BIO.1: Cells as a System
1.1: Biologists have determined that organisms share unique characteristics that differentiate them from non-living things. Organisms range from very simple to extremely complex.
BIO.1A: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of life and biological organization.
1.2: Organisms are composed of four primary macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions between molecules within cells. Cells continuously utilize materials obtained from the environment and the breakdown of other macromolecules to synthesize their own large macromolecules for cellular structures and functions. These metabolic reactions require enzymes for catalysis.
BIO.1B: Students will analyze the structure and function of the macromolecules that make up cells.
1.3: Cells are the basic units of all organisms, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells differ in key structural features, but both can perform all functions necessary for life.
BIO.1C: Students will relate the diversity of organelles to a variety of specialized cellular functions.
1.4: The structure of the cell membrane allows it to be a selectively permeable barrier and maintain homeostasis. Substances that enter or exit the cell must do so via the cell membrane. This transport across the membrane may occur through a variety of mechanisms, including simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis, and active transport.
BIO.1D: Students will describe the structure of the cell membrane and analyze how the structure is related to its primary function of regulating transport in and out of cells to maintain homeostasis.
1.5: Cells grow and reproduce through a regulated cell cycle. Within multicellular organisms, cells repeatedly divide for repair, replacement, and growth. Likewise, an embryo begins as a single cell that reproduces to form a complex, multicellular organism through the processes of cell division and differentiation.
BIO.1E: Students will develop and use models to explain the role of the cell cycle during growth, development, and maintenance in multicellular organisms.
BIO.2: Energy Transfer
27.1: Organisms require energy to perform life functions. Cells are transformers of energy, continuously utilizing a complex sequence of reactions in which energy is transferred from one form to another, for example, from light energy to chemical energy to kinetic energy. Emphasis is on illustrating the inputs and outputs of matter and the transfer and transformation of energy in photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Assessment is limited to identification of the phases (i.e., glycolysis, citric acid cycle, and electron transport chain) in cellular respiration as well as light and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis and does not include specific biochemical reactions within the phases.
BIO.2A: Students will explain that cells transform energy through the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration to drive cellular functions.
BIO.3: Reproduction and Heredity
35.1: Somatic cells contain homologous pairs of chromosomes, one member of each pair obtained from each parent, which forms a diploid set of chromosomes in each cell. These chromosomes are similar in genetic information but may contain different alleles of these genes. For sexual reproduction, an offspring must inherit a haploid set from each parent. Haploid gametes are formed by meiosis, a specialized cell division in which the chromosome number is reduced by half. During meiosis, members of a homologous pair may exchange information and then are randomly sorted into gametes resulting in genetic variation in sex cells.
BIO.3A: Students will develop and use models to explain the role of meiosis in the production of haploid gametes required for sexual reproduction.
35.2: Offspring inherit DNA from their parents. The genes contained in the DNA (genotype) determine the traits expressed in the offspring’s phenotype. Alleles of a gene may demonstrate various patterns of inheritance. These patterns of inheritance may be followed through multiple generations within families.
BIO.3B: Students will analyze and interpret data collected from probability calculations to explain the variation of expressed traits within a population.
35.3: Gene expression results in the production of proteins and thus determines the phenotypes of the organism. Changes in DNA occur throughout an organism’s life. Mutations are a source of genetic variation that may have a positive, negative, or no effect on the organism.
BIO.3C: Students will construct an explanation based on evidence to describe how the structure and nucleotide base sequence of DNA determines the structure of proteins or RNA that carry out essential functions of life.
BIO.4: Adaptations and Evolution
54.1: Evolution is a key unifying principle in biology. Differentiating between organic and chemical evolution and the analysis of the gradual changes in populations over time helps students understand common features and differences between species and thus the relatedness between species. There are several factors that affect how natural selection acts on populations within their environments leading to speciation, extinction, and the current diversity of life on earth.
BIO.4A: Students will analyze and interpret evidence to explain the unity and diversity of life.
BIO.5: Interdependence of Organisms and Their Environments
64.1: Complex interactions within an ecosystem affect the numbers and types of organisms that survive. Fluctuations in conditions can affect the ecosystem’s function, resources, and habitat availability. Ecosystems are subject to carrying capacities and can only support a limited number of organisms and populations. Factors that can affect the carrying capacities of populations are both biotic and abiotic.
BIO.5A: Students will Investigate and evaluate the interdependence of living organisms and their environment.
Correlation last revised: 5/4/2026
