High School Biology - Core Concept Master Cheat Sheet

Biolo 1 of 6
01: The Science of Biology 03: The Cell
• Characeristics of life Cell organelles and their functions:
Organization: all lives are well organized • Nucleus: the control center
Energy use: all lives need energy to support o Holds all of cell's genetic
information Reproduction: all lives should be able to reproduce itself o Makes
decisions about cell needs Growth: all lives grow and develop. • Ribosome: the factory
Response to stimuli: all lives can respond to internal or o Synthesizes proteins
external stimuli • Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
Homeostasis: all lives have the ability to maintain a o Edits and finalizes proteins made by
ribosomes. relatively stable internal environment-self-regulation • Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
• Basic Theory of modern biology o Synthesizes carbohydrates and lipids.
Cell Theory • Golgi Apparatus: the post office
• Cell is the building unit of all living organisms. o Tags and ships packages to their destinations
• All cells come from pre-existing cells • Mitochondria: the power house
• All metaboism occur in cells of the body-cells are o Produces ATP for the cell's
activities. functional unit for all lives • Lysosome: the recycling center.
Gene Theory o Recycles waste and foreign bacteria.
• All genetic information is stored in DNA - genes The cell membrane: lipid bilayer which envelops the cell.
For
• Genes control most, if not every, aspects of an organism Protection, Communication, and Selective Exchange
• The DNA language can be transcribed into RNA language Passive Transport
and then translated into protein language for its final o Does not use energy
function o Osmosis, diffusion, facilitated diffusion
Homeostasis o Natural movement from high concentration to low
• All living organisms have the ability to maintain a relatively concentration.
constant internal environment Active Transport
• Purpose: to ensure proper function of the body o Uses energy
-----0-2-: C-h-em-i-ca-l -Ba-s-is-o-f L-if-e ----- , o Movement from against natural diffusion
Prokaryotes
,-Atoms: �
• Examples: bacteria, microscopic organisms
o electrons: both energy and substance particles • Structure: DNA, ribosomes, and cell membranes.
o neutrons • Except for ribosomes, prokaryotes DO NOT have
organelles.
o protons Eukaryotes
Molecules: • Animals: with organelles and cell membranes
o Formed by atoms o Plants: with organelles and cell membranes like animal
o Joined by chemical bonds cells, but also have chloroplasts and cell walls.
o molecular formula and structure formula
Chemical Bond: 04: Cellular Respiration
Ion bond: ion bond forms when atoms lose or gain Aerobic Resoiration
electrons. • Glycolysis
Covalent bond: Covalent bonds form when atoms share o Glucose is broken down into
pyruvate. electrons, very strong bonds. The major one in organic o
2 ATP produced.
chemicals. • Krebs Cycle
Hydrogen bond: Weak electrical attraction between the o Acetyl CoA (made from pyruvate) runs a cycle
of positive end of one molecule and the negative end of another reactions, regenerating at the end of each
cycle. Buffers: solutions which resist change in pft upon addition ofo All of the electrons are passed to NADft
and FADH2 small amounts of acid or base. (electron carriers).
pH: pH represents the concentration of hydrogen ions [H+] o 2 ATP produced.
in solution.pH = -log [H+) • Oxidative Phosphorylation
o 32 ATP produced.
Organic Anaerobic Resoiration
-.,
Contains • Glycolysis: Glucose is broken down into pyruvate; 2
ATP produced.
• Fermentation: Pyruvate is broken down into ethanol
or lactic acid. Glycolysis intermediates produced to
allow glycolysis to begin again immediately.
(Chemical �Reactions Necessary For Life)
Metabolism
'----.
Anabolism Catabolism

::I :
(C onstructi on of Molecules) (Breakdown

of Molecules) +�
l
✓
CaT drat :.:(. P,or �hydrate Lipid
Glycolysis
Carbo
Synthesis Synthesis
Glycogenesis Breakdown into Beta
Amino Acids Oxidation

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High School Biology - Core Concept Master Cheat Sheet

