SYLLABUS

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CONCEPTS
1. CONCEPT OF LIVING
i. Definition of Biology
ii. Living and Non-living things
A. Characteristics of living things
B. Differences between plants and animals
C. Classification of living things
iii. Organization of life
A. Levels of Organization of life:
1. Cell (e.g. Euglena, Paramecium)
2. Tissue (Hydra)
3. Organ (Onion) bulb, Liver)
4. System (as in Bird or Man or Angiosperms).
B. Complexity of organization in higher organisms:
iv. Cell as a living unit.
A. Forms in which living cells exist.
1. Independent organisms e.g Amoeba, Paramecium, Euglena, Chlamydomonas.
2. As a colony e.g. Volvox
3. As a filament e.g Spirogyra
4. As a part of complex organism (e.g. cheek cells, onion root tips and epidermis of fleshy leaves).
v. Cell structure and function
A. The cell theory
B. Structures and functions of cell components
C. Differences and similarities between plant and animal cells.
vi The cell and its environment.
A. Diffusion
B. Osmosis
C. Haemolysis
D. Plasmolysis
E. Turgidity
vii. Properties and functions of the cell.
A. 1. How cells feed
2. Anabolism - Usefulness of food
Cellular Respiration
1. Definition
2. Aerobi respiration (catabolism) – Kreb’s cycle
3. Anaerobic respiration
4. Energy release during respiration
Excretion
1. Excretory organelles and surfaces in living organisms.
2. Waste products of metabolic activities.
3. Forms in which waste products are excreted.
Growth
1. Basis of growth; cell division (mitosis), enlargement and differentiation
2. Regulation of growth by hormones e.g auxins
E. Cell reactions to its environment.
1. Irritability as a basic characteristic of the photoplasm.
2. Types of responses
3. Environmental factors that evoke responses.
F. Movement
1. Cyclosis
2. Organelles for Movement e.g. cilia and flagella
G. Reproduction:
Forms of reproduction
1. Asexual; including fission, budding and vegetative propagation
2. Sexual; including conjugation, and fussion in paramecium, conjugation in spirogyra should be examined and drawn, fertilization.
3. Meiosis; structure and functions f the male and female gonads
viii. Tissues, and Supporting Systems.
A. Skeleton and supporting systems in animals.
1. Biological significance
2. Skeletal frame work (e.g. bones, ossicles and cartilages).
B. Types of skeleton
1. Exoskeleton
2. Endoskeleton
C. Bones of the vertebral column
D. Functions of skeleton in animals
E. Different types of supporting tissues in plants
1. Location and arrangement of structural components
2. Main features of supporting tissues.
F. Mechanism of support
G. Functions of supporting tissues in plants:
Strength, rigidity, resistyance against the forces of the wind and water
ix. Transport system
Need for transportation
1. Due to the diminishing ratio of surface area to volume
2. Because substances have to be moved over greater distances etc.
Media of transportation
1. Cytoplasm in small organisms
2. Cell sap or latex in plants
3. Structure and functions of blood, lymph
Materials for transportation
1. Excretory products, gases, digested food and other nutrients
2. Materials transported within organisms e.g glucose, amino acids, lipids, oxygen, carbon dioxide etc.
Structure and functions of the heart, arteries, veins, capillaries and vascular bundles.
Mechanism of transportation
1. In unicellular organisms
2. Multi-cellular organisms (open and closed circulation)
3. In higher plants
Respiratory System
A. Types
1. Body surface
2. Gills
3. Lungs
4. Tracheae.
A. Mechanisms of Gaseous Exchange in
1. higher animals
2. lower animals
3. plants
xi. Excretory Systems
A. The need for excretion
B. Excretory organs/structures
1. contractile vacuoles;
2. flame cells;
3. nephridia;
4. malphigian tubules.
5. kidney;
6. skin
7. stomata
8. and lenticels in plants.
C. Excretory mechanisms in:
1. Earth worms
2. Insects
3. Flat worms
4. Mammals
D. Products of excretion
xii. Regulation of Internal Environment (Homeostasis).
A. The Kidney.
Structure and functions, Diseases of the kidney,
Their effects and ways to remedy them.
B. The Liver.
Functions, diseases of the liver and their effects.
C. Hormones.
1. Animals Hormones.
i. Types, location and function
ii. Effect of over-secretion and deficiency of different hormones.
