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Biology

BIOLOGY

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

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 diversity, 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 living things,
individual, society, the environment, community health and the economy.

DETAILED SYLLABUS

A: VARIETY OF ORGANISMS

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 TOPICS / CONTENTS/ NOTES OBJECTIVES
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1. Living organisms: Candidates should be able to:

a. Characteristics i. differentiate between the characteristics of living and non-

livin things.
b. Cell structure and functions of cell
components ii. identify the structures of plant and animal cells.

c. Level of organization iii. analyse the functions of the components of plant and animal
i. Cell e.g. euglena and paramecium, cells.

ii. Tissue e.g. epithelial tissues and hydra iv. compare and contrast the structure of plant and animal cells.

iii. Organ e.g. onion bulb v. trace the levels of organization among organisms in their
logical sequence in relation to the five levels of organization of
living organisms.
iv. Systems e.g. reproductive, digestive and
excretory

v. Organisms e.g. Chlamydomonas

Candidates should be able to:

2. Evolution among the following:
i. analyse external features and characteristics of the listed
organisms.
a. Monera (prokaryotes), e.g. bacteria
and blue green algae.
ii. apply the knowledge from (i) above to demonstrate increase
in structural complexity.
b. Protista (protozoans and protophyta),
e.g. Amoeba, Euglena and Paramecium.
iii. trace the stages in the life histories of the listed organisms.
c. Fungi, e.g. mushroom and Rhizopus.

iv. apply the knowledge of the life histories to demonstrate

gradual transition from life in water to life on land.
d. Plantae (plants)
v. trace the evolution of the listed plants.
i. Thallophyta (e.g. Spirogyra).

ii. Bryophyta (mosses and liverworts) e.g.

Brachmenium and Merchantia.

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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)

e. Animalia (animals) Candidates should be able to:

i. Invertebrates
- coelenterate e.g. Hydra i. trace the advancement of the invertebrate animals.
- Platyhelminthes flatworms e.g. Taenia ii. determine the economic importance of the
- Nematoda (roundworms) insects studied. iii. assess their values to the
- Annelida e.g. earthworm environment.
- Arthropoda e.g. mosquito, cockroach,
housefly, bee, butterfly iv. trace the advancement of multi-cellular animals.
- Mollusca e.g. snails
v. determine their economic importance.
ii. Multicellular animals (vertebrates)
- Pisces (cartilaginous and bony fish)
- Amphibia e.g. toads and frogs
- Reptilia e.g. lizards, snakes and turtles
- Aves (birds)
- Mammalia (mammals)

3. Structural/functional and behavioural

adaptations of organisms: Candidates should be able to:

i. describe how the various structures, functions and behaviour

adapt these organisms to their environment, and way of life.
a. adaptive colouration and its functions
ii. Categorize countershading in fish, toads, snakes and warning
colouration in mushrooms.

iii. Differentiate various castes in social insects like termites and

b. Behavioural adaptations in social animals
their functions in their colony hive.
iv. Account for basking in lizards, territorial behavour of other
animals under unfavourable conditions (hibernation and
aestivation).

c. Structural adaptations in organisms i. account for adaptation in organisms with respect to the
following:

- Obtaining food (beaks and legs of birds, mouthparts

of insects, especially mosquito, butterfly and moth.)
- Protection and defence (stick insects, praying mantis
and toad).
- Securing mates (redhead male and female Agama
lizards, display of feathers by birds).
- Regulating body temperature (skin, feathers and
hairs)

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- Conserving water (spines in plants and scales in

mammals).

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B: FORM AND FUNCTIONS

TOPICS / CONTENTS/ NOTES OBJECTIVES

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1. Internal structure of plants and animals Candidates should be able to:

a. Internal structure of a flowering plant i. identify the transverse sections of these organs.
ii. relate the structure of these organs to their functions.
i. Root
ii. Stem iii. identify supporting tissues in plants (collenchyma)
iii. Leaf sclerenchyma, xylem and phloem fibres)
iv. describe the distribution of supporting tissues in roots, stem
and leaf
v. examine the arrangement of the mammalian internal organs.
vi. describe the appearance and position of the digestive,
b. Internal structure of a mammal reproductive and excretory organs.

