General Biology 111 Quiz & Exam Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Biology 111 Quiz 2 and Test 2 review questions, covering cell biology, biochemistry, organelles, membrane transport, and fundamental biological principles.

Ribosome

A cellular organelle present in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells that specializes in producing proteins.

Nucleic Acids

Biological macromolecules (DNA and RNA) responsible for storing and transmitting hereditary information in living organisms.

Microtubules

Elements of the cytoskeleton with the largest diameter that are directly involved in cell division.

Dehydration Reaction

A chemical process that assembles polymers by joining monomers together through the removal of a water molecule.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that breaks down polymers into smaller monomers through the addition of a water molecule.

Tay-Sachs Disease

A human genetic abnormality resulting from lysosomal dysfunction where cells become clogged with undigested large and complex lipids.

Lysosome

A membrane-bound organelle containing hydrolytic enzymes that digest dead organelles, foreign materials, and unwanted large molecules.

Central Vacuole

A large membrane-bound compartment in plant cells that stores water and maintains turgor pressure.

Glycoproteins

Molecules located on cell surfaces that frequently serve as receptors or cell recognition molecules.

Chloroplast

A membrane-bound organelle containing its own DNA that converts light energy into chemical energy during photosynthesis.

Polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond formed between two atoms with differing electronegativities, resulting in an unequal sharing of electrons.

Peptide Bond

The chemical covalent bond formed between amino acids during the assembly of a protein's primary structure.

Aquaporins

Hydrophilic channel proteins in the plasma membrane that facilitate the rapid movement of water molecules into and out of cells.

Taxonomy

The branch of biological science dedicated to the naming, description, and classification of living organisms.

Tertiary Structure

The unique overall three-dimensional shape of a fully folded single polypeptide chain.

Controlled Experiment

An experimental setup containing at least two groups, one of which (the control group) does not receive the experimental treatment to serve as a baseline.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

An organelle abundant in liver cells that functions in synthesizing lipids (oils, phospholipids, steroids) and detoxifying drugs and poisons.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation for a natural phenomenon that can be tested experimentally and is capable of being proven false (falsifiable).

Archaea and Bacteria

The two primary biological domains comprising prokaryotic organisms, which lack a nuclear envelope enclosing their DNA.

Gap Junctions

Intercellular connections in animal cells that allow ions and small molecules to pass directly from the cytoplasm of one cell to an adjacent cell.

Plasmodesmata

Open channels through plant cell walls that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cells, functionally equivalent to gap junctions in animal cells.

Hierarchy of Biological Organization

The structural levels of biological complexity ordered from least to most complex: molecule, cell organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism.

Mass Number

The total number of protons and neutrons located within the nucleus of an atom.

Atomic Number

The unique number of protons contained within the nucleus of an atom, defining its elemental identity.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that contain the same number of protons but differ in their number of neutrons.

Disaccharide

A double sugar consisting of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic linkage, such as lactose (glucose + galactose).

Diffusion

A passive movement of substance molecules down their concentration gradient from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum

A membrane organelle studded with ribosomes that serves as the primary site of synthesis for proteins destined for export from the cell.

Sodium-Potassium Pump

A specialized transport protein in animal cell membranes that actively moves ions against their concentration gradient using energy.

Population

A localized group of individual organisms that belong to the exact same species living in a specific area.

Peroxisome

A metabolic organelle that produces hydrogen peroxide as a byproduct while breaking down toxic oxygen radicals and cellular waste.

Phagocytosis

A form of bulk transport where a cell engulfs large particles or whole cells, such as white blood cells engulfing foreign bacteria.

Golgi Apparatus

An organelle consisting of flattened membranous sacs that functions as the shipping center of the cell by sorting, tagging, and directing protein transport.

Extracellular Matrix (ECM)

A meshwork of extracellular proteins and carbohydrates coating animal cells that transmits chemical signals and coordinates cellular behavior.

Chaperonin

A specialized protein complex that assists in the proper folding of newly synthesized proteins.