Biological science conceptions

Core concepts

When exploring the natural world, the wide expanse of knowledge leads us to develop the big ideas or core concepts of science. Teachers and students can use these to explain and make predictions about a range of related phenomena in the natural world. Through the curriculum, these concepts are introduced and developed according to the age and stage of the students.

	A diverse range of living things have evolved on earth over hundreds of millions of years; this process is ongoing	Biological systems are interdependent and interact with each other and their environment	The form and features of living things are related to the functions that their body systems perform
F	Observe external features of plants and animals and describe ways they can be grouped based on these features	Concept not covered at this year level	Observe external features of plants and animals and describe ways they can be grouped based on these features
Y1	Concept not covered at this year level	Identify the basic needs of plants and animals, including air, water, food and shelter and how the place they live meet those needs	Concept not covered at this year level
Y2	Biological sciences not covered at this year level	Biological sciences not covered at this year level	Biological sciences not covered at this year level
Y3	Compare characteristics of living and non-living things and examine the differences between the life cycles of plants and animals	Concept not covered at this year level	Compare characteristics of living and non-living things and examine the differences between the life cycles of plants and animals
Y4	Concept not covered at this year level	Explain the roles and interactions of consumers, producers and decomposers within a habitat and how food chains represent feeding relationships	Concept not covered at this year level
Y5	Examine how particular structural features and behaviours of living things enable their survival in specific habitats	Concept not covered at this year level	Examine how particular structural features and behaviours of living things enable their survival in specific habitats
Y6	Concept not covered at this year level	Concept not covered at this year level	Investigate the physical conditions of a habitat and analyse how the growth and survival of living things is affected by changing physical conditions

Diverse range of living things

Alternative conceptions

A diverse range of living things have evolved on earth over hundreds of millions of years; this process is ongoing.

This list of alternative conceptions is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead aims to provide a starting point.

Alternative conception	Accepted conception
Fire/sun/cars are living things.	Living things need to reproduce (not cars/sun). Living things also need water (not fire).
Non-living is the same as dead.	Dead things were ‘once living’. Non-living things were never living.
The particles in an animal are living.	Particles do not reproduce or need water to ‘survive’. Cells are the smallest living thing.
Seeds are non-living.	Seeds need water, can grow, reproduce, require gases, produce waste etc.
Plants do not move.	Plants grow or tilt their leaves towards the sun. Carnivorous (fly trap) plants can move to trap insects. Roots grow downwards.
All animals can move independently from one place to another.	Animals need to eat their food/nutrients and most can move independently in reaction to their environment. Animals are multicellular; their cells are different to plant cells. Some underwater organisms (sea anemone) have animal cells and appear fixed in place like a plant.
All living things have a brain.	Plants are living things and do not have a functioning brain.
All living things need oxygen to survive.	Many microorganisms grow in environments that do not have oxygen. They will exchange other gases.
Animals live on land.	There are many animals that live in water.
Humans evolved from apes.	Humans have common ancestors with apes that have evolved into different species over time.
Organisms adapt to suit their environment.	Adaptations are a result of the survival and reproduction of the individuals in a species that are most suited to their environment. This process can take many generations. (Species adapt, not individual organisms.)
Fungi are plants	Fungi (like yeast and mushrooms) are unable to photosynthesise like plants. They are classified in a different Kingdom.
All bacteria make you sick	While some bacteria can cause illness, we rely on many types of bacteria to help us digest food and fight disease.
Living things grow because their cells get bigger.	Living things grow because the cells reproduce.

Biological systems are interdependent

Alternative conceptions

Biological systems are interdependent and interact with each other and their environment.

This list of alternative conceptions is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead aims to provide a starting point.

