Compiled by Tutor Victory
Biology
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The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus in Biology is to
prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination. It is designed to test their achievement of the
course objectives, which are to:
1. demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the concepts of the interdependence and unity of life;
2. account for continuity of life through reorganization, inheritance and evolution;
3. apply biological principles and concepts to everyday life, especially to matters affecting the
   individual, society, the environment, community health and the economy.
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1. Living organisms:                                 Candidates should be able to:
   a. Characteristics
                                                     i. differentiate between the characteristics of
    b. Cell structure and functions of cell             living and non-living things;
       Components
                                                     ii. identify the cell structures;
    c. Level of organization
       i. Cell e.g. Amoeba, cheek cell               iii. analyse the functions of the components of
                                                          plants and animal cells;
      ii. Tissue, e.g. epithelial tissues
                                                     iv. compare and contrast the structure of plant and
     iii. Organ, e.g. leaf and heart                     animal cells;
      iv. Systems, e.g. reproductive                 v. trace the levels of organization among
                                                        organisms in their logical sequence in relation
       v. Organisms e.g. Chlamydomonas                  to the five kingdom classification of living
                                                        organisms.
2. Evolution among the following:                    Candidates should be able to:
    a. Monera (prokaryotes), e.g. bacteria and       i. analyse external features and characteristics of the
       blue green algae.                                 listed organisms:
    b. Protista (protozoans and protophyta),         ii. apply the knowledge from (i) above to
       e.g. Amoeba, Euglena and Paramecium               demonstrate increase in structural complexity;
    c. Fungi, e.g. mushroom and Rhizopus.            iii. trace the stages in the life histories of the listed
                                                          organisms;
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    d.    Plantae (plants)                              iv. apply the knowledge of the life histories to
                                                            demonstrate gradual transition from life in
           i. Thallophyta (e.g. Spirogyra)                  water to life on land;
          ii. Bryophyta (mosses and liveworts) e.g.     v.      trace the evolution of the listed plants.
              Bryachymenium and Merchantia.
          iii. Pteridophyta (ferns) e.g. Dryopteris.
          iv. Spermatophyta (Gymnospermae and
              Angiospermae)
              - Gymnosperms e.g. Cycads and
                 conifers.
             - Angiosperms (monocots, e.g. maize;
                dicots, e.g. water leaf)
                                                       Candidates should be able to:
    e.    Animalia (animals)
          i. Invertebrates                             i. trace the evolution of the invertebrate animals;
           - coelenterate (e.g. Hydra)                 ii. determine the economic importance of the
           - Platyhelminthes (flatworms) e.g. Taenia        insects studied;
           - Nematoda (roundworms)                     iii. asses their values to the environment;
           - Annelida (e.g. earthworm)
           - Arthropoda (insects) e.g. Millipedes,
             ticks, mosquito, cockroach, housefly,
             bee, butterfly
    -      Mollusca (e.g. snails)
                                                         i. trace the evolution of multi-cellular animals;
    ii.    Multicellular animals (vertebrates)
    -      pisces (cartilaginous and bony fish)         ii. determine their economic importance.
    -      Amphibia (e.g. toads and frogs)
    -      Reptilia (e.g. lizards, snakes and
           turtles)
    -      Aves (birds)
    -      Mammalia (mammals)
                                                       Candidates should be able to:
    3.     Structural/behavioural adaptations of
           vertebrates (bony fish, toad, lizard, bird, i. describe how the various structures and behaviour
           small mammal) to the environment.           adapt these organisms to their environment;
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1. Internal structure of a flowering plant              Candidates should be able to:
           i. Root                                      i. identify the transverse sections of these
          ii. Stem                                          organs;
         iii. Leaf                                      ii. relate the structure of these organs to their
                                                             functions.
    b.   Internal structure of a mammal                Candidates should be able to:
                                                         i. examine the arrangement of the mammalian
                                                            internal organs;
                                                        ii. describe the appearance and position of the
                                                             digestive, reproductive and excretory organs.
    2.   Nutrition                                     Candidates should be able to:
               a.    Modes of nutrition                   i. compare the photosynthetic and chemosynthetic
                     i. Autotrophic                           modes of nutrition;
                     ii. Heterotrophic                   ii. provide examples from both flowering and non-
                                                              flowering plants;
                                                         iii. compare autotropic and heterotrophic modes of
                                                               nutrition.
