WhizzNotes

Biology

Cells, living systems, evolution, ecosystems, heredity, genetic change and disease for NSW Year 11 and 12 (Stage 6). Every chapter starts from Year 10 science, so you can learn it on your own and pick your year to see the deeper work.

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Pick your year on any chapter.

Unit 1 Working Scientifically

  1. 1Working Scientifically in BiologyQuestions, hypotheses, variables, fair tests, validity, reliability and accuracy, data, depth studies and working with First Nations knowledge.

Unit 2 Module 1: Cells as the Basis of Life

  1. 2Cell Theory and MicroscopesWhat cell theory says, how light and electron microscopes work, magnification and cell size, and prokaryotic versus eukaryotic cells.
  2. 3Cell OrganellesThe job of each organelle, how plant and animal cells differ, and how organelles work together to make and export a protein.
  3. 4The Cell Membrane and TransportThe fluid mosaic model, diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion, active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis, and why cells stay small.
  4. 5EnzymesWhat enzymes are, the lock and key and induced fit models, and how temperature, pH, substrate concentration and inhibitors change enzyme activity.
  5. 6Photosynthesis and Cellular RespirationHow plants make glucose from light, how all cells release energy as ATP, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, and what cells need and get rid of.

Unit 3 Module 2: Organisation of Living Things

  1. 7Levels of OrganisationUnicellular, colonial and multicellular organisms, cell specialisation and stem cells, and how cells build tissues, organs and systems.
  2. 8Nutrient and Gas ExchangeHow plants and animals get nutrients and swap gases, from leaves and stomata to lungs, gills and the digestive system.
  3. 9Transport in PlantsXylem and phloem, how water climbs a tree by transpiration, how sugar moves by translocation, and the factors that change the rate.
  4. 10Transport in AnimalsOpen and closed circulatory systems, the human heart and double circulation, blood vessels, what blood carries, and how blood changes as it moves around the body.

Unit 4 Module 3: Biological Diversity

  1. 11AdaptationsSelection pressures, and structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations, with Australian plants and animals as examples.
  2. 12Natural Selection and EvolutionDarwin and Wallace's theory of evolution by natural selection, its steps, how new species form, and patterns of divergent and convergent evolution.
  3. 13Evidence for EvolutionFossils and dating, comparative anatomy, embryology, biogeography and biochemical evidence such as DNA and protein comparisons.

Unit 5 Module 4: Ecosystem Dynamics

  1. 14Ecosystems, Food Webs and Energy FlowBiotic and abiotic factors, food chains and webs, trophic levels, energy and biomass pyramids, and the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
  2. 15Population Dynamics and SamplingMeasuring populations with quadrats, transects and capture-recapture, population growth, carrying capacity and predator-prey cycles.
  3. 16Past EcosystemsHow we learn about ecosystems of the past from fossils, rocks, ice cores, pollen and Aboriginal knowledge, and how Australia changed from Gondwana to today.
  4. 17Human Impacts and Future EcosystemsHow people change ecosystems through habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and climate change, and how we can restore them, including Aboriginal fire management.

Unit 6 Module 5: Heredity

  1. 18ReproductionSexual and asexual reproduction in animals, plants, fungi, bacteria and protists, fertilisation, and the hormones that control pregnancy.
  2. 19DNA, Chromosomes and Cell DivisionThe structure of DNA, how DNA is packed into chromosomes, DNA replication, mitosis, meiosis and how meiosis makes variation.
  3. 20From DNA to ProteinGenes, RNA, transcription, translation, the genetic code, how proteins fold and work, and how genes are switched on and off.
  4. 21Inheritance PatternsMendel's work, alleles, genotype and phenotype, Punnett squares, codominance, incomplete dominance, sex-linked inheritance and pedigrees.
  5. 22Genetic Variation in PopulationsSingle nucleotide polymorphisms, DNA sequencing and profiling, gene pools, allele frequencies and how population genetics is used in conservation and health.

Unit 7 Module 6: Genetic Change

  1. 23MutationsWhat mutations are, what causes them, point and frameshift mutations, chromosomal mutations, somatic versus germline mutations, and how mutations change gene pools.
  2. 24Biotechnology and Genetic TechnologiesSelective breeding, recombinant DNA, PCR and gel electrophoresis, transgenic organisms, gene editing with CRISPR and cloning.
  3. 25Biotechnology Past, Present and FutureHow biotechnology has changed over time, its uses in medicine, farming and conservation, gene therapy, and how to weigh up its ethical, social and biodiversity effects.

Unit 8 Module 7: Infectious Disease

  1. 26Pathogens and the Spread of DiseaseTypes of pathogens, how disease spreads, Koch's postulates and Pasteur's experiments, and diseases of plants and farm animals.
  2. 27The Immune ResponseHow plants and animals defend themselves, from barriers and inflammation to B cells, T cells, antibodies and immune memory.
  3. 28Preventing, Treating and Controlling Infectious DiseaseVaccination and herd immunity, hygiene and quarantine, antibiotics and antiviral drugs, antibiotic resistance, Aboriginal bush medicine and global disease control.

Unit 9 Module 8: Non-infectious Disease and Disorders

  1. 29HomeostasisKeeping the internal environment stable with negative feedback, the nervous and endocrine systems, and how the body controls temperature, blood glucose and water.
  2. 30Causes and Effects of Non-infectious DiseaseGenetic, environmental, nutritional and lifestyle causes of non-infectious disease, cancer, and how epidemiology finds causes and tests treatments.
  3. 31Technologies and DisordersDisorders of hearing, vision and the kidneys, and the technologies that help, from hearing aids and cochlear implants to glasses, laser surgery and dialysis.

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