2. Plant Hormones.
i. Types, locations and functions of auxins
ii. Modern application of auxins effects with reference to harvesting of
crops, weed control etc.
D. The Skin
1. Structure and functions of the mammalian skin
2. Care of the mammalian skin.
xiii. Nervous Co-ordination
A. The Central Nervous System
i. Components of the CNS
1. The Brain, components, descriptions and functions.
2. Structure and functions of the spinal cord.
ii. Functions of the CNS
B. Peripheral Nervous System
1. Somatic Nervous System
2. Autonomic Nervous System
C. Structures and functions of a neurone.
1. Parts of a neurone
2. Classification of neurons
3. Functions of neurons
4. Transmission of impulses
D. Reflex and Voluntary Actions
1. Pathway and action of a nerve impulse
2. Reflex action contrasted with voluntary action
E. Conditioned Reflex
Xiv Sense Organs
A. The Skin
1. Different sensations of the skin
2. Sensory nerve endings associated with the skin.
3. Functions of the skin
4. Care of the mammalian skin.
B. Organ of smell.
C. Organ of taste.
(areas associated with different tastes on the tongue).
D. Organ of sight
1. Structure and functions of the eye
2. Eye defects and their corrections
F. Organ of hearing
1. Structure and functions of the ear
2. Ear defects and care of the mammalian ear.
xv. Reproductive Systems in Vertebrates
A. Structure and functions of the male and female reproductive systems
B. Structure of the gametes (sperm and ovum)
C. Fertilization, implantation, development of the embryo and birth.
D. Stages in the development of a toad.
1. adaptive features of each stage
2. role of hormone in the development of a toad.
E. Metamorphosis in insects
F. Adaptive features in a developing animal:
1. Yolk in eggs of fish, and birds for feeding
2. Placenta in mammals
G. Oviparity, viviparity and ovoviviparity
H. Factors which affect the developing organism e.g water, food, temperature.
Xvi. Reproductive systems in plants
A. Structure and functions of the reproductive organ of plants (male and female).
B. Arrangement of the floral whorl of a named insect pollinated and a named wind pollinated flower.
C. Types of placentation
D. Pollination in flowering plants
1. Types
2. Features of self and cross pollinated flowers
3. Agents of pollination
E. Development of zygote in the flowering plants.
F. Germination of seeds (hypogeal and epigeal)
G. Structure of fruits.
H. Types of fruits
I. Dispersal of seeds and fruits by:-
1. Pairing
2. Territoriality
3. Display of colours and body parts
4. Seasonal migration
3. PLANT AND ANIMAL NUTRITION
i. Modes of Nutrition
A. Autotrophic
1. Photosynthetic
2. Chemosynthetic
B. Heterotrophic
1. Holozoic
2. Parasitic
3. Sysmbiotic
4. Saprophytic
5. Commensalism
6. Carnivorous plants.
ii. Plant Nutrition
A. Photosynthesis
1. Process of photosynthesis and its chemical equation
2. Light and dark reactions.
3. Materials and conditions necessary for photosynthesis.
4. Evidence of photosynthesis
B. Mineral requirements of plants
1. Soil and atmosphere as sources of minerals
2. Macro and micro (trace) elements
3. Effects of mineral deficiencies
4. Nitrogen, carbon, and water cycles (Nutrient cycling)
iii. Animal Nutrition
A. Sources of food substances and their classification
B. The concept of Balanced Diet and its importance
C. Food tests.
D. Digestive enzymes
1. Classes
2. Characteristics
3. Functions
iv. Digestive system
Alimentary Tracts
Types, parts and modifications of parts to effect their digestive functions.

Feeding mechanisms of some Animals.
1. Filter feeding
2. Fluid feeders
3. Feeding in protozoa
4. Feeding in Hydra
5. Feeding adaptations in insects
6. Feeding in mammals.
2. BASIC ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
i. Ecosystem – Components and Sizes.
