5 Steps to a 5 AP Biology, 2014-2015 Edition

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THE FOUR “BIG IDEAS”

OF AP BIOLOGY

The College Board has identified four key concepts, called “big ideas,” that form the basis

for the AP Biology curriculum. All the topics covered in the AP Biology course and all the

questions on the AP Biology exam are linked to at least one of these big ideas.

The outline that follows provides a basic summary of the four “big ideas” of AP Biology.

Each of the four ideas is subdivided into topics, and under each topic are statements that

identify essential knowledge. You won’t need to memorize this—you won’t be asked to list

even the big ideas—but you will need to be sure you have a good understanding of them.

They are the fundamental concepts on which the course and the exam are based.

As you work through the content review chapters of this book, you’ll find icons in the

margin with cryptic numbers and letters. Don’t let these confuse you! Those icons are there

to help you understand how the subject matter in the review chapters fits into the big ideas

of the AP Biology course. Look at the example in the left margin.

In this example, the number 4 refers to the fourth big idea, “Interactions” (see outline).

The letter A refers to topic A under big idea number 4, which is “Biological systems (from

cells to ecosystems) contain parts that interact with each other.” The number 1 refers to the

first point of essential knowledge under topic A, “The properties of biological molecules are

determined by their components (monomers and polymers).” As you make your way

through the subject review in this book, it is very helpful to keep an eye on the big picture

and keep in mind how all the content you review relates to these four big ideas.

Big Idea 1: Evolution

A. Evolution is change over time.

1. Evolution occurs because of natural selection.


2. Natural selection acts on phenotypic variations in populations.


3. Evolutionary change is random.


4. Evolution is supported by scientific evidence.
   B. Descent from common ancestry links organisms.


5. Many features are widely conserved (found in all sorts of organisms).


6. Phylogenetic trees and cladograms are visual representations of these relationships.
   C. Evolution continues in a changing environment.


7. Speciation increases diversity and extinction reduces diversity; both have occurred
   throughout history.


8. Speciation is often a result of reproductive isolation.


9. Organisms continue to evolve.
   D. Natural processes explain the origin of life.


10. There are different hypotheses, each supported by evidence, about how life began.


11. Different hypotheses of how life began are supported by scientific evidence from
    many disciplines.

BIG IDEA 4.A.1
The subcomponents
of a molecule deter-
mine its properties.

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