The fourth edition of a bestseller, this book presents, in a clear, concise, and visual way, the main biological content required by all the examining boards for both the GCSE Double Award Science and separate Biology Award, including IGCSE. It is also useful as an introductory guide for AS Biology. The fourth edition has been revised to include new material on industrial fermenters and their applications, plus additional material on flowering plants.
CELLS:
Cells, Variety of Cells, Levels of organisation, How substances enter a cell, Osmosis, Osmosis in action, Osmosis and plant cells, The importance of volume and surface area, Surface area to volume ratio,
BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES:
Protein, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Food tests, Enzymes, Commercial uses of enzymes,
VARIATION AND INHERITANCE:
Variation, Causes of genetic variation, DNA, Cells and chromosomes, Dominant and recessive features, Genetic crosses 1, Genetic crosses 2, Cystic Fibrosis and Huntington’s disease, Sickle cell anaemia, Sex chromosomes, Sex-linked characteristics, Haemophilia, Codominance.
APPLICATIONS OF GENETICS:
Genetic engineering, Genetic fingerprinting, Selective breeding., Industrial fermenters.
CELL DIVISION AND EVOLUTION:
Cell division Mitosis and Meiosis, Cell division and the human lifecycle, Mitosis and Meiosis, Growth, Asexual reproduction in plants (natural), Asexual reproduction in plants (artificial), Cloning by tissue culture, Plant hormones – auxins, Evolution, Evidence for evolution, Species, Fossils, Classification of living things.
ECOLOGY:
Food chains and food webs, Woodland habitat, Pond habitat, Animal adaptations, Estimating population size, Populations, Pyramids of numbers, Pyramids of biomass, Pyramids of energy, Energy losses and food production, Water cycle, Carbon cycle, Nitrogen cycle.
HUMAN EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT:
Importance of tropical rain forests, The Greenhouse effect, Air pollution, Pollution in a river, Eutrophication, Fish farming, Farmed salmon, Pesticides. MICROBES: Useful and harmful microbes, Decomposers, Treatment of Sewage, Food preservation, How diseases spread, Defences of the body to pathogens, Antibodies and immunity.
NUTRITION AND CIRCULATION:
Human teeth, Tooth decay, The human digestive system 1, The human digestive system 2, Duodenum, Absorption, Structure of blood, Blood cells, Movement of blood around the body, Heart 1, Heart 2, Blood vessels, Capillaries.
GAS EXCHANGE AND RESPIRATION:
The human thorax, Gas exchanges in the Alveoli, Breathing 1, Breathing 2, Respiration – aerobic and anaerobic, Words to remember.
HOMEOSTASIS:
The endocrine system, Adrenal glands, Control of blood sugar levels, Homeostasis and the liver, The skin, Temperature regulation, Homeostasis eg. control of body temperature, Excretion in humans, The kidneys and a section through a kidney, A nephron, Control of water in the blood, Hormonal control of water level.
REPRODUCTION:
Human reproduction systems, The menstrual cycle 1, Hormonal control of the menstrual cycle, The placenta.
COORDINATION:
The nervous system, The eye, Vision – how we see, The spinal cord, Skeleton and movement, Drugs.
PLANTS:
Leaves and photosynthesis, Transport in plants, Uses of sugar made in photosynthesis, Limiting factors in photosynthesis, Minerals and plants, Water movement through a plant, Transpiration, Opening and closing of stomata, Leaves, Life cycle of a Plum tree, Flowers and reproduction, Methods of Pollination, Germination.
Biography
Judy Dodds
Praise for the Previous Edition:
...an excellent book. It is well worth getting hold of a copy to see for yourself.
—School Science Review
