High school · Aligned to AP Biology
Biology: Cells to AP Biology — study guide & practice questions
Cells, genetics, evolution and ecology, taken to AP Biology depth: energetics, signaling, gene regulation, statistics.
Study guide
The Chemistry of Life
- Living things are built from atoms bonded mostly by covalent bonds; water's polarity and hydrogen bonding make life as we know it possible.
- The four macromolecules — carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids — and the enzymes that speed up their reactions do the cell's work.
Cell Structure & Function
- Cell theory: all living things are made of cells, the cell is life's basic unit, and all cells come from pre-existing cells.
- Eukaryotic cells organize work into organelles; the membrane controls what crosses via passive or active transport.
Cellular Energy: Respiration & Photosynthesis
- Cellular respiration (glucose + oxygen → CO2 + water + ATP) and photosynthesis (CO2 + water + light → glucose + oxygen) are near-opposite processes.
- Fermentation lets glycolysis continue without oxygen, at the cost of far less ATP.
Cell Division & Reproduction
- Mitosis makes two identical cells for growth and repair; meiosis makes four genetically different gametes for reproduction.
- Cancer results from mutations that disable the normal checkpoints controlling the cell cycle.
Genetics & Heredity
- A Punnett square predicts offspring genotypes/phenotypes; dominant traits show with one allele copy, recessive traits need two.
- DNA is a double helix (A–T, C–G base pairing) that replicates semi-conservatively.
Gene Expression & Biotechnology
- DNA → RNA → protein (the central dogma): transcription copies DNA to mRNA, translation builds a protein from it.
- Gene regulation is why identical DNA can produce very different cell types; biotechnology like CRISPR can edit DNA directly.
Evolution
- Fossils, homologous structures and DNA similarity are evidence for common ancestry.
- Natural selection needs variation, heritability, and differential survival/reproduction; reproductive isolation over time can produce new species.
Ecology
- Organization runs organism → population → community → ecosystem; energy flows one way through trophic levels, losing about 90% at each step.
- Populations grow logistically toward a carrying capacity; matter cycles through ecosystems via biogeochemical cycles humans can disrupt.
Human Body Systems & Classification
- Homeostasis is maintained mostly through negative feedback loops (sensor, control center, effector); major organ systems (circulatory, respiratory, nervous, digestive) work together to keep it stable.
- Taxonomy nests life from Domain down to Species; the three domains (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya) split prokaryotes from eukaryotes, and viruses fall outside all three.
Course modules
9 foundation modules free to read here; 6 AP-level and advanced modules with Pro. Every module ends with a quiz in the app.
1. The Chemistry of Life Free
The atoms, bonds, water properties and macromolecules every living cell is built from.
Read the 4 lessons →2. Cell Structure & Function Free
Prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic cells, the organelles inside them, and how the membrane controls what crosses it.
Read the 4 lessons →3. Cellular Energy: Respiration & Photosynthesis Free
How cells capture, store and release energy through respiration, photosynthesis and fermentation.
Read the 4 lessons →4. Cell Division & Reproduction Free
How cells copy and divide themselves, why sex cells are made differently, and what happens when division goes wrong.
Read the 4 lessons →5. Genetics & Heredity Free
Mendelian inheritance, more complex inheritance patterns, sex-linked traits, and DNA itself.
Read the 4 lessons →6. Gene Expression & Biotechnology Free
How genes become proteins, what happens when that process changes, and how scientists manipulate it directly.
Read the 4 lessons →7. Evolution Free
The evidence for evolution, how natural selection works, and how new species form.
Read the 4 lessons →8. Ecology Free
How energy and matter move through ecosystems, and how populations and human activity interact with them.
Read the 4 lessons →9. Human Body Systems & Classification Free
How the body keeps itself stable, an overview of its major systems, and how life is classified.
Read the 4 lessons →10. AP: Membranes, Transport & Water Potential Pro · AP Bio · Unit 2
The fluid mosaic membrane, passive and active transport, and the water-potential math the AP exam loves.
11. AP: Biomolecules, Enzymes & Energetics Pro · AP Bio · Units 1 & 3
Macromolecule structure at AP depth, enzyme regulation and inhibition, and chemiosmosis in mitochondria and chloroplasts.
12. AP: Cell Communication & Cell Cycle Control Pro · AP Bio · Unit 4
How cells signal each other (reception → transduction → response), feedback in homeostasis, and the molecular controls on the cell cycle.
13. AP: Gene Regulation & Biotechnology in Depth Pro · AP Bio · Unit 6
Operons, eukaryotic gene control and epigenetics, RNA processing, and the lab techniques (PCR, gels, cloning) behind modern biology.
14. AP: Linkage, Chi-Square & Population Genetics Pro · AP Bio · Units 5 & 7
Linked genes and map distance, chi-square hypothesis testing, nondisjunction, and Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium.
15. AP: Quantitative Ecology & Experimental Design Pro · AP Bio · Unit 8 + Science Practices
Population growth models, community interactions, biodiversity indices, and designing and interpreting experiments with error bars.
Sample practice questions
From module 1, The Chemistry of Life. Pick your answers, then check them in the app, with an explanation for every question.
1. Why does water have a high specific heat (resist temperature change)?
2. Which macromolecule stores and transmits genetic information?
Sample flashcards
4 of the cards in this course's deck. Tap a card to flip it.
Cell TheoryWhat are the three parts of cell theory?
All living things are made of cells; the cell is the basic unit of life; all cells come from pre-existing cells.
Cell StructureWhat is the function of the mitochondria?
It breaks down glucose with oxygen (cellular respiration) to produce ATP, the cell's energy currency.
GeneticsWhat is the difference between DNA and RNA?
DNA is double-stranded, uses deoxyribose sugar and the base thymine, and stores genetic information; RNA is usually single-stranded, uses ribose sugar and the base uracil, and carries out protein synthesis.
GeneticsWhat is a Punnett square used for?
Predicting the possible genotype and phenotype combinations of offspring from a genetic cross between two parents.
The full course is in LectureMate's Course Library: every module quiz with explanations, the complete flashcard deck with spaced repetition, and a 6-step strategy for AP Biology questions. Foundation modules are free; AP-level and advanced modules need Pro.