A. Ecological concepts
B Components of an ecosystem (including abiotic, biotic)
Local biotic communities
1. Tropical rain forest
2. Southern Guinea Savanna
3. Northern Guinea Savanna
4. Sahel Savanna
5. Desert
6. Swamp/Estuarine
Major Biomes of the World
1. Tropical forest
2. Savanna
3. Desert
4. Shrub
5. Afro-alpine
6. Swamp.
Ecological Factors:
(e.g. Humidity, temperature, wind speed, rainfall and light intensity)
1. Importance of ecological factors to populations of animals and plants
2. Simple measurement of ecological factors
Population studies by sampling method
1. Population size
2. Dominance
3. Density
G. Factors that affect population.
H. Soil
1. Types
2. Characteristics
3. Water holding effect on vegetation
ii. Functioning Ecosystem
Autotrophs and Heterotrophs
1. Producers
2. Consumers
3. Decomposers
Food Webs and Trophic levels
1. Concepts of food chain and food web
2. Energy transfer (non cyclic in nature)
3. Energy flow
Energy Transformations in nature.
1. Energy loss in the ecosystem.
A. Solar radiation: its intake and loss at the earth’s surface.
B. Energy loss in the biosphere
C. Measures of primary Production.
D. Law of thermodynamics
E. Decomposition in nature

1. Decomposers: micro and macro decomposers.
2. Gaseous products of decomposition
3. Role of decomposers
iii. Ecological Management
A. Association
1. Types of associations e.g. symbiosis, parasitism etc.
B. Adaptation
1. Adaptation in form and function of living organisms due to environmental conditions.
2. Effect of availability of water on adaptive modifications.
C. Tolerance
1. Concept of minimum and maximum range of tolerance.
2. Geographic range
D. Pollution
A. Pollution of the atmosphere
1. Nature, names and sources of air pollution
2. Effects of air pollution
3. Effects of noise.
B. Pollution of Water and Soil
1. Types and composition of Pollutants.
2. Side effects.
iv. Aquatic Habitat
A. Marine Habitat
1. Characteristics
2. Major zones (including inter-tidal, littoral and oceanic zones)
3. Distributions of the organisms in the habitat
B. Estuarine and Freshwater Habitats
1. Characteristics,
2. Types,
3. Distribution of organisms (plants and animals), and
4. Adaptive features
v. Terrestrial Habitat including Marsh, Forest, Grassland and Arid land should be studied under the following headings:
1. Characteristics of habitat
2. Distribution of plants and animals in the habitat.
3. Adaptive features of plants and animals in the habitat.
vi. Ecological succession
A. Primary succession
1. Succession in lakes, ponds, estuaries, and land
2. Problems of survival
B. Secondary Succession
Leading to climax of the succession
1. Population and population density.
2. Factors that may cause over-crowding.
3. Effects of over-crowding.
4. Adaptations to avoid over-crowding.
vii. Food shortage.
A. Causes of food shortage.
B. Effects of food shortage on the preserving and storing foods.
5. VARIATIONS AND VARIABILITY
A. Variations in population
1. Morphological e.g.
- (size, height, weight, etc.)
- Colour (skin, eye, hair coat of animals)
2. Physiological e.g.
- Behaviour,
- Ability to roll the tongue,
- Ability to taste phenyl thio carbamide (PTC),
- Blood groups.
3. Application of variations in crime detection, blood transfusion and determination of paternity.
6. EVOLUTION
i. Adaptation for survival
A. Competition including intra and inter species completion
B. Relationship between completion and succession.
ii. Structural Adaptation to
A. obtain food,
B. protect and defend,
C. secure mates for,
D. regulate body temperature,
E. conserve water.
iii. Adaptive Colouration
A. in plants and animals
B. Colourations and their functions
v. Behavioural adaptation
A. Hibernation, Aestivation, Territorialism
B. Social animals
V. Theories of evolution as an explanation of variations in organisms
A. Larmack’s theory
B. Darwin’s theory
vi. Modern Evolutionary Theories:
Evidence from genetical (DNA) Studies.
7. BIOLOGY OF HEREDITY (GENETICS)
i. Chomosomes: The basis of Heredity
A. Location and structure of the chromosome
B. Genes
C. Role of chromosomes in the transmission of hereditary character from parent’s to offspring.
ii. Transmission And Expression of Characters in organisms
A. Hereditary Variations
B. Transmitted characters
C. Method of transmission of Characters.
D. Mendel’s work in Genetics
1. Mendel’s experiments
2. Mendelian traits
3. Mendel laws
iii. Probability in genetics
iv. Applications of the principles of Heredity in:
A. Agriculture
B. Medicine