Biolo
05: Photosynthesis 2 of 6
07: Introduction to Ecology
• Chloroplast: An organelle in plant cells
where photosy nthesi s occur. ('"'\_,,.. __ . ..,_ ,,..
Environment
• Photophosphoryla tion: a process that ATP is generated � s:u � y o f Org a n isms a n d
v ia li gh t reaction s in photosy nthesis . n v i ronment is ca l led
• Lig ht Reaction: The fi rst phase of photosysnthesis �
C::S hh no ww
which light is ha rvested and the electron transfer occurs,
AT P, NADPH and oxyge n is generated . Ecology Behav ioral
• Dark Reaction: Th e second phase of photosynthesis Responses
where
crbon dioxid e is fixed and ca rbohyd rates are generated by
consu ming AT P and NADPH . Physiolog ica l
• Ch loroplasts: These a re orga nelles wh ich al low the Resoonses
orga nism to perform photosynthesis, obta ining energy from sun l
ig ht. Morphological
• Chlorophyll: Proteins found in chloroplasts which have the Responses Pla nts
abi lity to absorb su nlight fo r photosynthesis.

3 CO2

6ATP Fire and other

�,� 6NADPH
• Biosphere: The enti re portion of the earth that is in habited
by life. Th e sum of all the planet's ecosystems.
3 RuBP
• Biomes : The worl d 's major com m u n ities c lassified accordi ng
The Ca lvin Cycle
to the predominant vegetation and cha racterized by
} adaptations of organ isms to that pa rticu l ar environ ment.

r
• Community : A group of popula tins living in the same area .
5 P3G 6 P3G • Population: A g roup of i ndividua ls in a particu lar
geographic area that belong the same species .
3 ATP • Prod ucers: They are prima rily gree n pla nts that bring
energy into the system by ca pturing sunlight.
• Consu mers: An o rganism in an eco system that lives by
1 P3G eating other organisms.
>---------------------------., • Food Web: A com plex i nteracti o n of feed i n g relationsh i ps .

1--------- C_,y'-c_l_e __,

1
• Chemical Cycl i ng : N at u re's way o f a l lowing life o n Earth
0_6_:_T_h_e_C_e_l_l
Centri oles access t o l im ited reso u rces by conti n u a l ly tra n sfe rri ng the
and
spi ndle fibers energy from one form to the next.
b reak down. M check point
08 : Communities, Ecosystems, and Biomes
G2 checkpoint • Primary Succession: An event in which life begi ns to exist
where no life existed p reviously.
• Secondary Succession: The change in composition of the
species which live in an area .
• Aq uatic Ecosystems: Most of life on Earth lives in the
Gl checkpoint
S checkpoint ocea ns, a poorly understa nd system of oceans, la kes, strea
ms, rivers, and estuaries .
• Prophase • Terrestrial Biomes: The group of ecosystems which share
a Chromosomes conde nse and become visible. the sa me cl imate flora and fa una
o Nuclear en velope breaks down. Com m u nity I
o Centrioles ta ke positions on opposite sides nteractio ns
of nucleus.

• Metaphase: Complex effects of

o Chromosomes line up single-file in the m iddle of comm u N I ty
the cell. I ntera cti ons on
o Spi nd le fi bers from the ce ntri o les atta ch to species
each side of the centromeres of the chromoso d 1 vers 1 ty
mes.

• Anaphase: An imal
o Sister ch romatids a re pu lled apart to defenses
become indivi du a l chromoso mes. against
predators Commena
o Chromosomes move un til they reach centrioles on lism
opposite sides of cel l.
Ro le of
predation in
• Telophase: structuring Mutulllsm
o Chromosomes dissolve . commun i ties
o Nuclear envelopes re-form around both sets of
chromosomes.

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 Biolo 3 of 6
09 : Population Ecology 1 1 : Genetics
• Populati on: It is a group of individuals of a given species • Ch romosome : where th e cell n ucl eus pack its l o ng
in habiting a specific geographic area and exhibiting a stretch of DNA molecu le into, it is the fu nctional unit for
cha ra cteristic density and dispersion. hered ity
• Population Den sity : Individuals per u nit a rea or volume. • Meiosis: A reproductive process which prod uces two unique
• Dispersion : The pattern of spacing for individ ua l s with haploid cel ls from one cell. These unique hapl oid cel l s are
in the bounda ries of the popu lation . gam etes, sex cells for re p rod uction.
Geographic li mits with in which a popu lation lives. • Haploid : Desci b in g a cel l w hic h ha s o n e enti re set o f
t h e oganism's ch romoso mes.
• Di ploid : Descri bing a cel l which has two enti re sets of
the organism's chromosomes.
• Cross : The pa rents which reproduce together.
Density of Aa x aa
organisms
in habitat A a
actual ly a Aa aa
occu i ed a Aa aa
.

