JAMB Syllabus for Biology 2025/2026 PDF Download

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JAMB Syllabus for Biology 2025/2026

Section A: Variety of Organisms

1. Living organisms:

Topics:

• Characteristics 
• Cell structure and functions of cell Components 
• Level of organization 

   i. Cell e.g. Euglena and Paramecium

   ii. Tissue, e.g. epithelial tissues and Hydra 

   iii. Organ, e.g. onion bulb 

   iv. Systems, e.g. reproductive, digestive, and excretory 

   v. Organisms e.g. Chlamydomonas 

2. Evolution among the following:

Topics:

• Monera (prokaryotes), e.g. bacteria and blue-green algae. 
• Protista (protozoans and protophyta), e.g. Amoeba, Euglena, and Paramecium
• Fungi, e.g. mushroom and Rhizopus. 
• Plantae (plants) 

  i. Thallophyta (e.g. Spirogyra) 

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

  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. waterleaf) 

e. Animalia (animals) 

  i. Invertebrates 

• Coelenterate (e.g. Hydra) 
• Platyhelminthes (flatworms) e.g. Taenia
• Nematoda (roundworms) 
• Annelida (e.g. earthworm) 
• Arthropoda e.g. mosquito, cockroach, housefly, bee, butterfly 
• Mollusca (e.g. snails) 

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. Variety of Organisms

Topics:

• Structural/functional and behavioral adaptations of organisms. 
• Adaptive colouration and its functions 
• Behavioral adaptations in social animals 
• Structural adaptations in organisms. 

Section B: Form and Functions

1. Internal structure of a flowering plant

Topics:

   i. Root 

   ii. Stem 

   iii. Leaf 

b. Internal structure of a mammal 

2. Nutrition 

Topics:

a. Modes of nutrition 

   i. Autotrophic 

   ii. Heterotrophic 

b. Types of Nutrition 

c. Plant nutrition 

   i. Photosynthesis 

   ii. Mineral requirements (macro and micro-nutrients) 

d. Animal nutrition 

   i. Classes of food substances: carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils, vitamins, mineral salts, and water 

   ii. Food tests (e.g. starch, reducing sugar, protein, oil, fat, etc.) 

   iii. The mammalian tooth (structures, types, and functions) 

   iv. Mammalian alimentary canal 

   v. Nutrition process (ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of digested food) 

3. Transport

Topics: 

a. Need for transportation 

b. Materials for transportation. (Excretory products, gasses, manufactured food, digested food, nutrient, water, and hormones) 

c. Channels for transportation 

i. Mammalian circulatory system (heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries) 

ii. Plant vascular system (phloem and xylem) 

d. Media and processes of mechanism for transportation. 

4. Respiration

Topics: 

a. Respiration 

b. Respiratory organs and surfaces 

c. The mechanism of gaseous exchange in: 

i. Plants 

ii. Mammals 

d. Aerobic respiration 

e. Anaerobic respiration 

5. Excretion

Topics: 

a. Types of excretory structures: 

i. contractile vacuole 

ii. flame cell 

iii. nephridium 

iv. Malpighian tubule 

v. kidney 

vi. stoma and lenticel 

b. Excretory mechanisms: 

i. Kidneys 

ii. Lungs 

iii. Skin 

c. Excretory products of plants 

6. Support and movement

Topics: 

a. Tropic, tactic, nastic, and sleep movements in plants 

b. Supporting tissues in animals 

c. Types and functions of the skeleton 

i. Exoskeleton 

ii. Endoskeleton 

iii. Functions of the skeleton in animals 

7. Reproduction

Topics: 

a. Asexual reproduction 

i. Fission as in Paramecium 

ii. Budding as in yeast 

iii. Natural vegetative propagation 

iv. Artificial vegetative propagation 

b. Sexual reproduction in flowering plants 

i. Floral parts and their functions 

ii. Pollination and fertilization 

iii. Products of sexual reproduction 

c. Reproduction in mammals 

i. Structures and functions of the male and female reproductive organs 

ii. Fertilization and development (Fusion of gametes) 