Alternative conception	Accepted conception
Plants make energy.	Plants use the light energy from the sun to photosynthesise and generate chemical energy.
Plants get their food/energy from the ground.	Plants obtain water from the ground (and trace nutrients) but use the water and carbon dioxide in sunlight to produce glucose and oxygen (photosynthesis).
Rotting matter returns energy to the soil.	Rotting is usually a result of decomposition by bacteria and fungi breaking down the material to obtain energy. They produce waste matter (lower energy molecules).
Plants take in all the substances they need to grow through their roots.	Plants obtain water and trace nutrients through their roots. Gases (carbon dioxide and oxygen) are obtained by all parts of the plant (including leaves).
Plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.	In sunlight, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. When there is no light, photosynthesis cannot occur and plants still undergo cellular respiration (use oxygen and produce carbon dioxide).
Animals at the end of the food chain need less energy (because there are fewer of them).	Animals at the end of a food chain tend to be fast-moving and require more energy to maintain and move.
Energy transfer in a food chain is 100% efficient.	The energy gained from eating is used for movement, tissue repair, and growth. Each link in a food chain tends to pass on 10% of the previous organism.
Top predators are always large animals.	Owls in a forest or dragonflies in a pond can be the top predator.
Decomposers are not important.	Decomposers help recycle matter in the environment by breaking down dead organisms.
Invasive species are always non-native.	While many invasive species come from other countries, some species become invasive if their natural environment changes, such as when their predator is removed.
All organisms in an environment are equally important.	Some species in an environment (keystone species) can contribute to the health of many other species.

Form and features of living things

Alternative conceptions

The form and features of living things are related to the functions that their body systems perform.

This list of alternative conceptions is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead aims to provide a starting point.

Alternative conception	Accepted conception
Plants take in all the substances they need to grow through their roots.	Plants obtain water and trace nutrients through their roots. Gases (carbon dioxide and oxygen) are obtained by all parts of the plant (including leaves).
All animals can move independently from one place to another.	Animals need to eat their food/nutrients and most are able to move independently in reaction to their environment. Animals are multicellular; their cells are different from plant cells. Some underwater organisms (sea anemone) have animal cells but are stationary like a plant.
Animals live on land.	There are many animals that live in the water.
Living things adapt by changing to suit their environment.	Adaptations are a result of survival and reproduction of the individuals in a species that are most suited to their environment. This process can take many generations. (Species adapt, not individual organisms.)
All features of living things are adaptations.	While most features are adaptations that improve survival, some are a result of previous ancestors. An example of this is wisdom teeth in humans. Adaptations provide a selection/survival advantage for an organism.
All animals have four legs and fur.	Reptiles (scales) and insects (>4 legs) are animals.
All animals have skeletons.	Animals are broken into two main groups. Vertebrates all have an internal spinal cord that is usually surrounded by a ‘backbone’. The second group is invertebrates, many of which (insects and spiders) have an external skeleton. Some animals (jellyfish) do not have any skeletons.
Spiders are insects.	Both spiders and insects (ants etc) belong to the group of invertebrates. Ants and other insects belong to the class ‘Insecta’ while spiders belong to the class ‘Arachnida’.
Fruit is grown for us to eat.	Fruit is grown around a plant's seeds to attract animals that will spread the seeds over a wide area.
Plants have flowers and stems.	Flowering plants have organs (flowers, leaves, stems, and roots). Other plants (ie conifers and mosses) do not have typical flowers.
Pollination is the same as seed dispersal.	Pollination is a mechanism for plants to use sexual reproduction and provide for variation in the species. Seed dispersal allows seeds to spread over a wider area and prevent competition between plants.
Plants have flowers to attract insects.	Flowers provide opportunity for the pollen (sperm equivalent) to travel to the ovum (egg). Insects or birds are attracted to aid this process.
Plants make nectar so that bees can make honey.	Nectar is produced by plants to attract insects, birds or bats. As insects travel from flower to flower, they transfer pollen and support the sexual reproduction of the plant.
All flowers are the same.	Each flowering plant produces a flower that is unique.
Only leaves photosynthesise.	Some non-woody green stems can photosynthesise.
The life cycle is the same as a reproductive cycle.	Some animals only have a single reproductive cycle and therefore this will be the same as their life cycle. Other animals have more than one reproductive cycle in the life span.