Sotll The

�
shc,w u p
1ft ti.
...... phenotype
is the
middle of
the two
pbenotype a l leles.

DN i
saatsutre
arls
Disease
10 : Co n s e rva t ion Eco l ogy
• Refore station: It is the development of a fo rest in a
double d eforested area to ensu re a susta ined yield.
• Conservation : It is the sa feguardi ng, maintaining or
protecting and wise ma nagement of natu ra l resources .
Materia l s w hich satisfy hum an needs and want
i n a given space and time, and serve to atta i n
sites ind ividual as we ll as socia l welfare.
12: N ucleic Acids
• DN A
o Is the cel l u lar genetic materia l
o Contai ns two stra nds based on base pairing between
A a nd T, C and G.
o The two strands are anti -para llel and form
helix structure
• RNA Classes:
o mRNA: Copies information from DNA through base-
pa ri ng mecha nism
o tRNA : carries am in o acids to protein synth esis
o rRNA: component fo r ribosome
o ncRNA: reg u l ate cell u l ar processes

• The Centra l Dogma

Pla nts and Ani ma l DNA
Wf>rt lth
�
mRNA

They a re natura l resou rces sin �

ot
they a re all parts of natu re. Pr
ein
Conti n uo u s • Tra nscription : R N A polyme rase reads D NA a n d prod uces
Th ree types of Resou rces pre-mRNA. The pre-mRNA is ed ited via spl icing of exons
Renewable together to fo rm the matu re mRNA which leaves the
nucleus
Resou rces to enter the cytoplasm .
Non- renewable • Translation: Ri bosomes read the mRNA scri pt and tRNA's
Resou rces bring amino a cids in order to prod uce the fi nal gene produ
ct,
• Resou rces: They a re man needs proteins.
and wa nts in a gi ven space and time and serve to attain • Causes of Mutation
ind ivi du als a s we l l as socia l welfa re . o E rro rs du ring D N A replicatio n
• Non Renewa ble resources: The re is no known process by o DNA damage
which they can be renewed quickly. They are availa ble in o Chromosome erro
rss fix ed quantities a n d too m u c h e xp l o itation wo u l d m e a n thei r
end. Ex : Minerals, g roun d water.

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High School Biology - Core Concept Master Cheat Sheet

Biolo 4 of 6
13: The Human Genome 15: Evolutiona ry History
• Autosomal Chromosomes: Ch romosomes that code for • Precambrian Time : 99 of Earth's h i story . A l l of th e life
the reg ular hum an tra its . history events a bove happened dur ing this time.
• Sex Chromosomes : Chromoso mes that determ ine sex . Oxygena tion o f the atmosphere, th e fi rst li fe fo rms, etc .
• Genetic Disorder : A disease or sickness caused by DNA at Al l l i fe was aq uatic.
birth. • Paleozoic Era : The fi rst invertebrates and vertebrates .
Insects, pla nts, and repti les appeared. Fi rst movement
of organisms onto lan d.
• Mesozoic Era : "The Age of Repti les." Repti les beca me
dominant. M am m als appea red . Di nosaurs became
extinct.
• Cenozoic Era: "The Age of Mam mals." Ma mmals beca
me dominant. Glaciers melted. The cl i mate wa rmed .
H um ans ap peared .
Formation of Earth

Proto-li fe Form ed
Genetic Engineering
Bacterial
Cells Photosynthetic Prokaryotes Ap pea r

Oxygen Enters Atmosphere

Euka ryotes Appear

Mu l tice l l u lar
Euka ryotes Appear

16: Classification
• Taxonomy : The discipline of studyi ng and classifying
Tra nsformed
• organisms. A kingdom which includes heterotrophic
Anima lia :
bv ce ll. consum ers such as herbivores, ca rnivores, om nivo res, and
d etritivores .
--------1_4_:_E_v_o_l_u_t_o_n _,
1--Herita ble Ad aptation : Any inhe rited tra it that ultimately 1 • Binomial N omenclatu re: A stand ard way to refer to the
scientific name of an organ ism by using the genus and
leads to a reproductive advantage of a species. species .
Pu nctuated Equil ibrium : Evolutionary changes occu r • Phylogeny : The process of classifying and
organizing relative l y quickly followed by long periods of stabi lization . organisms based on evolutionary
relatio nshi ps.
Natural selection:
-Nat u ral Se l ection is a res ul t of a species i n teracti on with the
environ ment, wi th "selection" being determi ned by whichever Kingdom
species lives long enough to propagate and the reby be
successful. Phylum
- Su rviva l o f t h e " Fittest" . Fit refers to best fit t o env iron me nt .
Class
Random Variation of tra
its in a popula tion

