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Systems Interactions. These four Big Ideas provide a frame- PREP FOR THE AP EXAM
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work for understanding and examining biology. After we FOCUS ON THE BIG IDEAS
examine the four Big Ideas, we will consider how biologists
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use scientific inquiry to understand how scientists ask and think about ways that each of the big ideas can serve as a
different lens to look at life.
answer questions about the natural world.

0.1 Four Big Ideas form or we can examine how the collection of cells that make up
a fundamental basis for each individual animal communicate to enable the lynx to

pursue the hare and the hare to evade the lynx.
understanding biology Every unit in this text examines topics from the per-
Let’s return to the snowshoe hare and Canada lynx, which spective of these four Big Ideas. As you read the modules of

are pictured in FIGURE 0.1 . We can view this interaction this book, tie in one or more of the Big Ideas to what you
from four different lenses, each providing the perspective of are learning. Doing so will help you to learn about biology
one of the four Big Ideas. From the lens of evolution , we and will assist you in understanding how biologists study
can ask how the ancestors of snowshoe hares and lynxes and learn about life.
developed their keen senses and ability to run swiftly and In this section, we will take a quick first look at each
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skillfully. From the lens of energetics we can explore the food Big Idea. Although we present them one at a time, they are
sources of both animals and how they use the fuel they not really separate or distinct. Instead, they are inseparable
acquire from these sources. From the lens of information in nature. To tackle biological problems—whether building
storage and transmission, we can learn how the lynx knows an artificial cell, stopping the spread of infectious diseases
to hunt the hare and how the hare knows to run, as well as like malaria or a coronavirus, feeding a growing population,
how this information is passed on to subsequent generations. or preserving endangered species—we need to understand
From the lens of systems interactions, we can investigate the these ideas and how they work together.
ecosystem dynamics that bring the hare and lynx together
Big Idea 1: Evolution
Have you ever noticed how ants have the same body plan,
but may be big or small, black or red? In fact, there are more
than 10,000 different species of ants. A species is a group

of interbreeding organisms that produce fertile offspring.
A species is often distinct from other groups in body form,

behavior, or biochemical properties. FIGURE 0.2 shows

two ant species. While there are many different species of
ants and each has distinct characteristics, all ants have similar
traits that enable us to recognize them as ants. Such simi-
larities and differences are widely observed, and biologists
refer to them as the unity and diversity of life. The study
of evolution , or change over time, explains this unity and
diversity of life. Evolution—Big Idea 1—is the central con-
cept that unites all of biology, and biologists recognize it as a
key principle of life.
All ants have some shared features, such as their dis-

FIGURE 0.1 Canada lynx and snowshoe hare chase
tinctive segmented bodies and bent antennae. Ants are also
The photograph shows the snowshoe hare running to escape its diverse. For example, they vary in size and color. Some tol-
predator, the Canada lynx. The lynx gives chase to obtain its food,
the hare. The hare runs for its life. The example of the hare and the erate colder climates while others require warm, tropical
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lynx exemplifies the four Big Ideas of the AP Biology curriculum. places. Ants are not unique in displaying unity and diversity.
Photo: Tom & Pat Leeson/Science Source Unity and diversity occur in all living creatures, from the
2 Unit 1 chemIstry of LIfe

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