Unit I. Fundamentals of biology -- 1. The basic structure of science -- The methods of science -- Biology as a science -- The significance of evolution -- Organization of life -- 2. The chemistry of life : an inorganic perspective -- Atoms, molecules, and chemical bonding -- Chemical reactions and the concept of equilibrium -- Colligative properties of solutions -- The laws of thermodynamics -- The special case of water -- Maintaining stable pH in living systems -- 3. The chemistry of life : the organic level -- Carbohydrates -- Proteins -- Structure and functions of lipids -- The chemical basis of living systems -- Unit II. Biology of the cell -- 4. The cellular organization of life -- The cell doctrine -- Cellular organization -- Cellular organelles -- Plant and animal cells : tissue organization -- Cell size and its constraints -- Movement into and out of the cell -- 5. Energy transformations -- Energy and life -- Thermodynamics -- Cell metabolism -- Bioenergetics -- 6. Photosynthesis -- The light reaction -- The dark reaction (Calvin-Benson Cycle) -- Photorespiration -- The C4 pathway -- Structure and function in the chloroplast -- Unit III. Genetics and inheritance -- 7. The nature of the gene -- The concept of information processing in the cell -- The search for the chemical bases of inheritance -- Encoding information : the language of the gene -- Processing the information : protein synthesis -- Reproduction of information : DNA replication -- Modification of information : mutation -- Genetic engineering -- 8. Cell reproduction -- Cell cycles and life cycles -- The chromosomes as packaged genes -- Mitosis -- Meiosis -- A possible mechanism for crossing over -- Sexual reproduction and genetic variability -- 9. The mechanism of inheritance -- Pre-Mendelian concepts -- Mendel's Laws -- Linkage -- Mapping the chromosomes -- Sex linkage -- Variations in gene expression -- Chromosomes and gene expression -- Treating genetic diseases -- 10. Control mechanisms in genetics -- The Operon Hypothesis -- Cistron, recon, and muton -- Gene regulation in eukaryotes -- Cancer as a genetic aberration -- 11. Embryology -- Animal development -- Human development -- Plant development -- Control of differentiation -- Major contributions to the field of embryology -- 12. Animal reproduction -- An evolutionary survey -- Male reproductive system in humans -- Female reproductive system in humans -- Sexual response in humans -- Contraception -- Sexual preference -- Sexual dysfunction -- Unit IV. Plant biology -- 13. Basic structure and function in vascular plants -- Plant nutrition -- Movement of water and minerals in xylem -- Movement of food through the phloem -- 14. Interactions of vascular plants with their environment -- Tropisms -- Plant hormones -- Photoperiodism -- Plant diseases.

Unit V. Animal biology -- 15. Homeostasis : regulation of physiological functions -- Feedback control -- Regulation of temperature -- Regulation of blood sugar -- 16. Animal nutrition and the digestive system -- Food procurement -- Digestion and absorption -- The vertebrate liver -- Diet and health -- Special case of the vitamins -- Obesity and eating disorders -- Deficiency diseases -- 17. The excretory system -- Excretion in invertebrates -- Structure of the vertebrate kidney -- Functioning of the vertebrate kidney -- Human kidney function -- Homeostatic function of the kidney -- Accessory excretory structures -- 18. The circulatory system -- Comparative cardiovascular systems of vertebrates -- The human heart -- Arteries, veins, and capillaries -- Control of blood pressure -- Constituents of blood and lymph -- Osmoregulation -- 19. Immunology -- The human immune systems -- The immune response -- Hybridomas -- AIDS -- Human blood groups -- 20. The respiratory system -- Mechanisms of external respiration -- Mammalian respiration -- regulation of breathing -- Exchange of O2 and CO2 in the blood -- 21. Hormones and the endocrine system -- Early endocrine systems -- Vertebrate endocrine systems -- Mode of action of hormones -- 22. The nervous system -- Phylogenetic development of the nervous system -- The neuron as the functional unit of nervous activity -- The neural impulse -- The synapse -- Reflex arc -- Receptors and effectors -- Special sense organs -- Brain and spinal cord -- Autonomic nervous system -- 23. The musculoskeletal system: support and movement -- Invertebrate support systems -- The vertebrate endoskeleton -- Anatomy and physiology of vertebrate muscle -- 24. Animal behavior -- What is behavior? -- Components of behavior -- Cyclic behavior patterns -- Sexual behavior -- Social organization -- Modes of communication -- Biological determinism and behavior -- Unit VI. Evolution and ecology -- 25. Evolution : the process -- Abrief history of the concept of change in organisms -- The notion of a gene pool : Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium -- Natural selection : a modern synthesis -- Punctuated equilibrium -- Molecular biology of evolutionary change -- Control of gene pools -- Speciation -- Microevolution versus macroevolution -- 26. Ecology -- Anatomy of an ecosystem -- Types of ecosystems -- Stability and ecological succession -- Biomass and species dispersal -- Upsetting the stability of an ecosystem -- 27. Origin of life -- The Oparin Hypothesis -- Heterotroph to autotroph -- Origin of cells -- Unit VII. Biological diversity -- 28. The kingdom Monera (the prokaryotes) -- Archaebacteria and eubacteria -- The significance and origin of organelles -- Bacteria, the ecosphere, and human interactions -- 29. The kingdom Protista -- Protozoans -- Algal protists -- Fungilike protists -- 30. The kingdom Fungi -- Basic structure of fungi -- Divisions of fungi -- Reproductive strategies of the fungi -- Fungi as friends and foes -- 31. The kingdom Plantae -- Bryophytes and the challenge of a terrestrial environment -- The vascular plants -- Seed plants -- Economic importance of plants -- The Green Revolution -- 32. The kingdom Animalia -- Subkingdom parazoa : the sponges -- Radiata : cnidaria and ctenophora -- Bilateria : deuterostomes and protostomes -- Acoelomates -- Pseudocoelomates : rotifera and nematoda -- Protostome coelomates -- Deuterostome coelomates -- 33. The primates -- Primate lineages -- Primate characteristics -- Humankind and its destiny -- Misconceptions of the evolutionary relationship between humans and apes.