Castilla y León PAU Biology study materials
Castilla y León PAU Biology study resources

Castilla y León PAU Biology cheat sheet

Castilla y León PAU Biology · Keep the key ideas within reach.

Quick reference

Module 2: Biomolecules - Water, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Enzymes

  • Condensation forms glycosidic, ester and peptide bonds; hydrolysis reverses them.

  • Reducing-sugar test interpretation requires suitable assay conditions and controls; hydrolysis can change sucrose test results.

  • Cellulose = β-1,4 glucose, straight H-bonded microfibrils; starch and glycogen = α-glucose.

  • Triglyceride = glycerol + 3 fatty acids; phospholipid = phosphate head + 2 tails, amphipathic.

  • Enzymes lower activation energy; specificity comes from active-site shape.

  • Simple reversible competition increases apparent Km without changing Vmax; pure noncompetitive inhibition lowers Vmax without changing Km.

Quick reference

Module 1: Cell Biology - Ultrastructure, Membranes and Cell Division

  • Prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus; bacterial peptidoglycan walls are not universal and archaeal walls differ.

  • Fluid mosaic membranes contain a lipid bilayer and proteins; sterol and carbohydrate composition depends on the cell.

  • Facilitated diffusion is passive; primary active transport may use ATP directly and secondary transport uses a gradient.

  • Water potential ψ = ψs + ψp; water moves from higher (less negative) to lower ψ.

  • Mitosis (P-M-A-T) after S-phase replication maintains chromosome number.

  • Cytokinesis: cleavage furrow in animals, cell plate in plants.

Quick reference

Module 3: Genetics - DNA, Gene Expression, Meiosis and Inheritance

  • A–T has 2 hydrogen bonds, G–C has 3; strands are antiparallel with 3′–5′ phosphodiester bonds.

  • Semi-conservative replication: helicase, DNA polymerase (5′→3′), ligase on the lagging strand.

  • The standard code is triplet and degenerate, nearly universal; AUG is a common start codon with biological exceptions.

  • Meiosis I separates homologues; crossing over in prophase I produces recombinants.

  • A test cross is with a homozygous recessive to reveal an unknown genotype.

  • Informative linked-locus crosses often give excess parentals; recombination percentage approximates short map distances, not all intervals exactly.

Quick reference

Metabolismo celular: catabolismo y anabolismo, respiración, fotosíntesis, enzimas

  • En modelos simples: competitivo reversible aumenta Km aparente sin cambiar Vmax; no competitivo puro baja Vmax sin cambiar Km.

  • Glucólisis en el citosol: 2 ATP netos, 2 NADH y 2 piruvato por glucosa.

  • Krebs: por vuelta 3 NADH, 1 FADH₂, 1 ATP y 2 CO₂; dos vueltas por glucosa.

  • Cadena respiratoria: quimiosmosis, ATP sintasa y O₂ como aceptor final de electrones.

  • Fase luminosa produce ATP y NADPH; el O₂ viene de la fotólisis del agua.

  • Ciclo de Calvin: RuBisCO fija CO₂ y consume ATP y NADPH para sintetizar glúcidos.

Quick reference

Scientific Inquiry, Methodology, and the Nature of Science

  • Hypothesis = testable prediction; theory = broad supported explanation; law = consistent regularity.

  • Independent variable is manipulated; dependent is measured; controls are held constant.

  • Random assignment supports experimental causal inference; an observed association alone does not establish causation.

  • Accuracy = closeness to truth; precision = repeatability.

  • Replication and sample size reduce the influence of random chance.

Quick reference

Microbiología, inmunología y biotecnología: virus, bacterias, respuesta inmunitaria, aplicaciones biotecnológicas

  • Los virus son acelulares; los ciclos lítico y lisogénico son modelos de determinados bacteriófagos, no de todos los virus.

  • Retrovirus: retrotranscriptasa convierte ARN en ADN e integra el provirus.

  • Muchas bacterias tienen peptidoglicano; pared, plásmidos y otros rasgos deben comprobarse en cada organismo.

  • Linfocitos B → células plasmáticas → anticuerpos; CD4 ayudan y CD8 citotóxicos matan células infectadas.

  • La memoria adaptativa puede acelerar la respuesta; el predominio de IgG depende del contexto de la respuesta sistémica.

  • PCR: N0 por 2^n solo con duplicación ideal; en el mismo gel, ADN lineal pequeño suele migrar más lejos.

Quick reference

Biotechnology: interpreting DNA evidence and model controls

  • PCR copies a selected DNA region; ideal N0 times 2^n requires perfect doubling.

  • Positive, no-template and extraction controls test different potential failures.

  • DNA fragment length is not the same as nucleotide sequence identity.

  • Genomic DNA presence does not by itself establish gene expression.

  • A genetic change requires suitable evidence before its phenotype is inferred.