Description
Core Topics (both SL & HL)
- Cell Biology
- Cell theory
- Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
- Ultrastructure of cells
- Membrane structure & transport
- Origin of cells (endosymbiosis, spontaneous generation)
- The cell cycle and mitosis
- Molecular Biology
- Molecules of life: water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins
- Enzyme activity and factors affecting enzymes
- DNA structure, replication, and transcription
- RNA and translation
- Cell respiration (aerobic & anaerobic)
- Photosynthesis (light-dependent & independent reactions)
- Genetics
- Genes, alleles, and chromosomes
- Meiosis & genetic variation
- Inheritance patterns (monohybrid crosses, sex-linked, codominance, etc.)
- Genetic modification and biotechnology (PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA profiling, cloning, GMOs)
- Ecology
- Species, communities, and ecosystems
- Energy flow in ecosystems (food chains, webs, trophic levels)
- Carbon cycling & nitrogen cycling
- Climate change and greenhouse effect
- Population dynamics
- Evolution and Biodiversity
- Evidence for evolution (fossils, homologous structures, molecular biology)
- Natural selection and adaptation
- Speciation (geographic & reproductive isolation)
- Classification of biodiversity (binomial nomenclature, domains, kingdoms, cladistics)
- Human Physiology
- Digestion & absorption
- The blood system (heart structure, cardiac cycle, blood vessels, circulation)
- Gas exchange (lungs, alveoli, ventilation)
- Neurons & synapses (action potentials, neurotransmitters)
- Hormones, homeostasis, and reproduction
- The immune system (antibodies, vaccinations, immunity)
Additional HL Topics
- Nucleic Acids
- DNA structure in detail (antiparallel strands, base pairing, hydrogen bonding)
- DNA replication (enzymes: helicase, DNA polymerase, ligase)
- Transcription & post-transcriptional modification
- Translation (initiation, elongation, termination)
- Regulation of gene expression
- Metabolism, Cell Respiration, and Photosynthesis
- Metabolic pathways & enzyme inhibition
- Aerobic respiration in detail (glycolysis, link reaction, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation)
- Photosynthesis in detail (light absorption, photophosphorylation, Calvin cycle, limiting factors)
- Plant Biology
- Transport in xylem and phloem
- Plant growth & role of auxins
- Reproduction in flowering plants
- Adaptations of plants to different environments
- Genetics & Evolution (HL Extension)
- Chromosomal structure and karyotyping
- Crossing over, linked genes, polygenic inheritance
- Population genetics (Hardy–Weinberg principle)
- Phylogenetics and molecular evolution
- Animal Physiology
- Antibody production & immune response in detail
- Gas exchange at the alveolar level
- Muscle contraction (sliding filament theory, actin & myosin)
- The kidney and osmoregulation
- Reproduction in detail (menstrual cycle, fertilization, pregnancy, hormones)
