🧬 AP Biology – 2023 Cheat Sheet | 👉🏽 See all AP Bio study guides | @thinkfiveable

🧪 Unit 1
Chemistry of Life
👷 Unit 2
Cell Structure & Function
🔋Unit 3
Cellular Energetics

● Water has hydrogen bonds = fun, special properties! ● Organelle mania: ribosomes make proteins; ER detoxes, ● Enzymes lower activation energy ⇒ catalyze chem rxn
○ Cohesion (water molecules stick to each other) makes lipids; Golgi complex folds, packages proteins; ● Enzymes meet substrate @ active site
○ Adhesion (water molecules stick to other surfaces) mitochondria powerhouse of cell; lysosomes expels waste ● Enzymes love certain pH, temperature, concentration; otherwise
○ Surface tension (bugs walk on water!) ● Inner membrane folds → increase surf. area… more ATP made! they'll be less efficient or denature
● Hydrolysis = cleave monomer bonds; dehy. synt. = form more resources, more waste expelled = win, win! ● Competitive inhibitors (compete for active site) and
● DNA and RNA: made of nucleic acids, genetic information ● High surface area + smaller volume = ideal ratio for cells noncompetitive inhibitors (sabotage active site binding) = BAD
○ Nucleotides made of (1) deoxy/ribose, (2) ● Phospholipid bilayers are (p)icky: nutrients pass on their own, ● PHOTOSYNTHESIS – 2 parts: (1) chlorophylls charge electrons in
phosphate grp, (3) nitrogenous base. some need channel proteins to chaperone photosystems I and II w/ light energy; (2) Calvin cycle powers
● Proteins: made of amino acids; order of the polypeptide ○ Small nonpolar (N2, O2, CO2) easily pass; large polar don't carb. production @ stroma using electrons
⇒ protein’s structure and function. ● Passive transport = high to low conc. w/o ATP cost ● Cell respiration (need O2) & fermentation (don't need) make ATP
● Carbohydrates: made of sugar monomers; store energy! ○ Facilitated diffusion uses proteins to move H2O, Na+, K+, etc ● CELL. RESPIRATION: transfer of electrons → proton gradient →
● Lipids: nonpolar, vary in saturation; found in cell ● Active transport = low to high. conc. w/ ATP cost (bike up hill) ATP produced → organism uses up energy → cycle repeats!
membrane ● Endosymbiosis theory: organelles merged>form new species ● Big takeaway: organisms always need energy to function!

🦠Unit 4
Cell Communication & Cell Cycle
👪 Unit 5
Heredity
🧬Unit 6
Gene Expression & Regulation

● SIGNALING types: paracrine = nearby cells, endocrine = ● DNA replicates 5’ to 3’-style, semi-conservative way
● Meiosis: di→haploid set of chromosomes (n)
long distances, autocrine = within own cell ● Enzyme mania: helicase = unwinds; topoisomerase = prevents
● Meiosis I: homologous chromosomes cross over (swap bits)
● SIgnal transduc.: reception → transduction → response coiling; DNA polymerase = builds DNA molecule; ligase =
and split (X X >>> X and X)
● Reception: ligand (molecule) binds to cell memb. receptor combines fragments in lagging strand.
● Meiosis II: sister chromatids (X >>> \ and /)
(e.g. ion-gated channel, G-protein coupled receptor) ● Transcription: DNA copied into RNA; processing involves (1) GTP
● Crossing over & indep. assortment = more genetic diversity
● Transduction: signal amplifies w/ help of messengers cap and poly-A tail addition + (2) intron splicing
● Mono/dihybrid crosses = handy tool to predict inheritance
● Response: gene transcription activates/some other way ● Translation: ribosome reads mRNA ⇒ protein!
patterns for autosomal/sex-linked genes.
● Negative feedback = reduce stimulus (insulin & glucose). ● Gene expression – regulated by transcription factors
● Genotype = genetic makeup, phenotype = appearance
● Positive feedback = increase response (oxytocin & birth) (eukaryotic) or operons (prokaryotic).
● Pedigrees – use to track traits across multiple generations!
● Cell cycle: three stages of interphase (G1, S, G2) before ● DNA mutations ⇒ protein loses/gains function (or unaffected)
● Environment can affect phenotype: weight, melanin, fur color…
it enters into mitosis ● Gel electrophoresis: separates DNA fragments by size
● Human genetic disorders – caused by mutated alleles,
● Mitosis: cell duplicates entire genome → identical ● PCR: amplifies DNA segments
chromosome changes (nondisjunction), etc
daughter cells ● Bacterial transformation: introduces DNA to bacterial cells.

🦍Unit 7
Natural Selection
🌲 Unit 8
Ecology
💯FRQ Tips
● Reproductive success = evolutionary fitness ● Homeostasis = maintain internal equilibrium, respond to env. ● Read. The. Question. Carefully. (read directions carefully)
● Competition + selective pressure ⇒ natural selection ● Net gain in energy = growth in an organism! ● Figure out which are worth the most points, the least points, will
● Random events (mutations) & genetic drift drive evol. ● Endotherms: use heat → int. temps. (exotherms can't) take the longest, will be the quickest… then prioritize!
● Use Hardy-Weinberg equation to predict equilib. freqs! ● Some factors limit populations; popns create s (logistic) curve ● Identify and graph/draw questions = quickest to respond to
● Common ancestry links lots of organisms ● Simpson's Diversity Index: calculates ecosystem diversity (don’t require complete sentences) and get out of the way
● Phylogenetic trees, cladograms: relates diff. lineages ● More biodiversity in ecosys. = more resilient to disruptions ● Skip the fluff and go straight to the point
● Extinction: provides newly available niches. ● Kinds of species interactions: commensalism, mutualism, ● Label your responses (a, b, c, …)
● Variation: affects population dynamics parasitism, predator-prey, competition, etc. ● COMMIT TO YOUR ANSWER! Erase “might” and “possible” and “I
● Going up a trophic level = only 10% energy transferred; most think” from your vocabulary
energy lost via heat ● If possible, always give an example

🧪Unit 1 proteins, DNA/RNA, carbs, lipids // 👷Unit 2 cell transport, osmoregulation // 🔋Unit 3 photosynthesis, cell. respiration // 🦠Unit 4 signal transduction,
👪 Unit 5 meiosis, geno/phenotype // 🧬Unit 6 central dogma, operons // 🦍Unit 7 fitness, natural selection, variation // 🌲 Unit 8 homeostasis, logistic growth //
Key Terms:
cell cycle //