AP® Biology

By this point in your biology education, you already know that the genetic information of all living things on the planet can be found in a lengthy molecule known as deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. The proverbial holy grail of scientists who sought to find it throughout history, DNA is the metaphorical “blueprint” from which living things’ bodies and systems are built and run. But the question remains: how does DNA accomplish this? How do we get from genetic blueprint to living, reproducing organism?

As a eukaryotic organism grows, its cells are constantly dividing and creating new cells according to the “genetic blueprint” of its DNA. The processes by which these new cells are developed are known as mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis is the method by which somatic (or non-reproductive) are created, while meiosis is the method that creates gametes (reproductive cells like sperm and eggs).

In this AP® Biology Crash Course, we will review what you need to know about enzymes for the AP® Biology exam. We will cover what enzymes are, how enzymes work, some factors that affect how they work, and finally an example of an AP® Bio question about enzymes.

The AP® Biology course has so many different concepts and ideas within it that it may seems like there are way too many to understand. We get that, and want to make sure that you know the most important concepts as well as possible. We’ve picked out a fewof the most important AP® Bio concepts for you which fall under the umbrella of two critical processes: photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

There’s a lot of information in the Advanced Placement (AP) Biology photosynthesis unit that can distract you from remembering its most important concept: the transformation of light energy into chemical energy, and then its storage in the bonds of carbohydrates.

On the AP® Biology exam, you may be asked to predict the frequency of specific genetic traits in a given population. To determine this frequency,we use what is known as the Hardy-Weinberg equation. This equation is a mathematical expression that illustrates the relationship between the frequencies of all genotypes present in the population in question.

The AP® Biology Exam tests the principles of cellular respiration every year. Cellular respiration is an important topic to study, and it tends to be one of the more challenging topics for students. In this AP® Biology Crash Course Review, we will review the parts of cellular respiration that you may see on your AP® Bio exam.

All cells are self-sustaining entities with different tasks divvied up to different components of the cell. These components are what we call cell organelles. Cell organelles perform important tasks to maintain normal cell functions including cell division. For Advanced Placement (AP) Biology there are two main eukaryotic cell types, the animal cell and the plant cell, which you need to understand well. A eukaryotic cell is a type of cell that possesses a distinct membrane-bound nucleus, whereas a prokaryotic cell does not have a nucleus.Here we will focus on eukaryotic cells.

Our cells have no walls, as we traded in mobility for susceptibility over the course of evolution. So our immune system is there to help keep us safe. Let’s take a closer look at the workings of the immune system as far as what you’ll want to know for the AP® Biology exam.

On the AP® Biology exam, many students struggle with questions that relate to the properties of water. This topic is usually covered at the beginning of the year, and when it comes to all the information students are responsible in AP® Bio, it gets forgotten. The properties of water are essential to maintaining homeostasis, a stable equilibrium, in organisms and in the world.