Candidates should be able to:

2. Nutrition i. compare autotrophic and heterotrophic modes of nutrition.

ii. provide examples from both flowering and non- flowering
plants.
a. Modes of nutrition
iii. compare the photosynthetic and chemosynthetic modes of
i. Autotrophic
nutrition;
ii. Heterotrophic iv. differentiate the following examples of heterotrophic
feeding:
- holozoic (sheep and man)
- Parasitic (roundworm, tapeworm and Loranthus)
b. Types of Nutrition - saprophytic (Rhizopus and mushroom) - carnivorous
plants (sundew and bladderwort) - determine their
nutritional value.
v. differentiate the light and dark reactions, of photosynthesis.
vi. determine the necessity of light, carbon (IV) oxide and
c. Plant nutrition chlorophyll in photosynthesis.
i. Photosynthesis vii. detect the presence of starch in a leaf as an evidence of
ii. Chemosynthesis photosynthesis.
iii. Mineral requirements viii. identify macro-and micro-elements required by plants.
(macro and micro-nutrients) ix. recognise the deficiency symptoms of nitrogen,
phosphorous and potassium.
x. indicate the sources of the various classes of food; xi.
determine the nutritional value of food
xii. relate the importance and deficiency (e.g. scurvy, rickets,
d. Animal nutrition kwashiorkor etc.) of each class of food; xiii. determine the
i. Classes of food substances; carbohydrates, proteins, importance of a balanced diet. xiv. detect the presence of a
fats and oils, vitamins, mineral salts and water food type from the result of a given experiment.
xv. describe the structure of a typical mammalian tooth xvi.
differentiate the types of mammalian tooth and relate their
structures to their functions.
xvii. compare the dental formulae of man, sheep and dog. xviii.
ii. Food tests (e.g. starch, reducing sugar, protein, oil, fat relate the structure of the various components of the
etc.) alimentary canal and its accessory organs (liver, pancreas and
gall bladder) to their functions.
xix. identify the general characteristics of digestive enzymes
iii. The mammalian tooth (structures, types and functions) xx. associate enzymes with digestion of carbohydrates, proteins
and fats and xxi. determine the end products of these classes of
food.

iv. Mammalian alimentary canal

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v. Nutrition process (ingestion, digestion, absorption,

and assimilation of digested food).

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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 in plants and animals. ii. determine the sources of
materials and the forms in which they are transported. iii.
describe the general circulatory system iv. compare specific
b. Materials for transportation functions of the hepatic portal vein, the pulmonary vein
(Excretory products, gases, manufactured food, and artery, aorta, the renal artery and vein. v. identify the
digested food, nutrient, water and hormones) organs of the plant vascular system.
vi. understand the specific functions of the phloem and
xylem.
c. Channels for transportation
vii. identify media of transportation (e.g. cytoplasm,
i. Mammalian circulatory system (heart, arteries, cell sap, body fluid, blood and lymph)
vein and capillaries) viii. state the composition and functions of blood and
lymph ix. describe diffusion, osmosis, plasmolysis
and turgidity as mechanisms of transportation in
organisms. x. compare the various mechanisms of open
ii Plant vascular system (phloem and xylem) circulatory systems in animal, transpiration pull, root
pressure and active transport as mechanisms of
transportation in plants.

d. Media and processes of mechanism for transportation.

Candidates should be able to:
i. explain the significance of respiration; ii. describe a
simplified outline of the chemical processes
4. Respiration involved in glycolysis and krebs cycle with reference to
a. Respiratory organs and surfaces ATP production
iii deduce gaseous exchange and
products, exchange and production of heat energy during
respiration from experimental set up.

iv. describe the following respiratory organs and surfaces

b. The mechanism of gaseous exchange in: with organisms in which they occur; body surface, gill,
trachea, lungs, stomata and lenticel.
i. Plants
ii. Animals v. describe the mechanism for the opening and closing of
the stomata vi. determine respiratory mechanisms in
plants and animals.
c. Aerobic respiration vii. examine the role of oxygen in the liberation of
energy for the activities of the living organisms viii. explain
the effect of insufficient supply of oxygen to the
muscles.
ix. use yeast cells and sugar solution to demonstrate
d. Anaerobic respiration the process of fermentation.
x. state the economic importance of yeasts.

