Key Biological Terms and Concepts

Abiotic factor

A nonliving part of an organism's habitat.

Alveoli

Tiny sacs of lung tissue specialized for the movement of gases.

Autotroph

An organism that makes its own food.

Bacteria

Single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus.

Behavior

The way an organism reacts to changes.

Biotic factor

Any living part of the environment.

Characteristics

Distinguishing traits or properties.

Clone

An organism genetically identical to another.

Community

All populations that live together in an area.

Cytoplasm

The thick fluid inside a cell.

Disperse

To spread out or scatter.

Domain

The most basic level of classifying organisms.

Ecological restoration

Helping damaged ecosystems recover.

Endocytosis

A cell taking in material by engulfing it.

Endosymbiosis

A beneficial relationship where one organism lives inside another.

Energy pyramid

Shows energy flow through a food web.

Exocytosis

Releasing material from a vacuole to outside a cell.

Genome

All genetic info in an organism's DNA.

Genotype

An organism's genetic makeup.

Genus

A group of closely related organisms.

Heterotroph

An organism that eats other things for food.

Interactions

How organisms or things affect each other.

Invasive species

Non-native organisms that harm ecosystems.

Keystone species

A species that affects many others' survival.

Law of Conservation of Energy

Energy can't be created or destroyed.

Law of Conservation of Mass

Matter stays the same in changes.

Meiosis

Cell division for sex cells that halves chromosomes.

Metamorphosis

A big body change during a life cycle.

Mitochondria

Organelle that turns food into energy.

Mitosis

Division of a cell's nucleus into two nuclei.

Mutualism

Both species benefit in a relationship.

Nephron

The kidney's filtering unit.

Niche

An organism's role in its environment.

Nutrients

Substances your body uses to grow and live.

Organ system

A group of organs doing one big job.

Organism

A living thing.

Parasite

Lives in/on a host and benefits from it.

Peristalsis

Muscle movement pushing food through the digestive system.

Phenotype

An organism's physical traits.

Pioneer species

First to live in an area during succession.

Population

One species living in an area.

Predation

One organism kills another for food.

Scientific theory

A tested explanation for many observations.

Sequence

The order things happen.

Species

Organisms that can reproduce and have offspring that can reproduce.

Symbiosis

Two species live closely together.

Trait

A characteristic passed down from genes.

Vacuole

Stores water, food, and materials in a cell.

Virus

A tiny particle that enters and reproduces in cells.

Chromosomes

Structures that carry genes from parent to offspring.

Allele

Different forms of a gene.

Evolution

Change in species over time.