Biology: Provincial Level
Ecology:
Core Topics
A. Cell Biology
- Explain the role of molecules, including water, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids
- Describe major structures and functions of cells and their components, including the basic mechanisms of
- Gene expression
- Membrane transport
- DNA replication
- Describe the role of enzymes and their importance to cellular processes.
- Outline the processes of cellular respiration
- Describe and compare mitosis and meiosis
B. Bioenergetics
- Outline the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration and their relationship to one another
C. Plant Anatomy and Physiology
- Describe the major plant tissue types and their functions
- Describe the functions of plant control and reproductive systems
D. Animal Anatomy and Physiology
- Apply the concept of homeostasis
- Demonstrate knowledge of integration of tissues, organs and systems
- Identify structures and describe functions of the following systems:
- Respiratory system
- Cardiovascular system
- Skeleton-muscular system
- Reproductive system
- Nervous and sensory systems
E. Ecology
- Use fundamentals of classification to identify organisms
- Explain how plant and animal diversity enables adaptation to environments
- Explain the principles of population dynamics: population growth, density, distribution, and regularity
- Explain ecosystem dynamics: energy flow and nutrient cycling
- Explain community dynamics, including community structure, diversity, and interspecific relationships
- Demonstrate knowledge of the challenges to biome integrity
Laboratory Skills
All Provincial Biology courses must include a minimum of seven dedicated laboratory and / or fieldwork activities. The learning outcomes for these are described in the Overall Learning Outcomes for biology.