AP® Biology Concepts Organized by Unit

AP® Topics

Browse AP® Biology resources by Unit, with classroom-ready resources from a variety of trusted sources. Support learners who need additional explanation or visual support, reinforce understanding through targeted review, and extend learning with simulations and question sets. Use the arrows to see curated content in organized groups of content organized by topics in the AP® Biology Units.


Unit 1: Chemistry of Life

This unit explores the chemical principles and properties of molecules essential to life, including water, macromolecules, and the relationship between molecular structure and function.


Unit 1: AP® Biology Interactives


Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function

This unit examines the organization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, the roles of organelles, and the importance of membranes in maintaining homeostasis.


Unit 2: AP® Biology Lab Connection


Unit 2: AP® Biology Interactives


Unit 3: Cellular Energetics

This unit investigates how cells transform energy, covering enzymes, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration.


Unit 3: AP® Biology Lab Connections


Unit 3: AP® Biology Interactives


Unit 4: Cell Communication and the Cell Cycle

This unit examines how cells communicate and regulate growth and division. Topics include signaling pathways, receptor types, and mechanisms of signal transduction, as well as cell cycle stages, checkpoints, mitosis, and meiosis.


Unit 4: AP® Biology Lab Connections


Unit 4: AP® Biology Interactives


Unit 5: Heredity

This unit investigates patterns of inheritance and the mechanisms by which genetic information is passed from one generation to the next. Topics include Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance, Punnett squares, pedigrees, chromosomal inheritance, and the effects of mutations on phenotype.


Unit 5: AP® Biology Lab Connections


Unit 5: AP® Biology Interactives


Unit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation

This unit explores how genes are expressed and regulated in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. Topics include transcription, translation, gene regulation, epigenetics, operons, and the molecular mechanisms that ensure cells produce the right proteins at the right time.


Unit 6: AP® Biology Lab Connections


Unit 6: AP® Biology Interactives


Unit 7: Natural Selection

This unit investigates the evidence supporting evolution and the mechanisms that drive changes in populations over time. Topics include molecular, cellular, and structural evidence for common ancestry; phenotypic variation and adaptation; the causes and consequences of natural selection; and the ways in which humans influence population diversity through artificial selection and environmental change.


Unit 7: AP® Biology Lab Connections


Unit 7: AP® Biology Interactives


Unit 8: Ecology

This unit explores the dynamic relationships that shape the structure and stability of ecosystems. Topics include species interactions, behavioral responses, energy flow, trophic levels, population growth and fitness, community diversity, and the impacts of natural and human-driven environmental change.


Unit 8: AP® Biology Lab Connections


Unit 8: AP® Biology Interactives


Explore All the AP® Biology Virtual Labs

There are 15 virtual labs that align with AP® Biology Lab Investigations 1–13 and provide opportunities for learners to practice and build core scientific skills. Learners design experiments, form predictions, gather data, represent and describe data, analyze data using statistical methods, build explanations from evidence and extend their understanding to novel contexts. These virtual labs require no special equipment, provide instant experimental results, and are available at no cost, like everything on LabXchange.