         Types of Nutrition                             Candidates should be able to:
                                                        differentiate the following examples:
                                                           - holozoic (sheep and man)
                                                           - Parasitic (roundworm, tapeworm and
                                                                Loranthus)
                                                           - saprophytic (Rhizopus and mushroom)
                                                           - carnivorous plants (sundew and
                                                                bladderwort)
                                                           - determine their nutritional value.
         b.         Plant nutrition                    Candidates should be able to:
                     i. Photosynthesis
                                                       i. analyse the light and dark reactions, materials
                                                            and conditions necessary for photosynthesis;
                                                       ii. determine the necessity of light, carbon (IV)
                                                            oxide and chlorophyll in photosynthesis;
                                                       iii. detect the presence of starch in a leaf as an
                                                             evidence of photosynthesis.
                     ii. Mineral requirements          Candidates should be able to:
                         (macro and micro-nutrients)   i. identify macro-and micro-elements required
                                                           by plants;
                                                       ii. determine the deficiency symptoms of
                                                            nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
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    c. Animal nutrition                                   Candidates should be able to:
       i. Classes of food substances;                     i. indicate the sources of the various classes of
          carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils,              food;
          vitamins, mineral salts and water               ii. relate the importance of each class;
                                                          iii. determine the importance of a balanced diet.
         ii. Food tests (e.g. starch, reducing            Candidates should be able to detect the presence
             sugar, protein, oil, fat etc.                of the listed food items from the result of a given
                                                          experiment.
         iii. The mammalian tooth                          Candidates should be able to:
              (structures, types and functions)            i. describe the structure of a typical mammalian
                                                               tooth;
                                                          ii. differentiate the types of mammalian tooth
                                                               and relate their structures to their functions.
                                                          iii. compare the dental formulae of man, sheep,
                                                                and dog.
iv. Mammalian alimentary canal                            Candidates should be able to:
                                                          i. relate the structure of the various components of
                                                             the alimentary canal and its accessory organs
                                                              (liver, pancreas, and gall bladder) to their
                                                             functions.
v. Nutrition process (ingestion, digestion,                Candidates should be able to:
   absorption, and assimilation of digested               i. identify the general characteristics of digestive
   food.                                                      enzymes;
                                                          ii. associate enzymes with digestion of
                                                              carbohydrates, proteins and fats;
                                                          iii. determine the end products of these classes of
                                                               food.
    3. Transport                                          Candidates should be able to:
    a. Need for transportation                            i. determine the relationship between increase in size
                                                             and complexity and the need for the development
                                                             of a transport system.
    b.     Materials for transportation.                 Candidates should be able to:
           Excretory products, gases, manufactured food, i. determine the sources of materials and the forms
           digested food, nutrient, water and                in which they are transported.
           hormones)
    c.     Channels for transportation                   Candidates should be able to:
                                                         i. describe the general circulatory system;
    i.     Mammalian circulatory system (heart,          ii. compare specific functions of the hepatic portal
           arteries, veins, and capillaries)                 vein, the pulmonary vein and artery, aorta, the
                                                             renal artery and vein
    ii      Plant vascular system (phloem and xylem)      Candidates should be able to:
                                                          i. identify the organs of the plant vascular system;
                                                          ii. compare the specific functions of the phloem
                                                              and xylem
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d. Media and processes of mechanism for    Candidates should be able to:
   transportation.                         i. identify media of transportation (e.g. cytoplasm,
                                                cell sap, body fluid, blood and lymph);
                                           ii. determine the composition of blood and lymph;
                                           iii. describe diffusion, osmosis, plasmolysis and
                                                 turgidity as mechanism of transportation in
                                                 organisms;
                                           iv. compare the various mechanisms of open
                                                  circulatory systems, transpiration pull, root
                                                  pressure and active transport as mechanism
                                                  of transportation in plants.
