Tracks and Trails

The focus for this unit is local biology. Students will study local biology and consider the diversity of life by investigating how living things are classified, structured from cells and are adapted to survive and continue.

This unit, Tracks and Trails, consists of 8 topics: Diversity of life, Cell structure, From cells to systems, Food chains, Relationships, Adaptations, Variation and Life cycles.

Living Biology

Biological Sciences Unit 1B (Living Biology) focuses on ecosystems as life supporting environments and the requirements of living organisms. The student will discover how living things use a variety of ways to reproduce and, through an introduction to the applications of biotechnology, how reproduction can be controlled to improve the quality and yield of livestock and crops.
Living biology includes a range of current biological issues which will enable the student to make informed decisions about important topics, such as the control of introduced species and the use of genetic manipulation in the production of food.
This unit, Living Biology, consists of six topics:
• Ecosystems
• Interactions and change
• Staying alive
• Reproduction and breeding
• Applications of biotechnology
• Biological issues.

Adaptions for Survival 

The focus for this unit is adaptations. Organisms can survive in places where matter and energy are available if they are able to obtain them. Adaptations help solve the problems of survival. Students will explore life processes such as photosynthesis and respiration when considering the roles of organisms in the cycling of matter and the flow of energy in ecosystems. Students develop an understanding of biological classification and that ecosystems vary and are formed by productive communities.

Patterns of change

Biological Sciences Unit 2B (Patterns of Change) focuses on the relationships between organisms as populations in communities, through a study of ecosystems using field sampling techniques such as quadrats. The student will also discover how certain reproductive processes and environmental influences can provide genetic variety for species survival in stable and changing environments.

This unit, Patterns of Change, consists of 6 topics:
• Populations
• Fieldwork
• Reproduction
• Adaptations and life cycles
• Genetics
• Patterns of inheritance.