Research Bio SOL Review

Observation

act of gathering information about a system or environment using one or more of the five senses.

Inference

a conclusion based on observations

Hypothesis

a statement or model based on previous knowledge, must be reproducible and falsifiable

Variables

factors that change and can be measured in the experiment.

Independent

the variable that you change on purpose.

Dependent

The variable that is measured because of changing the I.V.

Control Group

A standard against which experimental results can be measured.

Constants

Things that are kept the same in the experiment.

Hydrogen Bonds

the attraction between the positive end of one water molecule and the negative end of another water molecule.

Cohesion

Water molecules stick together.

Adhesion

Water molecules also stick to other substances.

Carbohydrates

A macromolecule made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; types of nutrients that are the major source of energy to the body.

Monosaccharide

one sugar (Glucose)

Polysaccharide

Many sugars (cellulose, starch, glycogen)

Lipids

A large group of macromolecules that are insoluble; includes fats, oils, and waxes. Used for long term energy storage and insulation.

Proteins

a macromolecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; needed by the body for growth and repair

Amino Acid

the building block of proteins

Nucleic Acids

A macromolecule containing hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus, used to make up the genetic material of living things.

Nucleotide

A subunit of nucleic acids; made of a 5-carbon sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base.

DNA (Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid)

Genetic material that organisms inherit from their parents

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

single stranded nucleic aid that contains the sugar ribose; used to make proteins.

Enzyme

a protein catalyst that speeds up the rate of specific biological reactions.

Acid

compound that forms hydrogen ions (H+) in solution; a solution with a pH of less than 7

Base

compound that produces hydroxide ions (OH-) in solution; a solution with a pH of more than 7.

Neutral

compound that has equal parts hydrogen ions (H+) and Hydroxide ions (OH-) in a solution; a solution with a pH of 7.

Photosynthesis

process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

Cellular Respiration

process that releases energy from food in the presence of oxygen

Chlorophyll

principal pigment of plants and other photosynthetic organisms

Chloroplast

organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms that captures the energy from sunlight and converts it into chemical energy

Mitochondria

cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use

Prokaryote

unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus

Eukaryote

organism whose cells contain a nucleus

Nucleus

in cells, structure that contains the cell's genetic material in the form of DNA

Nucleolus

organelle located inside the nucleus; helps make ribosomes

Ribosomes

small RNA (NOT ORGANELLE) in the cytoplasm; makes protein

Endoplasmic Reticulum

internal membrane system found in eukaryotic cells; place where lipid components of the cell membrane are assembled

Golgi Complex

organelle in cells that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and other materials from the endoplasmic reticulum for storage in the cell or release outside the cell

Lysosome

cell organelle that breaks down lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins into small molecules that can used by the rest of the cell

Vacuole

cell organelle that stores materials such as water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates

Centrioles

structure in an animal cell that helps to organize cell division

Cytoplasm

fluid portion of the cell

Cell Membrane

thin, flexible barrier that surrounds all cells; regulates what enters and leaves the cell

Cell Wall

strong, supporting layer around the cell membrane in some cells

Diffusion

process by which particles tend to move from an area where they are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated

Facilitated Diffusion

process of diffusion in which molecules pass across the membrane through cell membrane channels

Osmosis

diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane

Mitosis

part of eukaryotic cell division during which the cell nucleus divides

Prophase

first and longest phase of mitosis in which the genetic material inside the nucleus condenses and the chromosomes become visible

Metaphase

phase of mitosis in which the chromosomes line up across the center of the cell

Anaphase

phase of mitosis in which the chromosomes separate and move to opposite ends of the cell

Telophase

phase of mitosis in which the distinct individual chromosomes begin to spread out into a tangle of chromatin

Cytokinesis

division of the cytoplasm to form two separate daughter cells

Interphase

period of the cell cycle between cell divisions, in which the cell grows

Meiosis

process in which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half through the separation of homologous chromosomes in a diploid cell

Haploid

term used to refer to a cell that contains only a single set of genes

Diploid

term used to refer to a cell that contains two sets of homologous chromosomes

Genetics

scientific study of heredity

Alelle

one of a number of different forms of a gene

Genotype

genetic makeup of an organism

Phenotype

physical characteristics of an organism

Homozygous

having two identical alleles for a particular gene

Heterozygous

having two different alleles for a particular gene

Incomplete Dominance

situation in which one allele is not completely dominant over another allele

Codominance

situation in which the phenotypes produced by both alleles are completely expressed

Sex-linked Gene

a gene located on a sex chromosome

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

type of RNA that carries copies of instructions for the assembly of amino acids into proteins from DNA to the rest of the cell

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

type of RNA that carries each amino acid to a ribosome during protein synthesis

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

type of RNA that combines with proteins to form ribosomes

Codon

group of three nucleotide bases in mRNA that specify a particular amino acid to be incorporated into a protein

Anticodon

group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to the three bases of a codon of mRNA

Mutation

change in the genetic material of a cell

Nondisjunction

error in meiosis in which the homologous chromosomes fail to separate properly

Inversion

segment of chromosome inserted in reverse orientation.

Translocation

chromosome pieces moved

Transcription

synthesis of an RNA molecule from a DNA template

Deletion

segment of chromosome lost

Translation

process by which the sequence of bases of an mRNA is converted into the sequence of amino acids of a protein

Taxonomy

system of naming and classifying organisms based on shared characteristics and universal rules

Binomial Nomenclature

classification system in which each species is assigned a two-part scientific name

Bacteria

Prokaryotic, single celled

Protista

Eukaryotic (algae, slime molds) most unicellular some multi.

Fungi

eukaryotic, heterotrophic, cell wall of chitin

Plants

ALL multicellular, autotrophic, cell wall of cellulose

Animals

ALL multicellular, heterotrophic, lack cell wall

Evolution

change over time; the process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms

Natural Selection

process by which organisms that are most suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest

Ecology

scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

Population

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

Community

assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

Ecosystem

all the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment

Biome

a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Abiotic Factor

physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem

Biotic Factor

any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

Autotroph

organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer

Heterotroph

organism that obtains food by consuming other living things; also called a consumer

Herbivore

Plant eaters

Carnivore

Meat eaters

Predators

hunt for food

Scavengers/Decomposers

eat animals that are already dead

Omnivores

eat both plants and animals