General Biology 1 Preliminary Examination Reviewer

Vocabulary-based flashcards covering the basics of biology, levels of biological organization, cell theory history, cell types, and organelle functions based on lecture notes.

Biology

The study of life and the science of living things encompassing its structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution.

Biotic Components

The living things that have a direct or indirect influence on other organisms in an environment, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Abiotic Components

Non-living components of an ecosystem that include all chemical and physical elements.

Uni-cellular

Living things that are comprised of one cell, such as bacteria and amoeba.

Multi-cellular

Living things made up of two or more cells, such as plants, fungi, and animals.

Cell

The basic building block of life and the smallest unit of structure and function in living things.

Tissue

Formed when similar cells aggregate together.

Organ

A collection of tissues and similar structures that all function as one.

Organ System

An association of different organs and other anatomical structures that perform a certain physiological process.

Organism

Any living thing composed of various organ systems functioning altogether.

Population

Formed when individuals of the same species reside in a common environment at a given time and can breed with one another.

Community

The interactions of different populations with each other, excluding abiotic factors.

Ecosystem

The interaction of organisms, population, and community with their abiotic or non-living environment.

Biome

A very huge geographic area where various ecosystems exist and different organisms adapt to it.

Biosphere

A global system that is the sum of all biomes, comprising everywhere life exists and the abiotic environments they reside in.

Asexual Reproduction

Reproduction involving cell division (mitosis) where one cell becomes two, such as bacterial binary fission.

Sexual Reproduction

Reproduction where hereditary information from two different organisms of the same species is combined to form a zygote.

Phototropism

The movement involving plants orienting leaves toward the sun.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical processes that convert 'food' into energy to maintain organization, growth, and reproduction.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of stable internal conditions, such as water balance and body temperature.

Stimulus

Any detectable change in the internal or external environment.

Primary Growth

The upward and downward elongation (getting taller or deeper) of a life form.

Secondary Growth

The lateral expansion (getting wider or thicker) of a life form.

Scientific Theory

An explanation based on many observations during repeated investigations that may change with the discovery of new data.

Scientific Law

A statement of fact that concisely explains an action or group of actions, is accepted to be true, and may be expressed as a mathematical equation.

Theophrastus

Historical figure known as the Father of Botany.

Aristotle

Historical figure known as the Father of Zoology.

Leeuwenhoek

Historical figure known as the Father of Microbiology.

Anatomy

The study of the structure of living things.

Mycology

The study of fungi.

Histology

The study of tissue organization and structure as observed through a light microscope.

Taxonomy

The study of the groupings of living things; the classification of life forms.

Robert Hooke

British scientist who discovered the cell in 1665 by observing bottle cork and coined the term 'cell' from the Latin 'cellula'.

Animalcules

The name given to bacteria by Anton van Leeuwenhoek, meaning 'small animals'.

Rudolf Virchow

Doctor who proposed that living cells arise only from other living cells ('Omnis cellula e cellula').

Spontaneous Generation Theory

Also known as Abiogenesis; the theory that living organisms can originate from nonliving substances without any parent organism.

Mycoplasma genitalium

The smallest free-living cell, with a size of $0.2-0.3\,\mu m$.

Sperm Cell

The smallest cell in the human body, measuring $4\,\mu m$.

Egg Cell

The largest cell, measuring approximately $1\,mm$ ($1000\,\mu m$).

Fluid-Mosaic Model

A model describing the cell membrane as flexible and dynamic, featuring a lipid bilayer with floating proteins.

Cellulose

The primary chemical component of plant cell walls.

Chitin

The primary chemical component of fungi cell walls.

Peptidoglycan

The primary chemical component of bacterial cell walls.

Cytoskeleton

A network of interconnected filaments and fibers that maintains cell shape, anchors organelles, and enables cell movement.

Microfilaments (actin)

The smallest and thinnest components of the cytoskeleton.

Microtubules

The thickest structural components of the cytoskeleton.

Centrioles

Structures composed of 9 groups of three microtubules ($27$ total) arranged perpendicularly to organize the spindle during cell division.

Nucleolus

A dark area in the center of the nucleus that makes ribosomes and directs the synthesis of RNA.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum

A network of membranes with attached ribosomes responsible for manufacturing proteins.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

Membrane network without ribosomes that releases lipids and contains enzymes to build carbohydrates.

Golgi Apparatus

The packaging and shipping station of the cell that modifies proteins by adding signaling sugars.

Lysosomes

Commonly known as 'suicide bags'; animal cell organelles containing hydrolytic digestive enzymes used to break down nutrients or old cell parts.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death.

Mitochondria

The powerhouse of the cell; double-membrane organelles with their own DNA that release energy as ATP through cellular respiration.

Chloroplasts

Double-membrane organelles in plants that capture solar energy using chlorophyll to produce glucose via photosynthesis.