Candidates should be able to:

i. define the meaning and state the significance of excretion ii.
relate the characteristics of each structure with functions.
iii. relate the structure of the kidneys to the excretory
and osmo-regulatory functions.
iv. identify the functions and excretory products of
the lungs and the skin.
5. Excretion v. deduce the economic importance of the excretory
a. Types of excretory structures:

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contractile vacuole, flame cell, products of plants e.g. carbon (IV) oxide, oxygen, tannins,
nephridium, Malpighian tubule, kidney, resins, gums, mucilage, alkaloids etc.
stoma and lenticel.
b. Excretory mechanisms:
i. Kidneys ii.
lungs
iii. skin

c. Excretory products of plants

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6. Support and movement Candidates should be able to:

i. determine the need for support and movement in
a. Tropic, tactic, nastic and sleep movements in organisms
plants ii. identify supporting tissues in plants (collenchyma,
sclerenchyma, xylem and phloem fibres) iii. describe the
distribution of supporting tissues in root, stem and
leaf. iv. relate the response of plants to the stimuli of light,
water, gravity and touch
v. identify the regions of growth in roots and shoots
b. supporting tissues in animals and the roles of auxins in tropism. vi. relate the location of
chitin, cartilage and bone to their supporting function.
vii. relate the structure and the general layout of the
mammalian skeleton to their supportive, locomotive and
respiratory function. viii. differentiate types of joints using
c. Types and functions of the skeleton appropriate examples.
i. Exoskeleton ii. Endoskeleton iii. ix. apply the protective, supportive, locomotive and
Functions of the skeleton in animals respiratory functions of the skeleton to the well being of the
animal.

Candidates should be able to:

i. differentiate between asexual and sexual reproduction ii.

apply natural vegetative propagation in crop production and
multiplication. iii. apply grafting, budding and layering in
7. Reproduction agricultural practices.
iv. relate parts of flower to their functions and reproductive
process.
a. Asexual reproduction v. state the advantages of cross pollination. vi. deduce
i. Fission (e.g. Paramecium) ii. the different types of placentation that develop into simple,
Budding (e.g. yeast) iii. Natural vegetative aggregate, multiple and succulent fruits. vii. differentiate
propagation iv. Artificial vegetative between male and female reproductive organs.
propagation viii. relate their structure and function to the production
of offspring. ix. describe the fusion of gametes
b. Sexual reproduction in flowering plants as a process of fertilization.
i. Floral parts and their functions ii. x. relate the effects of the mother’s health, nutrition
Pollination and fertilization and indiscriminate use of drugs on the developmental
iii. products of sexual reproduction stages of the embryo up to birth.
xi. explain the modern methods of regulating reproduction
on e.g. invitro fertilization and birth control
c. Reproduction in mammals
i. Structures and functions of the male and Candidates should be able to:
female reproductive organs i. apply the knowledge of the conditions necessary for
germination on plant growth.
ii. differentiate between epigeal and hypogeal germination.
ii. Fertilization and development.
(Fusion of gametes)

Candidates should be able to:

i. apply the knowledge of the structure and function of the
8. Growth
central nervous system in the coordination of body
a. Meaning of growth
functions in organisms.
ii. illustrate reflex actions such as blinking of the eyes, knee
b. Germination of seeds and condition necessary jerk etc.
for germination of seeds. iii. differentiate between reflex and voluntary actions as well
as conditioned reflexes such as salivation, riding a bicycle
9. Co-ordination and control and
a. Nervous coordination:

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i. the components, structure and

functions of the central nervous system
ii. The components and functions of the
peripheral nervous system
iii. Mechanism of transmission of impulses iv.
Reflex action

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swimming. iv. relate the listed sense organs

with their functions.
v. apply the knowledge of the structure and functions of these
b. The sense organs
sense organs in detecting and correcting their defects. vi. state
i. Skin (tactile) ii. the location of the listed endocrine glands in animals. vii. relate
Nose (olfactory) iii. the hormone produced by each of these glands to their
Tongue (taste) functions.
iv. Eye (sight) viii. examine the effects of various phytohormones (e.g. auxins,
v. Ear (auditory) gibberellin, cytokinin, and ethylene) on growth, tropism,
flowering, fruit ripening and leaf abscission.
c. Hormonal control
i. animal hormonal system (Pituitary, ix. relate the function of hormones in homeostasis.
thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal gland,
pancreas, gonads) ii. Plant hormones
(phytohormones)

d. Homeostasis
i. Body temperature regulation ii.
Salt and water regulation

C: ECOLOGY

TOPICS - CONTENTS - NOTES OBJECTIVES

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1. Factors affecting the distribution of Candidates should be able to:

Organisms i. relate the effects of temperature; rainfall, relative
humidity, wind speed and direction, altitude, salinity,
i. Abiotic turbidity, pH and edaphic (soil) conditions on the
distribution of organisms. ii. use appropriate equipment
(secchi disc, thermometer, rain gauge) to measure
abiotic factors.
iii. describe how the activities of plants/animals
(particularly human) affect the distribution of
organisms.
ii. Biotic

