BIOL1004 Biology 1B: Evolution and Diversity of Organisms
The Complete Exam Bible · S1 2026BIOL1004 Overview
- University of Adelaide
- Semester 1, 2026
- First-year undergraduate
- Exam + practicals + portfolio
BIOL1004 (Biology 1B: Evolution and Diversity of Organisms) is the University of Adelaide's first-year Semester 1, 2026 course on evolution and organismal diversity.
- Assessed by 30% portfolio, 5% prelim quizzes, 25% worksheets, 40% final exam
- Exam format 3 hours and 120 marks: 60 MCQ + 60 short answer
- MCQ source All exam MCQs come from the ten Week Review Quizzes
- Practical rule Attend, submit before leaving, then use feedback in the next worksheet
What BIOL1004 covers
BIOL1004 (Biology 1B: Evolution and Diversity of Organisms) moves from six evolution topics through protists and fungi, plant and animal biology, then population ecology.
The map follows the material actually available for Semester 1, 2026: full pages where the course publishes them, practical and quiz evidence where topic pages are absent, and explicit signposts back to MyLearning for missing animal physiology, Ecology Part 2 and the glossary-only plant topics.
Natural Selection: Darwin's Observations and Inferences
Defining life; hierarchy of biological organisation; emergent properties; the three domains; descent with modification; Darwin and Wallace; two observations, three inferences02Evidence for Evolution and Models of Selection
Fossil, anatomical, genetic and experimental evidence; body vs trace fossils; rock types and unconformities; whale case study; homology; haemoglobin; corn-oil and soapberry-bug experiments; directional, stabilising, disruptive selection03Variation, Species Concepts and Phylogenetic Trees
Populations and gene pools; five sources of genetic variation; four species concepts; binomial nomenclature and the classification hierarchy; analogous vs homologous traits; symplesiomorphy, synapomorphy, autapomorphy; building a cladogram04Fitness, Adaptation and Speciation
Biological vs everyday fitness; relative fitness; why survival of the fittest is incomplete; adaptation as inherited and dynamic; allopatric and sympatric speciation; drift, founder effect, bottlenecks; gradual evolution of complex traits05Sexual Reproduction and Sexual Selection
The two-fold cost of sex and recombination load; genetic variation, DNA repair, Muller's ratchet and the Red Queen; the nematode co-evolution experiment; Bateman's principle; male competition and female choice06History of Life and Adaptive Radiation
Geological time; oldest evidence of life; the major-events table; features of Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya; three causes of adaptive radiation; Galapagos finches; Cambrian explosion; Permian extinction; homeobox genes07Protists: Diversity, Nutrition and Life Cycles
Why protists are paraphyletic; shared eukaryotic features; heterotrophy, autotrophy, mixotrophy; primary and secondary endosymbiosis; diplontic, haplontic and sporic life cycles; algae, Plasmodium, slime moulds, Euglena08Fungi: Structure, Reproduction and Symbioses
Chitin walls, glycogen storage, absorptive heterotrophy; hyphae, septa and mycelium; moulds, yeasts and dimorphic fungi; asexual and sexual spores; dikaryons; lichens and mycorrhizae; crop and human pathogens09Plant Life Cycles and the Move onto Land
Alternation of generations; gametophyte and sporophyte dominance; homospory and heterospory; Bryophyta, Pterophyta, Coniferophyta, Anthophyta compared; controlling water loss; key features of true land plants10Angiosperm Reproduction: Flowers, Fertilisation, Fruits
The three Fs; stamen and carpel; embryo sac and pollen grain; pollination and pollen tubes; double fertilisation and 3n endosperm; seed and fruit development; simple, aggregate, multiple and accessory fruits; vegetative reproduction and apomixis11Plant Structure, Growth and Transport
Dermal, ground and vascular tissue; apical and lateral meristems; primary and secondary growth; monocot vs eudicot anatomy; stomata and mesophyll; wood, bark and periderm; apoplast, symplast, Casparian strip; cohesion-tension; phloem source to sink12Animal Body Plans, Digestion and Gas Exchange
Anatomical direction terms; diploblastic and triploblastic; acoelomate, pseudocoelomate, coelomate; insect gut regions and the tracheal system; amphibian vs mammalian respiratory and digestive anatomy13Population Ecology and Growth Models
Populations and metapopulations; births, deaths, immigration, emigration; density dependence and carrying capacity; r- and K-strategists; sex structure, mortality, life tables, survivorship curves; exponential and logistic growth14Lab Skills: Microscopy, Drawing and Data
Lab safety and PPE; dissecting vs compound microscope set-up; micrographs, scale bars and figure legends; scientific drawing standards; data standardisation and plotting; how worksheets are marked and feedback loopsIts teaching sequence begins with the origin of biological diversity, evolutionary evidence, population variation, species concepts and phylogenetic trees, fitness and speciation, sexual reproduction and sexual selection, and the history of life.