I
Ada ptation ➔ more Inte raction of
offsp ring ca rrying species wi th
adva ntageo us traits env,/'i ro nmen t
\
Di fferential reproductive
success of species ca rrying
pa rticu lar tra its Five Kingdom System
Monera I Protista I Fungi

Plamtae I An imalia

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High School Biology - Core Concept Master Cheat Sheet

Biolo 5 of 6
17: Bacteria and Vi ruses 19: The Nervous System
• Bacteria : sma l l est and s i m plest o rga n i sms, scientifica l • Neu rotransm itter: Biolog ical p a rti cles whic h the
ly ca l led proka ryotes . branches re lease when an action potential reaches th em.
• Binary Fissio n: Asexual reproduction of proka ryotes . Neu rotra nsmitters ca rry in formation to the next neuron.
• Conjugation: A method of transferring DNA from one
bacteria to another using a sex pi l u s .
• Transformation: A method of tra nsferring DN A in which a Terminal B
bacteria picks up DNA from another dead bacteria and ranches
integrates the foreign DNA as its ow n .
• Transduction : A method of DNA transfe r in wh ich a vi rus
accidenta lly picks up DNA from one bacteria and injects it into
another.
• Obligate Anaerobes: bacteria wh ich are unable to g row in
the presence of oxygen,
• Facultative anaerobes: bacteria wh ich ca n grow with or
without oxygen
• Aerobic: bacteria w hich req uire oxygen to grow.
• Lytic Cycle: A viral life cycle which takes over and kills a
host cell in o rder to make more viruses.
• Lysogenic Cycle: A viral li fe cycle which integ rates viral The N E RVOUS Syste m
DN A into host DNA in order to be repl icated with the
host DNA and lie dormant.

Centra l Peripheral
Genetic Material

Bra in Spina l Co rd Motor Sensory

Autono mic Somatic

• Tra nspirati on : Evapo rati o n via the stomata on the

lower su rface of leaves pulls up water/minerals fro m
roots. This force ma kes water to go upwards from root to Sympathetic Pa rasympathetic
leaves.
20 : The Skeletal, Muscular, and
• Differences between a plant cell and an ani mal cell Integ umenta ry Systems
o Cel l wa l l: pla nts have a protective layer of cellu lose
around the cel l mem brane known as the cell wall.
o La rge centra l va cuole : T h i s la rge organell e m a i nta in s
the structure of the plant cell by g iv in g a water-fi lled
Bo ne marrow
S po ngy bone
o sup port.
Chlorop las t : This orga n e l l e a llows plants to perform � pact bone
Com
photosynthesis, to absorb sunl ight to prod uce energy.
❖ Root
o Usua lly under the ground
• Fun ction
o Anchor plants to soi l , - Leaves

o Stem
Absorb and tra nsport nutri ents

✓
❖ Actin M yosin

,�,,-- ,"·
. . ,.,,,,.,,. .... .
o The pa rt of a p la nt from
....,
,.,
which shoots and buds arise. Ste m
o Structu ra l s up port
• Function �
o Growth through increase in
d i a meter and e long atio n Skeletal Muscle
o Transport of fl uids betwee n the Attached to bones
roots and the leaves. Root • Has stripes = striated
• Powers volunta ry movement
•·· Leaves Smooth Muscle
• Fu nction • Used in intestines
o Photosynthesis: to obta in food from light • Not striated
o Transp i ratio n: p ul l i n g wate r up fro m the roots. • Powers involu nta ry movements
Cardiac Muscle
• Found only in the hea rt
• Striated
• Powers the heartbeat

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High School Biology - Core Concept Master Cheat Sheet

