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AP Biology Guide
The AP biology program is organized into four underlying big each big idea, and identifies where the material is located in
ideas. The guide below lists the enduring understandings for AP Biology 1 (blue) or AP Biology 2 (black).
Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life Big Idea 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit & respond to
information essential to life processes
1A: Change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is evolution
3A: Heritable information provides for continuity of life
Natural selection is a major mechanism
1.A.1
of evolution DNA, and in some cases RNA, is the
3.A.1 DNA and RNA
primary source of heritable information
Natural selection acts on phenotypic
1.A.2 Genetic Change in Populations
variations in populations In eukaryotes, heritable information is
3.A.2 passed on via the cell cycle and mitosis Chromosomes & Cell Division
Evolutionary change is also driven by or meiosis plus fertilization
1.A.3
random processes
The chromosomal basis of inheritance Chromosomes & Cell
Biological evolution is supported by Evidence for Biological 3.A.3 gives an understanding of transmission Division, The Chromosomal
1.A.4
scientific evidence from many disciplines Evolution of genes from parent to offspring Basis of Inheritance
1B: Organisms are linked by lines of descent from common ancestry The inheritance pattern of many traits is The Chromosomal Basis of
3.A.4
Organisms share many conserved core not explained by Mendelian genetics Inheritance
1.B.1
processes and features that have evolved 3B: Expression of genetic information involves cellular and molecular mechanisms
The Relatedness of Organisms
Phylogenetic trees and cladograms are
1.B.2 3.B.1 Gene regulation results in differential
graphical models of evolutionary history Regulation of Gene
gene expression and cell specialization
3.B.2 Expression
1C: Life continues to evolve within a changing environment Signals mediate gene expression

Speciation and extinction have occurred 3C: Processing of genetic information is imperfect and a source of genetic variation
1.C.1
throughout the Earth's history
3.C.1 Genotype changes can alter phenotype
Speciation may occur when populations Speciation and Extinction 3.C.2 Processes that increase genetic variation Sources of Variation
1.C.2
become reproductively isolated 3.C.3 Viral replication and genetic variation
1.C.3 Populations continue to evolve 3D: Cells communicate by generating, transmitting and receiving chemical signals
1D: The origin of living systems is explained by natural processes 3.D.1  Commonalities in cell communication
3.D.2 Signaling by direct contact or chemicals
1.D.1 Hypotheses about the natural origin of life Cellular Communication
3.D.3 Signal transduction pathways
Scientific evidence from different The Origin of Living Systems 3.D.4 Changes to signal transduction pathways
1.D.2
disciplines supports models of life's origin
3E: Transmission of information results in changes within and between systems
Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building
3.E.1 Communicating information with others
blocks to grow, to reproduce and to maintain dynamic homeostasis Communicating & Responding
3.E.2 Nervous systems and responses
2A: Growth, reproduction and maintenance of the organization of living systems
require free energy and matter Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their
Energy in Living Systems, interactions possess complex properties
2.A.1 All living systems require energy Homeostasis & Energy 4A: Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties
Allocation
Properties of a molecule are determined The Biochemistry of Life,
Organisms capture and store free energy Energy in Living Systems, 4.A.1
2.A.2 by its molecular construction DNA and RNA
for use in biological processes Energy Flow & Nutrient Cycles
The structure and function of subcellular Cell Structure and Processes
2.A.3 Energy exchange maintains life processes The Biochemistry of Life 4.A.2 components, and their interactions,
provide essential cellular processes Energy in Living Systems
2B: Growth, reproduction and dynamic homeostasis require that cells create and
maintain internal environments that are different from their external environments Gene expression results in specialization Regulation of Gene
4.A.3
2.B.1 Cell membranes are selectively permeable of cells, tissues and organs Expression

Movement of molecules across membranes Plant Structure & Adaptation,

2.B.2
maintains growth and homeostasis
Internal membranes in eukaryotic cells
2.B.3
partition the cell into specialized regions
2C: Organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate growth and reproduction, and
to maintain dynamic homeostasis
Organisms used feedback mechanisms to
2.C.1
maintain internal environments
Organisms respond to change in their
2.C.2
external environments
2D: Growth & dynamic homeostasis are influenced by changes in the environment
Cell Structure and Processes
Homeostasis & Energy
Allocation
Homeostasis & Energy
Allocation,
Timing & Coordination
Organisms exhibit complex properties Comparing Animal Systems,
4.A.4
due to interactions between their parts Interactions in Physiological
Systems
Communities are composed of
4.A.5 Populations and Communities
populations that interact in complex ways
Populations & Communities,
Energy Flow & Nutrient Cycles,
4.A.6 Movement of matter and energy
The Diversity and Stability of
Ecosystems
4B: Competition and cooperation are important aspects of biological systems
Interactions between molecules affect
4.B.1 Enzymes & Metabolism
their structure and function

Biotic and abiotic factors affect biological Plant Structure & Adaptation,
2.D.1
systems
Homeostatic mechanisms reflect both
2.D.2 common ancestry and divergence due to
adaptation in different environments
Biological systems are affected by
2.D.3
disruptions to their dynamic homeostasis*
Plants and animals have chemical
2.D.4
defenses against infections
2E: Many biological processes involved in growth, reproduction & dynamic
homeostasis include temporal regulation & coordination
Timing and coordination of events are
2.E.1
regulated and necessary for development
Multiple mechanisms regulate timing &
2.E.2
coordination of physiological events
Timing and coordination are regulated
2.E.3
and are important in natural selection
Populations & Communities
Homeostasis & Energy Allocation,
Plant Structure & Adaptation,
Comparing Animal Systems,
Interactions in Physiological
Systems, The Diversity & Stability
of Ecosystems (2.D.3 only)
Internal Defense,
Plant Structure & Adaptation
Regulation of Gene Expression
Timing & Coordination
* 4.C.1 and 4.C.2 also see Sources of Variation
Cooperative interactions within Comparing Animal Systems,
4.B.2
organisms promote efficiency Interactions in Physiological
Systems
Populations & Communities,
Population interactions influence species
4.B.3 The Diversity & Stability of
distribution and abundance
Ecosystems
The Diversity & Stability of
4.B.4 Ecosystem distribution changes over time
Ecosystems
4C: Naturally occurring diversity among and between components within biological
systems affects interactions with the environment
Variation in molecular units provides cells
4.C.1* Internal Defense
with a wider range of functions
Environmental factors influence the The Chromosomal Basis of
4.C.2*
expression of the genotype Inheritance
Populations & Communities,
4.C.3 Variation in populations affects dynamics
The Diversity & Stability of
4.C.4 Diversity may influence ecosystem stability
Ecosystems
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