It then moves through protist and fungal diversity, plant life cycles, angiosperm reproduction, plant growth and transport, practical animal body plans, population ecology and laboratory practice.
The source coverage is uneven and this guide keeps that boundary visible: Animal Biology has practical anatomy but no topic pages; Ecology Part 2 is absent; Plant Topics 1 and 3 rely on practical and quiz evidence; Plant Topics 6 and 7 are represented only in the glossary. Missing mechanisms are directed back to MyLearning rather than filled from a generic biology syllabus.
Assessment is a 30% Learning Engagement Portfolio in three parts, five preliminary practical quizzes worth 5% total, five paired practical worksheets worth 25% total and a 40% final exam. The final exam is closed book, three hours and 120 marks.
Sixty marks are 60 multiple-choice questions drawn from the ten Week Review Quizzes at six questions per quiz; the other 60 marks are short answer at approximately six marks for each teaching week. The course states that the exam is not a hurdle. Its date is not published in the materials available here, so students are directed to the Student Portal timetable.
The Week Review Quizzes carry no direct marks and are optional, but a result of at least 65% can be used as an additional portfolio artifact. Preliminary practical quizzes are graded, allow unlimited attempts before the close, retain the highest result and close at the start of the enrolled practical with no late submission.
Worksheets are completed in pairs, submitted before leaving and cannot be submitted by a student who did not attend; feedback is read and carried into the next worksheet. Campbell Biology 12e is recommended but explicitly not compulsory, and the course also points to free alternatives.
How BIOL1004 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Engagement Portfolios (Parts A, B and C) | 30% | Started in workshops and completed in the student's own study time. The per-part A/B/C split of the 30% is not published — confirm on MyLearning. Hurdle status is not stated — confirm on MyLearning. Part A has conflicting readings: the dated 2026 roadmap says Monday 23 March, while Workshop 2 says Monday 24 March; confirm the live due date on MyLearning. |
| Prac preparation quizzes (prelim quizzes) × 5 | 5% | Individual online quizzes, submitted before the enrolled practical. No time limit; unlimited attempts before the close; highest result retained; some questions are randomly drawn; closes at the start of the enrolled practical and cannot be submitted late. A 1% weight is published for Pracs 1 and 3 only; the per-quiz weight for Pracs 2, 4 and 5 is not published — confirm on MyLearning. Hurdle status is not stated — confirm on MyLearning. |
| Prac worksheets × 5 | 25% | Completed in pairs during the practical and submitted before leaving. A student who is not present cannot submit. Demonstrator feedback is viewed and reflected on in the next worksheet. The per-worksheet weight is not published — confirm on MyLearning. Hurdle status is not stated — confirm on MyLearning. |
| Final exam | 40% | Closed-book, in-person written exam: 3 hours, 120 marks; 60 marks from 60 multiple-choice questions drawn from the ten Week Review Quizzes at six per quiz, plus 60 short-answer marks at approximately six marks per teaching week. The course explicitly states that the exam is not a hurdle. Date and location come from the Student Portal timetable. |
No official course-outline document was present in the available materials. Portfolio criteria, format, length and per-part weighting; individual worksheet weights; the Prac 2/4/5 quiz weights; other hurdle rules; credit points; prerequisites; workload and general policy details must be confirmed on MyLearning. The final exam's published not-a-hurdle statement is the only component-specific absence rule reproduced here.
