Biology: The Core, 4th edition

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE

• 1. An Introduction to the Science of Life
  • 1.1: All living organisms share certain properties
  • 1.2: Life can be studied at many levels
  • 1.3: Several major themes run throughout the study of biology
  • 1.4: Scientists use well-established methods to investigate the natural world
  • 1.5: Scientists distinguish between different types of ideas
  • 1.6: Scientists try to control for variables
  • 1.7: Scientists communicate data using graphs
  • 1.8: Scientists use different types of studies in different situations
  • 1.9: Critical thinking is required when evaluating scientific claims
  • 1.10: Recognizing reliable sources of information is an important critical thinking skill
  • Core Issue: RELIABLE SOURCES

UNIT 2: THE CELL

• 2. The Chemistry of Life
  • 2.1: All life is made of molecules, which are made of atoms
  • 2.2: All matter consists of chemical elements
  • 2.3: Atoms are composed of subatomic particles
  • 2.4: Atoms are held together by chemical bonds
  • 2.5: The structure of water gives it unique properties
  • 2.6: pH is a measure of the acidity of a solution
  • 2.7: Life on Earth is based on carbon
  • 2.8: Most biological macromolecules are polymers
  • 2.9: Carbohydrates are composed of monosaccharides
  • 2.10: Lipids are a diverse group of hydrophobic molecules
  • 2.11: Your diet contains several different kinds of fats
  • 2.12: Proteins perform many of life’s functions
  • 2.13: Enzymes speed chemical reactions
• 3. The Cell: The Fundamental Unit of Life
  • 3.1: Cells are the fundamental units of life
  • 3.2: Plant and animal cells have common and unique structures
  • 3.3: Membranes are made from two layers of lipids
  • 3.4: Membranes regulate the passage of materials
  • 3.5: The nucleus houses DNA packaged as chromosomes
  • 3.6: Several organelles participate in the production of proteins
  • 3.7: Chloroplasts and mitochondria provide energy to the cell
  • 3.8: Various cellular organelles provide storage, movement, and shape
• 4. Energy and Life
  • 4.1: Energy can be converted from one form to another
  • 4.2: Energy flows through an ecosystem
  • 4.3: Within chloroplasts, the energy of sunlight is used to produce sugars
  • 4.4: Photosynthesis occurs in two linked stages
  • 4.5: In the light reactions, the energy of sunlight is captured as chemical energy
  • 4.6: In the Calvin cycle, high-energy molecules are used to make sugar
  • 4.7: In cellular respiration, oxygen is used to harvest energy stored in sugar
  • 4.8: Cellular respiration is divided into three stages
  • 4.9: In fermentation, energy is harvested from sugar without oxygen
  • 4.10: Cellular respiration is a central hub of many of life’s metabolic processes
  • Core Issue: DIET
  • Core Issue: CANCER