Biolo , 6 of 6
21: Respi ratory and Ci rculatory Systems 23 : Endocrine and Reprod uctive Systems
• Respiratory System : An organ system designed to pick up
• En docrine s,vstem VS Nervous s ystem
needed gas and release waste.
Slow Response Fast Response
• Circulatory System : An organ system desig ned to deliver
oxygenated blood th rough all of the body's cells. Hormones Electrica l Impulses
Long- lasti ng Effects Short- lasti ng Effects
• Hypothalamu s: control s pit ui ta ry to release hormones.
• Pitu itary Gla nd: s i g n a l s othe r g la nds to release
hormones. Growth ho rmo ne.
• Thyroid: Releas es thyrox i n e t o control meta boli s m.
• Parathyroid : Releases pa rathy roid hormone to reg ulate
level s of ca l ci u m .
• Adrenal: "Flight or Fig ht" response .
• Pancreas: Release insu lin/g lucagon to regu late blood
g lucose levels .
• Gonads: Release testroterone, estrogen, to sti mulate
reprod uctive system changes.
• Homeostasis: When the sta ble status of a body is
Aorta disru pted, the organ systems sense the change, and
Superior by
Vena Cav activating si gnals such as through the nervous or endocrine
systems, effectors a re activated wh ich retu rns the body back to
the orig i n a l sta te.

Right Stab/e status

Atrium

Right Ventricle
22: The Digestive and Excretory Systems
• Ingestion : Th e mouth mechanica l ly breaks down
food . The esophagus pushes food down with perista l si
s.
• Digestion : The stomach stores the food and releases
enzymes to brea k it down. The liver releases bi le to help with
di gestion of large fa ts. The pa ncreases rel eases enzymes to
help the small i ntesti ne digest food .
• Bladder : The storage zo ne for ur ine, fi ltrated waste,
to leave the body. enzymes to activate digestion overal
l.
• Absorption : The smal l i ntesti ne ta kes in food molecu
les
into the blood . The large intesti ne absorbs water.
• Elimination : The waste leaves through the rectum.
• Skin: Excretes urea through the su rface .
• Lungs : Excretes ca rbon d io xid e .
• Liver : Detox ifies da ngerous compounds.
• Kidneys : Filters th e blood , keeping necessa ry amou nts
of m in era ls and water while discard extraneo us
amounts.
24 : The Immune System
• Humoral Immu nity: B cells beco me plasma cells and
memory B cel ls. The plasma cel l s release antibodies into
the bl ood to k i l l the path ogen cel ls. Memory B cel l s remem
ber the specific antibody needed to defend against the
same pathogen .
• Cell- Mediated Immun ity: Helper T cells bind to al ready
infected body cel ls and then activate ki ller T cel ls. Ki ller T cells
bind to the infected cell and destroy its membra ne to kill the in
fected ce l l.
• Physical/Chemica l Barriers: The skin and h a i r in ears and
nose p revent pathogens from entering the body. Chemica l s such
as sa liva, sweat, and oil contain enzymes wh ich destroy
pathogens before they spread.
• Inf lammatory Response: Ki l ls any pathogens i n a rea of
damag e.
Fun ction

- ---,
Nutrie nts --------

Macr. Phagocytes Ingest and destroy foreign invaders.

ph ages

Plasma Cells Produce antibodies and release them into

[W,to, blood.

Memory Remem ber specific pathogens.

Hel per T Activate Ki ller T Cel ls

Killer T Cells Destroy infected cells of the body

•

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[I] 404 FI LE N OT FO U N D
The fi l e you a re l oo ki ng fo r co u l d n ot be fo
u nd . I t's poss i b l e t h a t i t d o esn't exist a t a l l .
[I] 404 FI LE N OT FO U N D
The fi l e you a re l oo ki ng fo r co u l d n ot be fo
u nd . I t's poss i b l e t h a t i t d o esn't exist a t a l l .
[I] 404 FI LE N OT FO U N D
The fi l e you a re l oo ki ng fo r co u l d n ot b e fo
u nd . I t's poss i b l e t h a t i t d o esn't exist a t a l l .
[I] 404 FI LE N OT FO U N D
The fi l e you a re l oo ki ng fo r co u l d n ot be fo
u nd . I t's poss i b l e t h a t i t d o esn't e x ist a t a l l .
[I] 404 FI LE N OT FO U N D
The fi l e you a re l oo ki ng fo r co u l d n ot be fo
u nd . I t's poss i b l e t h a t i t d o esn't exist a t a l l .
[I] 404 FI LE N OT FO U N D
The fi l e you a re l oo ki ng fo r co u l d n ot be fo
u nd . I t's poss i b l e t h a t i t d o esn't exist a t a l l .
[I] 404 FI LE N OT FO U N D
The fi l e you a re l oo ki ng fo r co u l d n ot be fo
u nd . I t's poss i b l e t h a t i t d o esn't exist a t a l l .