Candidates should be able to:

2. Symbiotic interactions of plants and animals

i. determine appropriate examples of symbiosis,
parasitism, saprophytism, commensalism, mutualism,
(a) Energy flow in the ecosystem: food chains, amensalism, competition, predation and cooperation
food webs and trophic levels. among organisms.
(b) Nutrient cycling in nature. ii. explain the distribution of organisms with food chains
and food webs in particular habitats.
i. carbon cycle iii. define chains and webs
iv. describe the carbon cycle and its significance including
the balance of atmospheric oxygen and carbon (IV)
oxide and global warming.
v. assess the effects of water cycle on other nutrient cycles.
ii. water cycle vi. relate the roles of bacteria and leguminous
plants in the cycling of nitrogen.

iii. Nitrogen cycle Candidates should be able to:

i. associate plants and animals with each of these
habitats.
3. Natural Habitats

(a) Aquatic (e.g. ponds, streams, lakes,

seashores and mangrove swamps)

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ii. relate adaptive features to the habitats in which organisms

(b) Terrestrial/arboreal (e.g. tree-tops, abandoned live.
farmland or a dry grassy (savanna) field, and
burrow or hole.

4. Local (Nigerian) Biomes Candidates should be able to:

i. locate biomes in regions ii. apply the
a. Tropical rainforest knowledge of the features of the listed local
b. Guinea savanna (southern and northern) biomes in determining the characteristics of different
c. Sudan Savanna regions of Nigeria.
d. Desert
e. Highlands of montane forests and grasslands of
the Obudu -, Jos -, Mambilla - Plateaus.

5. The Ecology of Populations

Candidates should be able to:
a. Population density and overcrowding.
i. determine the reasons for rapid changes in human
population and the consequences of overcrowding. ii.
compute/calculate density as the number of
b. Adaptation for survival organisms per unit area. iii. Relate increase in
i. Factors that bring about competition population, diseases, shortage of food and space
with intra- and inter-specific competition.
iv. Determine niche differentiation as a means of
reducing intra-specific completion. v. Relate
ii. Intra and inter-specific competition competition to succession. vi. deduce the effect of
these factors on the size of population.

iii. Relationship between competition and vii. determine the interactions between biotic and abiotic
succession. factors, (e.g. drought or scarcity of water which leads
to food shortage and lack of space which causes
c. Factors affecting population sizes: increase in disease rates).
viii. trace the sequence in succession to the climax stage
i. Biotic (food, pest, disease, predation,
of stability in plant population.
competition and reproductive ability).

ii. Abiotic (temperature, space, light, rainfall,

topography, pressure, pH) etc.

d. Ecological succession
i. primary succession
ii. secondary succession Candidates should be able to:
i. identify physical properties of different soil types
based on simple measurement of particle size,
6. SOIL porosity or water retention ability. ii. determine the
amounts of air, water, humus and capillarity in
different soil types experimentally.
a. Characteristics of different types
iii. relate soil characteristics, types and components to
of soil (sandy, loamy, clayey) the healthy growth of plants
i. soil structure iv. relate such factors as loss of inorganic matter,
ii. porosity, capillarity and humus compaction, leaching, erosion of the top soil and
content repeated cropping with one variety.
v. apply the knowledge of the practice of contour
b. Components of the soil ridging, terracing, mulching, poly-cropping, strip-
i. inorganic ii. organic cropping, use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, crop
iii. soil organisms rotation, shifting cultivation, etc. to enhance soil
iv. soil air conservation.
v. soil water

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c. Soil fertility
i. loss of soil fertility ii. renewal and
maintenance of soil fertility

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7. Humans and Environment Candidates should be able to:

i. identify ecological conditions that favour the spread of
(a) Diseases: common endemic and potentially epidemic diseases e.g.
(i) Common and endemic diseases malaria, meningitis, drancunculiasis, schistosomiasis,
onchocerciasis, typhoid fever and cholera.
ii. relate the biology of the vector or agent of each disease
with its spread and control
iii. use the knowledge of the causative organisms, mode of
transmission and symptoms of the listed diseases to their
prevention - treatment - control
(ii) Easily transmissible diseases and
iv. apply the principles of inoculation and vaccination
disease syndrome such as:
on disease prevention.
- poliomyelitis
v. categorize pollution into air, water and soil vi.
- cholera
relate the effects of common pollutants to human
- tuberculosis health and environmental degradation.
- sexually transmitted disease/syndrome vii. determine the methods by which each pollutant may
(gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS, etc.) be controlled.
viii. explain the importance of sanitation with emphasis on
solid waste, sewage disposal, community health and
personal hygiene.
ix. assess the roles and functions of international and
(b) Pollution and its control national health agencies e.g. World Health
(i) Sources, types, effects and methods of Organization (WHO), United Nations International
control. Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF),
International Red Cross Society (IRCS) and the
(ii) Sanitation and sewage ministries of health and environment.
x. 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. xi. outline the
benefits of conserving natural resources,
(c) Conservation of Natural Resources prevention of desertification. xii. 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.
xiii identify and state the location and importance of
game reserves and National parks in Nigeria