Link an optional quiz to both assessment pathways
- unweightedFirst identify the exam pathway. All multiple-choice questions in the final exam are drawn from the ten Week Review Quizzes, with six questions selected from each quiz. Completing the quiz is therefore direct retrieval practice for half of the 120-mark exam.
- unweightedThen identify the portfolio pathway. A screenshot showing at least 65% can count as an additional Learning Engagement Portfolio artifact for that week. The quiz itself carries no direct mark, but its result can support the 30% portfolio.
- unweightedKeep the components separate. Do not say the Week Review Quiz is graded, and do not confuse it with the graded preliminary practical quiz that closes at the start of the enrolled practical.
Key terms
- Week Review Quiz
- An optional, ungraded review activity whose questions supply the exam's multiple-choice pool.
- Prelim quiz
- A graded individual preparation quiz completed before the enrolled practical.
- Learning Engagement Portfolio
- A 30% assessment submitted in three parts and developed from workshop artifacts.
- Prac worksheet
- A paired, in-class submission worth part of the 25% worksheet total.
- Natural selection
- Change across generations produced by unequal reproductive success associated with heritable variation.
- Synapomorphy
- A shared derived character used to support a clade.
- Alternation of generations
- A life cycle with multicellular haploid gametophyte and diploid sporophyte stages.
- Carrying capacity
- The population size a particular environment can support over time.
BIOL1004 FAQ
Is the BIOL1004 final exam a hurdle?
No. The course explicitly states that the final exam is not a hurdle: a result below 50% on the exam can still be compatible with passing when performance across practicals, portfolios and the exam produces an overall passing result. All four configuration rows keep is_hurdle false; other component hurdle status is not stated and should be confirmed on MyLearning.
How is the Biology 1B exam structured?
It is a closed-book, in-person written exam lasting three hours for 120 marks. Sixty marks come from 60 multiple-choice questions and 60 marks come from short-answer questions, with approximately six short-answer marks for each of ten teaching weeks.
Where do the exam multiple-choice questions come from?
All of them are drawn from the ten Week Review Quizzes, with six questions selected from each quiz. Some non-MCQ quiz formats can be converted into multiple-choice form.
Do the Week Review Quizzes count for marks?
Not directly; they are described as optional and not for marks. However, a screenshot of at least 65% can count as an additional portfolio artifact for that week, and the quizzes supply the entire exam MCQ pool.
What happens if I miss a practical?
The published practical instructions say a student who is not in the practical cannot submit the worksheet. Follow the absence process and confirm the current procedure on MyLearning.
Can I retake a prelim quiz?
Yes, before the deadline. The quiz has no time limit, permits unlimited attempts before it closes and keeps the highest mark. It closes at the start of the enrolled practical class and cannot be submitted late.
Do I have to buy Campbell Biology?
No. The course says purchasing Campbell Biology is not compulsory, though it may be advantageous, and it also lists free alternatives.
How much is the Learning Engagement Portfolio worth?
It is worth 30% and is submitted in Parts A, B and C. The split of the 30% across those parts is not published in the available materials, so confirm it on MyLearning.
How to study for the exam
Build revision around the ten Week Review Quiz pools because they are the published source for every exam multiple-choice question. For short answer, practise complete causal chains: variation to selection, character matrix to cladogram, isolation to speciation, ploidy through a life cycle, flower to seed, root to shoot to air, source to sink, body plan to function, and births or deaths to population change.
Keep a conflict ledger for dates and labels rather than averaging them. Before each practical, use the unlimited prelim-quiz attempts to diagnose gaps; during the class, produce labelled figures and data records that another student could interpret; afterward, read the demonstrator's feedback with your partner and write one correction into the next worksheet.
Where this guide says material is absent or glossary-only, use the live MyLearning module as the source rather than extending the topic from general biology memory.
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