UNIT 3: DNA

• 5. Chromosomes and Inheritance
  • 5.1: Cell division provides for reproduction, growth, and repair
  • 5.2: Chromosomes are associations of DNA and protein
  • 5.3: Cells have regular cycles of growth and division
  • 5.4: During mitosis, the nucleus of the cell divides
  • 5.5: During cytokinesis, the cell is split in two
  • 5.6: Nuclear transfer can be used to produce clones
  • 5.7: Gametes have half as many chromosomes as body cells
  • 5.8: Meiosis produces gametes
  • 5.9: Mitosis and meiosis have important similarities and differences
  • 5.10: Several processes produce genetic variation among sexually reproducing organisms
  • 5.11: Mistakes during meiosis can produce gametes with unusual numbers of chromosomes
  • 5.12: Mendel deduced the basic principles of genetics by breeding pea plants
  • 5.13: A Punnett square can be used to predict the results of a genetic cross
  • 5.14: Mendel’s law of independent assortment accounts for the inheritance of multiple traits
  • 5.15: Pedigrees can be used to trace traits in human families
  • 5.16: The inheritance of many traits is more complex than Mendel’s laws
  • 5.17: Linked genes may not obey the law of independent assortment
  • 5.18: Sex-linked genes display unusual inheritance patterns
• 6. DNA: The Molecule of Life
  • 6.1: DNA is a polymer of nucleotides
  • 6.2: During DNA replication, a cell duplicates its chromosomes
  • 6.3: DNA directs the production of proteins via RNA
  • 6.4: Genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein
  • 6.5: Transcription creates a molecule of RNA from a molecule of DNA
  • 6.6: Translation involves the coordination of three kinds of RNA
  • 6.7: Translation creates a molecule of protein via the genetic code
  • 6.8: Gene expression is regulated in several ways
  • 6.9: Signal transduction pathways can control gene expression
  • 6.10: Mutations can have a wide range of effects
  • 6.11: Loss of gene expression control can result in cancer
  • 6.12: Cancer is caused by out-of-control cell growth
  • 6.13: Genetic engineering involves manipulating DNA for practical purposes
  • 6.14: DNA may be manipulated many ways in the laboratory
  • 6.15: Plants and animals can be genetically modified
  • 6.16: PCR can be used to multiply samples of DNA
  • 6.17: DNA profiles are based on STR analysis
  • 6.18: Whole genomes can be sequenced
  • 6.19: Gene therapy aims to cure genetic diseases
  • Core Issue: GMOs
  • Core Issue: GENE THERAPY
  • Core Issue: CRISPR
  • Core Issue: PERSONAL GENETICS

UNIT 4: LIFE ON EARTH

• 7. Darwinian Evolution
  • 7.1: Darwin’s influences and experiences led him to publish his theory of evolution
  • 7.2: Unequal reproductive success leads to natural selection
  • 7.3: Evolution affects our daily lives
  • 7.4: The fossil record provides important evidence for evolution
  • 7.5: Evidence for evolution is found in the natural world
  • 7.6: Populations are the units of evolution
  • 7.7: Evolution proceeds through several mechanisms
  • 7.8: The geologic record ties together the history of Earth and its life
  • 7.9: Macroevolution encompasses large-scale changes
  • 7.10: Species are maintained by reproductive barriers
  • 7.11: Speciation can occur through various mechanisms
  • 7.12: Taxonomy is the classification of life
  • 7.13: Phylogenetic trees represent hypotheses about evolutionary history
• 8. Biodiversity 1: Microscopic Organisms
  • 8.1: Biologists hypothesize that life originated in a series of stages
  • 8.2: Prokaryotes have unique cellular structures
  • 8.3: Archaea are found in extreme habitats
  • 8.4: Bacteria are very numerous and common
  • 8.5: Bacteria can transfer DNA
  • 8.6: Eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic cells
  • 8.7: Protists are very diverse
  • 8.8: The origin of multicellular life was a major milestone in evolution
  • 8.9: Viruses are nonliving parasites
  • 8.10: HIV cripples the human immune system
  • 8.11: Prions and viroids are nonliving parasites even smaller than viruses
• 9. Biodiversity 2: Fungi and Plants
  • 9.1: Fungi are a diverse group of eukaryotes
  • 9.2: Fungi have specialized structures and means of reproduction
  • 9.3: Plants have unique adaptations that allow them to survive on land
  • 9.4: Plant bodies consist of roots, stems, and leaves
  • 9.5: Plant bodies follow a structural hierarchy
  • 9.6: Four major groups of plants have evolved
  • 9.7: Bryophytes are seedless, nonvascular plants
  • 9.8: Vascular tissue transports water and nutrients
  • 9.9: Ferns are seedless vascular plants
  • 9.10: The first plants to evolve seeds were gymnosperms
  • 9.11: Angiosperms dominate the modern landscape
  • 9.12: Flowers, fruit, and seeds aid angiosperm reproduction
  • 9.13: Angiosperms grow in length and in thickness
• 10. Biodiversity 3: Animals
  • 10.1: Animals are multicellular consumers that evolved from colonial protists
  • 10.2: Sponges and cnidarians have unusual body features
  • 10.3: Three phyla of worms have unique structures and belong to separate evolutionary lineages
  • 10.4: Mollusks are a very diverse phylum
  • 10.5: The arthropods are extremely diverse and numerous
  • 10.6: Echinoderms are a sister phylum to the chordates
  • 10.7: Vertebrates belong to the chordate phylum
  • 10.8: The first vertebrates to evolve were fishes
  • 10.9: Amphibians and reptiles were the first tetrapods to occupy land
  • 10.10: Mammals have hair and produce milk
  • 10.11: Humans evolved from ancestral primates several million years ago
  • Core Issue: HUMAN EVOLUTION
  • Core Issue: ARB
  • Core Issue: VIRUSES
  • Core Issue: COVID
  • Core Issue: VACCINES
  • Core Issue: AGRICULTURE

