energy
20 concepts carry this thread across the degree.
The levels of protein structure
From amino-acid sequence to folded, functional shape.
Enzymes and activation energy
Biological catalysts that speed reactions without being consumed.
The DNA double helix
Complementary base pairing on two antiparallel strands.
Lipids and self-assembly
Amphipathic molecules spontaneously form bilayers.
Carbohydrates and polysaccharides
Sugars as energy stores and structural polymers.
Trophic levels and energy flow
Energy dissipates as it passes up a food chain.
Logistic population growth
Growth slows as a population nears carrying capacity.
Competition and the niche
Two species cannot occupy the same niche indefinitely.
Predator-prey dynamics
Coupled cycles of predator and prey abundance.
Biogeochemical cycles
How carbon and nitrogen move through ecosystems.
The light reactions of photosynthesis
Turning light into ATP and NADPH.
The Calvin cycle
Fixing carbon dioxide into sugar.
The cohesion-tension theory
How water is pulled up a plant.
Plant hormones and tropisms
Directional growth in response to stimuli.
Stomatal regulation
Trading gas exchange against water loss.
Protein folding
The thermodynamics that select the native state.
X-ray crystallography
Determining structure from diffraction.
Enzyme kinetics
The Michaelis-Menten model of catalysis.
Allosteric regulation
Control by binding at a site away from the active site.
Molecular motors
Proteins that convert chemical energy into motion.