4. Respiration                             Candidates should be able to:
                                           i. examine the significance of respiration;
                                           ii. describe the process of glycolysis;
                                           iii. compare the similarities of the process in plants
                                                and animals;
                                           iv. deduce from an experimental set up, gaseous
                                                exchange and products, exchange and
                                                production of heat energy during respiration.
a. Respiratory organs and surfaces         Candidates should be able to:
                                           i. describe the following respiratory organs and
                                               surfaces with organisms in which they occur;
                                               body surface, gill, trachea, lungs, stomata and
                                               lenticels;
                                           ii. relate the characteristics of the respiratory
                                               surfaces listed above to their functions.
b. The mechanism of gaseous exchange in:   Candidates should be able to:
                                           i. describe the mechanism for the opening and
         i.          Plants                    closing of the stomata;
         ii.         Mammals               ii. determine respiratory movements in these
                                               animals.
    c.         Aerobic respiration         Candidates should be able to:
                                           iii. examine the role of oxygen in the liberation of
                                                energy for the activities of the living organisms;
                                           iv. deduce the effect of insufficient supply of
                                                oxygen to the muscles.
    d.         Anaerobic respiration       Candidates should be able to:
                                           i. use yeast cells and sugar solution to demonstrate
                                               the process of fermentation;
                                           ii. asses the economic importance of yeasts;
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5.Excretion                                   Candidates should be able to:
  a. Types of excretory structures:           i. Interpret the meaning and significance of excretion;
     contractile vacuole, flamecell,          ii. identify the characteristics of each structure.
     nephridium, Malpighian tubule, kidney,
     stoma and lenticel.
    b. Excretory mechanisms:                  Candidates should be able to:
    i. Kidneys                                i. relate the structure of the kidneys to the excretory
    ii. lungs                                     and osmo-regulatory functions.
    ii. skin                                  . identify the functions and excretory products of
                                                 the lungs and the skin.
c. Excretory products of plants               Candidates should be able to:
                                              i. deduce the economic importance of the excretory
                                                   products of plants, carbon (IV) oxide, tannins, 
                                              resins, gums, mucilage, alkaloids etc.
6.    Support and movement                    Candidates should be able to:
                                              i. determine the need for support and movement in
                                                  organisms;
                                              ii. identify supporting tissues in plants (collenchyma,
                                                   sclerenchyma, xylem and phloem fibres);
                                              iii. describe the distribution of supporting tissues in
                                                   roots, stem, and leaf.
a. Tropic, tactic, nastic and sleep             Candidates should be able to:
    movements in plants                       i. relate the response of plants to the stimuli of light,
                                                 water, gravity and touch;
                                              ii. identify the regions of growth in roots and shoots
b. supporting tissues in animals                   and the roles of auxins in tropism.
                                              Candidates should be able to:
                                              i. relate the location of chitin, cartilage and bone to
                                                 their supporting function;
c. Types and functions of the skeleton        ii. relate the structure and the general layout of the
    i. Exoskeleton                                 mammalian skeleton to their supportive,
   ii. Endoskeleton                                locomotive and respiratory function;
                                              iii. differentiate types of joints using appropriate
                                                    examples.
iii. Functions of the skeleton in animals     Candidates should be able to:
                                              i. apply the protective, supportive, locomotive and
                                                  respiratory functions of the skeleton to the
                                                  wellbeing of the animal;
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7.    Reproduction                                  Candidates should be able to:
a.    A sexual reproduction                         i. differentiate between asexual and sexual
       i. Fission as in Paramecium                      reproduction;
      ii. Budding as in yeast                       ii. apply natural vegetative propagation in crop
      iii. Natural vegetative propagation                production and multiplication;
                                                    iii. apply grafting, budding and layering in
      iv. Artificial vegetative propagation.              agricultural practices.
b.    sexual reproduction in flowering plants       Candidates should be able to:
                                                    i. relate parts of flower to their functions and
         i. Floral parts and their functions            reproductive process;
         ii. Pollination and fertilization          ii. deduce the advantages of cross pollination;
         iii. products of sexual reproduction       iii. deduce the different types of placentation that
                                                         develop into simple, aggregate, multiple and
                                                         succulent fruits.
c.    Reproduction in mammals                       Candidates should be able to:
                                                    i. differentiate between male and female
          i. structures and functions of the male       reproductive organs;
              and female reproductive organs        ii. relate their structure and function to
                                                         the production of offspring.
          ii. Fertilization and development.        Candidates should be able to:
              (Fusion of gamates)                   i. describe the fusion of gametes as a process of
                                                        fertilization;
                                                    ii. relate the effects of the mother’s health, nutrition
                                                        and indiscriminate use of drugs on the
                                                        developmental stages of the embryo up to birth.
