - Science is a way of knowing.  It can involve a discovery process using inductive reasoning, or it can be a process of hypothesis testing.
  2. Evolution - Evolution is the biological change of organisms that occurs over time and is driven by the process of natural selection.  Evolution accounts for the diversity of life on Earth.
  3. Energy Transfer - Energy is the capacity to do work.  Organisms are active (living) because of their abilities to link energy reactions to the biochemical reactions that take place within their cells.
  4. Continuity and Change - All species tend to maintain themselves from generation to generation using the same genetic code.  However, there are genetic mechanisms that lead to change over time, or evolution.
  5. Relationship of Structure to Function - The structural levels from molecules to organisms ensure successful functioning in all living organisms and living systems.
  6. Regulation - Everything from cells to organisms to ecosystems is in a state of dynamic balance that must be controlled by positive or negative feedback mechanisms.
  7. Interdependence in Nature - Living organisms rarely exist alone in nature.
  8. Science, Technology, and Society - Scientific research often leads to technological advances that can have a positive and/or negative impacts on society as a whole.

How are the topics broken up on the AP exam?

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