(d) Game reserves and National parks

D: HEREDITY AND VARIATIONS

TOPICS - CONTENTS - NOTES OBJECTIVES

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(I) Variation In Population Candidates should be able to:

a. Morphological variations in the physical i. differentiate between continuous and discontinuous

appearance of individuals. variations with examples.
ii. relate the role of environmental conditions, habitat
(i) size (height and weight) and the genetic constitution to variation. iii. measure
heights and weights of pupils of the same age group
iv. plot graphs of frequency distribution of the heights
(ii) Colour (skin, eye, hair, coat of
animals, scales and feathers).

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and weights.
(iii) Fingerprints v. observe and record various colour patterns in
some plants and animals. vi. apply
classification of fingerprints in identity detection.
b. Physiological variation
vii. identify some specific examples of
(i) Ability to roll tongue physiological variation among human population. viii.
(ii) Ability to taste categorize people according to their physiological
phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) variation.
(iii) Blood groups

c. Application of discontinuous
ix. apply the knowledge of blood groups in
variation in crime detection,
blood transfusion and determination of paternity. x.
blood transfusion and
use discontinuous variation in crime detection.
determination of paternity.

Candidates should be able to:

i. determine heritable and non-heritable characters
2. Heredity with examples. ii. illustrate simple structure of
DNA
a) Inheritance of characters in organisms
(i) Heritable characters iii. illustrate segregation of genes at meiosis and
(ii) Non-heritable characters recombination of genes at fertilization to account for
the process of transmission of characters from
b) Chromosomes – the basis of heredity parents to offsprings.

(i) Structure iv. deduce that segregation of genes occurs during

(ii) Process of transmission of hereditary gamete formation and that recombination of genes
characters from parents to offsprings. at fertilization is random in nature.

c) Probability in genetics and sex determination. v. analyze data on cross-breeding experiments. vi.
apply the principles of heredity in the production of
new varieties of crops and livestock through cross-
d) Application of the principles of heredity in:
breeding.
vii. deduce advantages and disadvantages of out-
i) Agriculture breeding and in-breeding.
viii. analyze elementarily the contentious issues of
(ii) Medicine genetically modified organisms (GMO) and gene
therapy and biosafety.

ix. apply the knowledge of heredity in marriage

counselling with particular reference to blood
grouping, sickle-cell anaemia and the Rhesus factors.
e) Sex – linked characters e.g. baldness, x. describe the significance of using recombinant DNA
haemophilia, colour blindness, etc. materials in the production of important medical products
such as insulin, interferon and enzymes.
xi. identify characters that are sex linked.

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E: EVOLUTION

TOPICS - CONTENTS - NOTES OBJECTIVES

1. Theories of evolution Candidates should be able to:

a) Lamarck’s theory i. relate organic evolution as the sum total of all
b) Darwin’s theory adaptive changes that have taken place over a
c) organic theory long period of time resulting in the diversity of
forms, structures and functions among
organisms.
ii. explain the contributions of Lamarck and Darwin
to the theory of evolution.
iii. state the evidences in support of organic
evolution

2. Evidence of evolution iv. mention the evidences for evolution such as

fossil records, comparative anatomy, physiology
and embryology.

v. trace evolutionary trends in plants and animals.

vi. state the evidence of modern evolutionary

theories such as genetic studies and the role of
mutation.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS

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

Ogunniyi M.B. Adebisi A.A. and Okojie J.A. (2000) Biology for Senior Secondary Schools: Books 1 – 3, Macmillan

Ramalingam, S.T. (2018) Modern Biology, SS Science Series. New Edition, AFP

Stan. (2004) Biology for Senior Secondary Schools. Revised Edition, Ibadan: Heinemann

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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

Idodo – Umeh, G (2015) College Biology. Idodo – Umeh Publishers Ltd.

Micheal, M.C. (2018) Essential Biology for Senior Secondary Schools. TONAD Publishers Ltd.

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