8.    Growth                                        Candidates should be able to:
a.    meaning fo grwoth                             i. apply the knowledge of the conditions necessary
                                                        for germination on plants growth;
b.    Germination of seeds and condition            ii. differentiate between epigeal and hypogeal
      necessary for germination of seeds.               germination.
 9.   Co-ordination and control                     Candidates should be able to:
a.    Nervous coordination:                         i. apply the knowledge of the structure and function
       i. the components, structure and functions        of the central nervous system in the coordination
          of the central nervous system;                 of body functions in organisms;
      ii. The components and functions of the       ii. illustrate reflex actions such as blinking of the
           peripheral nervous systems;                   eyes, knee jerk; etc.;
      iii. Mechanism of transmission of impulses;   iii. differentiate between reflex and voluntary actions
      iv. Reflex action                                  as well as conditioned reflexes such as salivation,
                                                         riding a bicycle and swimming;
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b.         The sense organs                  Candidates should be able to:
              i. skin (tactile)              i. associate the listed sense organs with their
              ii. nose (olfactory)               functions;
              iii. tongue (taste)            ii. apply the knowledge of the structure and
               iv. eye (sight)                   functions of these sense organs in detecting an
                v. ear (auditory)                correcting their defects.
c.        Hormonal control                   Candidates should be able to:
     i.   animal hormonal system             i. locate the listed endocrine glands in animals;
     -     Pituitary                         ii. relate the hormone produced by each of these
     -     thyroid                               glands to their functions.
     -     parathyroid
     -     adrenal gland
     -     pancreas
     -     gonads
     ii. Plant hormones                      Candidates should be able to:
         (phytohormones)                     i. examine the effects of various phytohormones (e.g.
                                                auxins, gibberellin, cytokinin, and ethylene) on
                                                growth, tropism, flowering, fruit ripening and leaf
                                                abscission.
d. Homeostasis                               Candidates should be able to:
   i. Body temperature regulation            i. relate the function of hormones to regulating the
   ii. Salt and water regulation                 levels of materials inside the body.
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1. Factors affecting the distribution of     Candidates should be able to:
   Organisms                                 i. deduce the effects of temperature; rainfall, relative
                                                humidity, wind speed and direction, altitude,
      i. Abiotic                                salinity, turbidity, pH and edaphic (soil) conditions
                                                on the distribution of organisms.
                                             ii. use appropriate equipment (e.g. sechi disc,
                                                 thermometer, rain gauge etc) to measure abiotic
                                                 factors.
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       ii. Biotic                                      Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i. describe how the activities of
                                                           plants/animals (particularly human)
                                                           affect the distribution of organisms.
2.        Symbiotic interactions of plants             Candidates should be able to:
          and animals                                  i. determine appropriate examples of
                                                           symbiosis, parasitism, saprophytism,
                                                           comensalism, mutualism, amensalism,
                                                           competition, predation and
                                                            cooperation among organisms;
                                                       ii. associate the distribution of organisms
                                                             with food chains and food webs in
                                                             particular habitats.
          (a) Food chains, food webs and               Candidates should be able to:
               trophic levels                          i. interpret the ecological pyramids of
          (b) Energy flow in the ecosystem.                numbers, biomass and energy.
          (c) Nutrient cycling in nature
              i. carbon cycle                          Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i. describe the cycle and its significance
                                                          including the balance of atmospheric
                                                           oxygen and carbon (IV) oxide.
            ii. water cycle                            Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i. assess the effects of water cycle on other
                                                          nurtrient cycles.
            iii. Nitrogen cycle                        Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i. relate the roles of bacteria and leguminous plants in
                                                       the cycling of nitrogen.
3.        Natural Habitats
    (a) Aquatic (e.g. ponds, streams, lakes            Candidates should be able to:
        seashores and mangrove swamps)                 i. associate plants and animals with each of these
                                                          habitats.
