Biology : exploring life -- Biology : the scientific study of life -- The process of science -- Five unifying themes in biology -- Evolution -- Life depends on the flow of information -- Structure and function are related -- Life depends on the transfer and transformation of energy and matter -- Life depends on interactions within and between systems -- unit I. The life of the cell -- 2. The chemical basis of life -- Elements, atoms, and compounds -- Chemical bonds -- Water's life-supporting properties -- Hydrogen bonds -- 3. Molecules of cells -- Introduction to organic compounds -- Carbohydrates -- Lipids -- Proteins -- Nucleic acids -- 4. A tour of the cell -- Introduction to the cell -- The nucleus and ribosomes -- The endomembrane system -- Energy-converting organelles -- The cytoskeleton and cell surfaces -- 5. The working cell -- Membrane structure and function -- Energy and the cell -- How enzymes function -- 6 . How cells harvest chemical energy -- Cellular respiration : aerobic harvesting of energy -- Stages of cellular respiration -- Fermentation : anaerobic harvesting of energy -- Connections between metabolic pathways -- 7. Photosynthesis : using light to make food -- An introduction to photosynthesis -- The light reactions : converting solar energy to chemical energy -- The Calvin Cycle : reducing CO2 to sugar -- The global significance of photosynthesis -- unit II. Cellular reproduction and genetics -- 8. The cellular basis of reproduction and inheritance -- Cell division and reproduction -- The eukaryotic cell cycle and mitosis -- Meiosis and crossing over -- Alterations of chromosome number and structure -- 9. Patterns of inheritance -- Mendel's Laws -- Variations on Mendel's Laws -- The chromosomal basis of inheritance -- Sex chromosomes and sex-linked genes -- 10. Molecular biology of the gene -- The structure of genetic material -- DNA replication -- The flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein -- The genetics of viruses and bacteria -- 12. DNA technology and genomics -- Genetically modified organisms -- DNA profiling -- Genomics and bioinformatics -- Genomes. unit III. Concepts of evolution -- 13. How populations evolve -- Darwin's theory of evolution -- The evolution of populations -- Mechanisms of microevolution -- 14. The origin of species -- Defining species -- Mechanisms of speciation -- unit IV. The evolution of biological diversity -- 16. Microbial life : prokaryotes and protists -- Prokaryotes -- Protists -- 17. The evolution of plant and fungal diversity -- Plant evolution and diversity -- Alternation of generations and plant life cycles -- Diversity of fungi -- 18. The evolution of invertebrate diversity -- Animal evolution and diversity -- Invertebrate diversity -- 19. The evolution of vertebrate diversity -- Primate diversity -- Hominin evolution -- unit V. Animals : form and function -- 20. Unifying concepts of animal structure and function -- Structure and function in animal tissues -- Organs and organ systems -- External exchange and internal regulation -- 21. Nutrition and digestion -- Obtaining and processing food -- The human digestive system -- Nutrition -- 24. The immune system -- Innate immunity -- Adaptive immunity -- Disorders of the immune system -- 27. Reproduction and embryonic development -- Asexual and sexual reproduction -- Human reproduction -- Principles of embryonic development -- Human development -- unit VII. Ecology -- 36. Population structure and dynamics -- 37. Communities and ecosystems -- Community structure and dynamics -- Ecosystem structure and dynamics -- Appendix 1. Metric conversion table --Appendix 2. The Periodic Table -- Appendix 3. The amino acids of proteins.