AP Biology study plan

Diagram glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation from memory, labeling inputs, outputs, and ATP/NADH/FADH2 yields at each stage

Distinguish aerobic from anaerobic respiration by predicting ATP yield and final electron acceptor in each pathway

Explain how chemiosmosis couples the electron transport chain to ATP synthase, and predict the effect of an uncoupling agent on ATP production

Compare the light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle in terms of location, reactants, products, and energy carriers

Define fitness in terms of reproductive success and apply it to novel scenarios

Calculate allele and genotype frequencies using Hardy-Weinberg equations and identify when assumptions are violated

Distinguish directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection from described population data

Explain how mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection each change allele frequencies

Describe transcription and translation in order, naming enzymes, templates, and directionality

Predict the protein-level consequence of a point mutation, frameshift, or nonsense mutation

Explain how operons and transcription factors regulate gene expression in prokaryotes versus eukaryotes

Trace the path from a primary transcript to a functional protein, including splicing, capping, and post-translational modification

Compare signal transduction pathways that use intracellular receptors versus cell-surface receptors

Map the stages of the cell cycle and identify checkpoints and the cyclin/CDK regulation at each

Predict outcomes when a checkpoint fails or a signaling component is constitutively active

Distinguish apoptosis from necrosis and explain how apoptosis is regulated

Compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structures and predict which organelles are present in given cell types

Explain how membrane structure determines transport selectivity, including simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport

Predict the direction of water movement across membranes under given solute conditions

Describe the endomembrane system's role in protein synthesis, modification, and export

Predict offspring ratios from monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, including sex-linked and non-Mendelian patterns

Explain how meiosis generates genetic variation through independent assortment and crossing over

Distinguish nondisjunction outcomes in meiosis I versus meiosis II

Analyze pedigree data to determine the most likely mode of inheritance

Relate the properties of water to hydrogen bonding and predict consequences for biological systems

Identify the monomers and polymers of the four macromolecule classes and the bonds linking them

Explain how protein structure determines function and predict the effect of denaturation or a substitution on folding

Describe how pH and buffers maintain homeostasis in biological systems

Explain energy flow and trophic efficiency through a food web and predict effects of removing a keystone species

Compare density-dependent and density-independent population regulation and interpret survivorship curves

Describe the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles and identify human impacts on each

Synthesize evolution and ecology by explaining how environmental change drives selection in a population