    (b) Terrestrial/arboreal (e.g. tree-tops of oil palm, Candidates should be able to:
        abandoned farmland or a dry grassy (savanna) i. relate adaptive features to the habitats in which an
        field, and burrow or hole.                          organisms lives.
4.        Local (Nigerian) Biomes)                     Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i. locate biomes to regions
          a. Tropical rainforest                       ii. apply the knowledge of the features of the listed
                                                           local biomes in determining the characteristics of
                                                           different regions of Nigeria.
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           b. Guinea savanna (southern and
              northern)
           c. Sudan Savanna
           d. Desert
           e. Highlands of montane forests and
              grasslands of the Obudu, Jos,
              Mambilla Plateau.
     5.    The Ecology of Populations:               Candidates should be able to:
                                                     i. determine the reasons for rapid changes in human
           (a) Population density and                     population    and     the   consequences    of
               overcrowding.                              overcrowding;
                                                     ii. compute/calculate density as the number of
                                                          organisms per unit area;
                                                     iii. apply modern methods to control human
                                                          population;
           (b) Factors affecting population sizes:   Candidates should be able to:
           i. Biotic (e.g. food, pest, disease,      i. deduce the effect of these factors on the size of
              predation, competition, reproductive      population.
              ability).
ii. Abiotic (e.g. temperature, space, light,
    rainfall, topography, pressure, pH,              i.    determine the interactions between biotic and
    etc.                                                  abiotic factors, e.g. drought or scarcity of water
                                                          which leads to food shortage and lack of space
      c.    Ecological succession                         which causes increase in disease rates;
            i. primary succession
            ii. secondary succession                 Candidates should be able to:
                                                     i. trace the sequence in succession to the climax
                                                        stage of stability in plant population.
6.         SOIL
                                                     Candidates should be able to:
a) (i) characteristics of different types            i. identify physical properties of different soil types
        of soil (sandy, loamy, clayey)                   based on simple measurement of particle size,
        i. soil structure                                porosity or water retention ability;
       ii. porosity, capillarity and humus           ii. determine the amounts of air, water, humus and
            content                                      capillarity in different soil types experimentally.
           iii. Components of the soil               Candidates should be able to:
                 i. inorganic                        i. relate soil characteristics, types and components to
                ii. organic                              the healthy growth of plant.
               iii. soil organisms
      b)      Soil fertility:                        Candidates should be able to:
                i. loss of soil fertility            i. relate such factors as loss of inorganic matter,
                                                        compaction, leaching, erosion of the top soil and
                                                        repeated cropping with one variety.
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            ii. Renewal and maintenance of soil     Candidates should be able to:
               fertility                            i. apply the knowledge of the practice of contour
                                                       ridging, terracing, mulching, poly-cropping,
                                                       strip-cropping, use of organic and inorganic
                                                       fertilizers, crop rotation, shifting cultivation, etc
                                                       to enhance soil conservation.
7. Humans and Environment                           Candidates should be able to:
                                                    i. identify ecological conditions that favour the
(a) Diseases:                                           spread of common endemic and potentially
 (i) Common and endemic diseases.                       epidemic disease e.g. malaria, meningitis,
                                                        drancunculiasis, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis,
                                                         typhoid fever and cholera etc.;
                                                    ii. relate the biology of the vector or agent of each
                                                        disease with its spread and control;
    ii. Easily transmissible diseases and disease   Candidates should be able to:
        syndrome such as:                           i. use the knowledge of the causative organisms,
    - poliomyelitis                                    mode of transmission and symptoms of the listed
    - cholera                                          diseases to their prevention/treatment/control.
    - tuberculosis
    - sexually transmitted disease/syndrome         ii.    apply the principles of inoculation           and
        (gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS, etc.                  vaccination on disease prevention.
    b. Pollution and its control                    Candidates should be able to:
    (i) sources, types, effects and methods of      i. categorize pollution into air, water and soil
        control.                                         pollution;
                                                    ii. relate the effects of common pollutants to human
                                                         health and environmental degradation;
                                                    iii. determine the methods by which each pollutant
                                                         may be controlled.