8. Growth

Topics: 

a. Meaning of growth 

b. Germination of seeds and conditions necessary for germination of seeds 

9. Coordination and control

Topics: 

a. Nervous coordination: 

i. The components, structure, and functions of the central nervous system 

ii. The components and functions of the peripheral nervous systems 

iii. Mechanism of transmission of impulses 

iv. Reflex action 

b. The sense organs 

i. Skin (tactile) 

ii. Nose (olfactory) 

iii. Tongue (taste) 

iv. Eye (sight) 

v. Ear (auditory) 

c. Hormonal control 

i. Animal hormonal system 

• Pituitary 
• Thyroid 
• Parathyroid 
• Adrenal gland 
• Pancreas 
• Gonads 

ii. Plant hormones (phytohormones) 

d. Homeostasis 

i. Body temperature regulation 

ii. Salt and water regulation 

Section C. Ecology

1. Factors affecting the distribution of Organisms

Topics:

i. Abiotic 

ii. Biotic

2. Symbiotic interactions of plants and animals

Topics:

(a) Energy flow in the ecosystem: food chains, food webs and trophic levels 

(b) Nutrient cycling in nature 

i. carbon cycle 

ii. water cycle 

iii. Nitrogen cycle 

3. Natural Habitats

Topics:

(a) Aquatic (e.g. ponds, streams, lakes seashores and mangrove swamps) 

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

4. Local (Nigerian) Biomes

Topics:

a. Tropical rainforest 

b. Guinea savanna (southern and northern) 

c. Sudan Savanna 

d. Desert 

e. Highlands of montane forests and grasslands of the Obudu, Jos, Mambilla Plateau. 

5. The Ecology of Populations:

Topics:

(a) Population density and overcrowding. 

(b) Adaptation for survival 

i. Factors that bring about competition 

ii. Intra and inter-specific competition 

iii. Relationship between competition and succession. 

(c) Factors affecting population sizes: 

i. Biotic (e.g. food, pest, disease, predation, competition, reproductive ability). 

ii. Abiotic (e.g. temperature, space, light, rainfall, topography, pressure, pH, etc. 

(d) Ecological succession 

i. primary succession 

ii. secondary succession 

6. Soil

Topics:

a) characteristics of different types of soil (sandy, loamy, clayey) 

i. soil structure 

ii. porosity, capillarity and humus content 

b). Components of the soil 

i. inorganic 

ii. organic 

iii. soil organisms 

iv. Soil air 

v. Soil water 

c) Soil fertility: 

i. loss of soil fertility 

ii. Renewal and maintenance of soil fertility 

7. Humans and Environment

Topics:

(a) Diseases: 

(i) Common and endemic diseases. 

ii. Easily transmissible diseases and disease syndrome such as: 

• poliomyelitis 
• cholera 
• tuberculosis 
• sexually transmitted disease/syndrome (gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS, etc. 

b. Pollution and its control 

(i) sources, types, effects and methods of control. 

(ii) Sanitation and sewage 

(c) Conservation of Natural Resources 

(d) Game reserves and National parks 

SECTION D: Heredity and Variations

(I) Variation In Population

Topics:

a. Morphological variations in the physical appearance of individuals. 

(i) size (height, weight) 

(ii) Colour (skin, eye, hair, coat of animals, scales and feathers) 

(iii) Fingerprints 

b. Physiological variation 

(i) Ability to roll tongue 

(ii) Ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) 

(iii) Blood groups 

c. Application of discontinuous variation in crime detection, blood transfusion and determination of paternity. 

2. Heredity 

Topics: 

a) Inheritance of characters in organisms; 

i) Heritable and non-heritable characters. 

b) Chromosomes – the basis of heredity; 

(i) Structure 

(ii) Process of transmission of hereditary characters from parents to offspring. 

c) Probability in genetics and sex determination. 

d) Application of the principles of heredity in: 

i) Agriculture 

ii) Medicine 

e. Sex-linked characters e.g. baldness, haemophilia, color blindness, etc.  

SECTION E: Evolution

1. Theories of evolution

Topics: 

a) Lamarck’s theory 

b) Darwin’s theory 

c) organic theory 

Conclusion

Depending on your course of study, passing Biology may be a key criteria to gaining admission. We’ve disclosed how you can score high in JAMB.

Overall, following JAMB Syllabus for Biology ensure you ace the 2025/2026 UTME with flying colours. If you have any question let us know in the comment section below.