UNIT 5: THE HUMAN BODY

• 11. Human Body Systems
  • 11.1: Animal bodies are organized into a structural hierarchy
  • 11.2: The human body contains several major types of tissues
  • 11.3: An animal’s internal environment remains relatively constant
  • 11.4: The human digestive system consists of an alimentary canal and accessory organs
  • 11.5: Food is processed in a series of stages
  • 11.6: Proper nutrition provides energy and building materials
  • 11.7: An unbalanced diet or malfunctioning digestive system can lead to health problems
  • 11.8: The respiratory system exchanges gases between the environment and the body
  • 11.9: The circulatory system transports materials throughout the body
  • 11.10: The heart is the hub of the human circulatory system
  • 11.11: Blood contains cells in liquid
  • 11.12: The immune system contains a huge number of defensive elements
  • 11.13: Immune system malfunctions cause a variety of disorders
  • 11.14: The endocrine system regulates the body via hormones
  • 11.15: The urinary system regulates water and rids the body of wastes
  • 11.16: Males and females produce, store, and deliver gametes
  • 11.17: A human develops from a single cell
  • 11.18: Issues of reproductive health affect us all
  • 11.19: The brain is the hub of the human nervous system
  • 11.20: The nervous system receives input, processes it, and sends output
  • 11.21: The senses use receptors to convey information about the outside world
  • 11.22: The human skeleton contains 206 bones
  • 11.23: Skeletal muscles produce movement
  • Core Issue: DIABETES
  • Core Issue: PEDs

UNIT 6: THE ENVIRONMENT

• 12. Ecology
  • 12.1: Ecology affects your life and our broader society
  • 12.2: Ecology is the scientific study of organisms in their environments
  • 12.3: Ecosystems include a variety of abiotic factors
  • 12.4: Populations vary in age structure, survivorship, density, and dispersion
  • 12.5: Growth models can predict changes in population size
  • 12.6: Human population growth has been exponential
  • 12.7: Interactions between species play important roles in communities
  • 12.8: Food webs describe multiple trophic structures
  • 12.9: Several factors affect species diversity
  • 12.10: Invasive species can disrupt ecosystems
  • 12.11: Biodiversity is measured on many levels
  • 12.12: There are a variety of terrestrial biomes
  • 12.13: Aquatic biomes cover most of Earth’s surface
  • 12.14: Energy is lost as it moves through trophic levels
  • 12.15: Elements cycle through the biosphere
  • 12.16: All water on Earth is interconnected in a global cycle
  • 12.17: People cause many ecological problems
  • 12.18: People can solve ecological problems
  • 12.19: Human Activity is Causing a Rise in Greenhouse Gases
  • Core Issue: ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
  • Core Issue: ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
  • Core Issue: GREENHOUSE GASES
  • Core Issue: CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Core Issue: BIODIVERSITY HOT SPOTS
  • Core Issue: INVASIVE SPECIES

APPENDICES

• A: Metric Conversion Table
• B: The Period Table

Credits

Glossary