    (ii) Sanitation and sewage                      Candidates should be able to:
                                                    i. examine the importance of sanitation with
                                                       emphasis on sewage disposal, community health
                                                       and personal hygiene;
                                                    ii assess the roles and functions of international and
                                                      national health agencies (e.g. World Health
                                                      Organization       (WHO),       United       Nations
                                                      International     Children     Emergency       Fund
                                                      (UNICEF), International Red Cross Society
                                                      (IRCS), and the ministries of health and
                                                      environment.
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(c) Conservation of Natural Resources                  Candidates should be able to:
                                                       (i) apply the various methods of conservation of
                                                            both the renewable and non-renewable natural
                                                            resources for the protection of our environment
                                                            for present and future generations;
                                                       (ii) outline the benefits of conserving natural
                                                            resources;
                                                       (iii) identify the bodies responsible for the
                                                            conservation of resources at the national and
                                                            international levels (e.g. Nigerian Conservation
                                                            Foundation (NCF), Federal Ministry of
                                                              Environment, Nigeria National Parks, World
                                                            Wildlife Foundation (WWF), International
                                                            Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
                                                              United Nations Environmental Programme
                                                            (UNEP) and their activities;
                                                       (iv) asses their activities.
(I) Variation In Population                            Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i. differentiate between continuous and
    a. Morphological variations in the                    discontinuous variations with examples;
       physical appearance of individuals.
                                                       ii. relate the role of environmental
                                                            conditions, habitat and the genetic
                                                            constitution to variation.
      (i) size (height, weight)                        Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i) measure heights and weight of pupils of
                                                           the same age group;
                                                       ii) plot graphs of frequency distribution
                                                           of the heights and weights.
      (ii) Colour (skin, eye, hair, coat of animals,   Candidates should be able to:
           scales and feathers.                        i) observe and record various colour
                                                          patterns in some plants and mammals.
     (iii) Fingerprints                                Candidates should be able to:
                                                       i) apply classification of fingerprints in
                                                          identity detection.
     b.    Physiological variation                     Candidates should be able to:
           (i) Ability to roll tongue                  i) identify some specific examples of
           (ii) Ability to taste                           physiological variation among human
                phenylthiocarbamide                        population;
                (PTC)                                  ii) categorize people according to their
          (iii) Blood groups                               physiological variation.
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     b.   Application of discontinuous     Candidates should be able to:
          variation in crime detection,    i) apply the knowledge of blood groups in
          blood transfusion and                blood transfusion and determination of
          determination of paternity.          paternity;
                                           ii) use discontinuous variation in crime
                                               detection.
2.    Heredity                             Candidates should be able to:
                                           i. determine heritable and non-heritable
    a) Inheritance of characters in           characters with examples.
        organisms;
     i) Heritable and non-heritable
        characters.
     b) Chromosomes – the basis of         Candidates should be able to:
        heredity;                          i. illustrate simple structure of DNA
     (i) Structure
    (ii) Process of transmission of        Candidates should be able to:
         hereditary characters from        i. illustrate segregation of genes at meiosis
         parents to offspring.                 and recombination of genes at fertilization
                                               to account for the process of transmission
                                               of characters from parents to offsprings.
     c) Probability in genetics and sex    Candidates should be able to:
        determination.                     i) deduce that segregation of genes occurs
                                              during gamete formation and that
                                              recombination of genes at fertilization is
                                              random in nature.
     a) Application of the principles of   Candidates should be able to:
        heredity in:                       i. analyze data on cross-breeding
                                               experiments;
      i) Agriculture                       ii. apply the principles of heredity in the
                                                production of new varieties of crops and
                                                livestock through cross-breeding;
                                           iii. deduce advantages and disadvantages
                                                  of out-breeding and in-breeding;
                                           iv. analyze elementarily the contentious
                                                  issues of genetically modified
                                                  organisms (GMO) and gene therapy.
(ii) Medicine                              Candidates should be able to:
                                           i) apply the knowledge of heredity in
                                              marriage counselling with particular
                                               reference to blood grouping, sickle-cell
                                               anaemia and the Rhesus factors.
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                                                                                                               Biology
         612+%5%106'065016'5                                           1$,'%6+8'5
                                                     ii) examine the significance of using
                                                         recombinant DNA materials in the
                                                          production of important medical
                                                           products such as isulin, interferon and
                                                           enzymes.
    b.   Sex – linked characters e.g. baldness,      Candidates should be able to:
         haemophilia, colour blindness, etc.         i) identify characters that are sex linked.
