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WABiology

Unit 4: Surviving in a Changing Environment

13 dot points across 13 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does the body keep blood glucose within a narrow range?

Explain how insulin and glucagon regulate blood glucose concentration by negative feedback
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on blood glucose regulation. Covers insulin and glucagon, the role of the pancreas and liver, negative feedback, and the link to diabetes as a failure of control.
6 min answer →

How do we track infectious disease and control its spread in populations?

Explain epidemiological terms and evaluate strategies used to control the spread of disease
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on epidemiology and disease control. Covers epidemics and pandemics, transmission rate, herd immunity, quarantine, vaccination programs and antibiotic resistance.
8 min answer →

How do animals maintain a stable internal environment as conditions change?

Explain how animals maintain homeostasis using negative feedback, with reference to thermoregulation and osmoregulation
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on homeostasis in animals. Covers negative feedback, the stimulus-response model, thermoregulation, osmoregulation and blood glucose control.
8 min answer →

How do plants regulate water loss and respond to a changing environment?

Explain how plants maintain water balance and respond to environmental stimuli
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on homeostasis in plants. Covers stomatal control of transpiration, the role of guard cells and abscisic acid, tropisms and adaptations of xerophytes.
7 min answer →

How does vaccination protect individuals and populations from disease?

Distinguish types of immunity and explain how vaccination and herd immunity protect populations
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on immunity and vaccination. Covers active and passive immunity, natural and artificial immunity, how vaccines work through memory cells, and herd immunity with Australian examples.
7 min answer →

How do health authorities predict, control and respond to disease outbreaks?

Explain the strategies used to predict and manage the spread of epidemics and pandemics
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on managing epidemics. Covers surveillance and modelling, quarantine and isolation, contact tracing, vaccination programs and biosecurity, with Australian examples.
7 min answer →

How do animals maintain water and salt balance in their bodies?

Explain how the kidney regulates water and solute balance and removes nitrogenous waste
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on osmoregulation. Covers water and salt balance, the role of the kidney and ADH, nitrogenous waste, negative feedback, and adaptations of Australian desert animals.
7 min answer →

What causes infectious disease and how do pathogens spread?

Classify pathogens and explain how infectious diseases are transmitted
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on pathogens and disease. Covers types of pathogens, modes of transmission, the difference between infectious and non-infectious disease and how pathogens cause harm.
7 min answer →

How do plants defend themselves against pathogens without an immune system like ours?

Describe the physical, chemical and active defences plants use against pathogens
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on plant defences. Covers physical barriers, chemical defences, and active responses such as sealing off infected tissue, with Australian agricultural examples.
6 min answer →

How do plants respond to environmental stimuli without a nervous system?

Explain how tropisms and plant hormones such as auxin allow plants to respond to their environment
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on plant responses. Covers phototropism, gravitropism and other tropisms, the role of auxin and its uneven distribution, and how these responses help plants survive.
6 min answer →

How does the body defend itself against pathogens?

Describe the lines of defence and explain the specific immune response and immunity
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on the immune response. Covers the three lines of defence, the humoral and cell-mediated responses, memory cells and types of immunity including vaccination.
9 min answer →

How do animals keep their body temperature within tolerable limits?

Explain how endotherms and ectotherms regulate body temperature using behavioural and physiological mechanisms
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on thermoregulation. Covers endotherms and ectotherms, behavioural and physiological cooling and warming mechanisms, negative feedback control, and Australian animal examples.
7 min answer →

How do infectious diseases spread from one host to another?

Describe the modes of transmission of infectious disease and the factors that affect their spread
A focused answer to the WACE Year 12 Biology dot point on disease transmission. Covers direct and indirect transmission, vectors, droplet and waterborne spread, and the factors affecting transmission rate with Australian examples.
6 min answer →