                                                  ''81.76+10
         612+%5%106'065016'5                                           1$,'%6+8'5
1.) Adaptation for survival:                         Candidates should be able to:
a) Factors that bring about competition.             i) relate increase in population, diseases,
                                                        shortage of food and space with intra-
                                                        and inter-specific competition.
b) Intra and inter-specific competition              Candidates should be able to:
                                                     i) determine niche differentiation as a
                                                        means of reducing intra-specific
                                                        competition.
c) Relationship between competition and              Candidates should be able to:
   succession.                                       i) relate competition to succession.
2) Structural adaptations in organisms               Candidates should be able to account for adaptation
                                                     in organisms with respect to the following:
                                                     i)    obtaining food (beaks and legs of birds;
                                                           mouthparts of insects, especially mosquito,
                                                           butterfly and moth.)
                                                     ii)    protection and defence (stick insects, praying
                                                            mantis and toad.
                                                     iii) securing mates (redhead male and female Agama
                                                           lizards, display of feathers by birds).
                                                     iv.    regulating body temperature (skin, feathers and
                                                            hairs).
                                                     v.     conserving water (spines in plants and scales in
                                                             mammals).
                                                           ϰϬ
                                                                                                         Biology
        612+%5%106'065016'5                                     1$,'%6+8'5
3) Adaptive colouration and its functions      Candidates should be able to:
                                               i. categorize countershading in fish, toads and
                                                  snakes and warning colouration in mushrooms.
                                               Candidates should be able to:
4) Behavioural adaptations in social animals
                                               i.) differentiate various castes in social insects like
                                                   termites and their functions in their colony/hive;
                                               ii.) account for basking in lizards, territorial
                                                    behaviour of other animals under unfavourable
                                                    conditions (hibernation and aestivation).
5.   Theories of evolution                     Candidates should be able to:
      i) Lamarck’s theory                      i.) relate organic evolution as the sum total of all
     ii) Darwin’s theory                           adaptive changes that have taken place over a
                                                   long period of time resulting in the diversity of
                                                   forms, structure and functions among organisms.
                                               ii.) examine the contributions of
                                                    Lamarck and Darwin to the theory
                                                    of evolution.
6. Evidence of evolution                       Candidates should be able to:
                                               i.) provide evidences for evolution such
                                                   as fossil records, comparative
                                                   anatomy, physiology and embryology;
                                               ii.) trace evolutionary trends in plants
                                                     and animals;
                                               iii.) provide evidence for modern
                                                     evolutionary theories such as genetic
                                                     studies and the role of mutation.
                                                  ϰϭ
                                                                                                         Biology
                                   4'%1//'0&'&6':65
Ambuna, A. Egunyomi, A. and Osakwe, J. (1990). Comprehensive Certificate Biology for
          Senior Secondary Schools: University Press Limited
Egunyomi A. Bob – Manuel, Abdullahi B.A. and Oyetola O.A. (1988). Exam Focus: Biology
           For WASSCE and JME 2nd Edition, University Press Limited
MacQueen J. and Murray J. (1978). Success in Biology, Benin: John Murray
Ndu, F.O. C. Ndu, Abun A. and Aina J.O. (2001). Senior Secondary School Biology:
              Books 1 -3, Lagos: Longman
Odunfa, S.A. (2001). Essential of Biology, Ibadan: Heinemann
Oguniyi, M.B. Adebisi A.A. and Okojie J.A. (2000). Biology for Senior Secondary Schools: Books 1 – 3, Macmillan
Ramalingam, S.T. (2005). Modern Biology, SS Science Series. New Edition, AFP
Roberts, A.B.U. (1993). Functional Approach in Biology
Sorojini, T.L. Sheila, P and Charles, T.P. (2000). Modern Biology for Secondary Schools. Revised Edition, FEP
STAN. (2004). Biology for Senior Secondary Schools. Revised Edition, Ibadan: Heinemann
Stone, R.H. and Cozens, A.B.C. (1982). Biology for West African Schools. Longman
Usua, E.J. (1997). Handbook of practical Biology 2nd Edition, University Press, Limited
Wisdomline Pass at Once JAMB.
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