Crown Jewel College S.S.S. 3 Biology Mock Examination Review

A set of 50 vocabulary flashcards reviewing key biological terms, mechanisms, anatomy, ecological interactions, and diseases featured in the S.S.S. 3 Biology mock examination.

Lysosomes

Membrane-bound cellular organelles containing digestive enzymes, often referred to as suicidal bags because they break down waste materials and cellular debris.

Chlamydomonas

A genus of single-celled green algae that functions as a unicellular plant.

Spirochaete

A spiral-shaped bacterium recognized as the smallest living single cell among structures such as fungi, ova, and sperm cells.

Stem-ringing experiment

A plant physiology demonstration involving the removal of the outer bark and phloem to prove that manufactured food is translocated through the phloem tissue.

Phloem tissue

The vascular tissue in plants responsible for the translocation of synthesized organic nutrients, primarily sugars, from leaves to other parts.

Contractile vacuole

A specialized osmoregulatory organelle in protozoans that collects and expels excess water from the cell protoplasm.

Osmosis

The movement of water molecules from epidermal cells into guard cells across a semi-permeable membrane to cause turgidity and stomatal opening.

Rhizome

A modified underground stem or shoot characterized structurally by the presence of nodes and internodes.

Myoglobin

An iron- and oxygen-binding protein body located within muscle tissues that stores and facilitates the transport of oxygen.

Blood clotting sequence

The multi-step cascade comprising the conversion of prothrombin into thrombin, conversion of fibrinogen into fibrin, formation of a meshwork, and the trapping of blood cells.

Fibrin

An insoluble, fibrous protein derived from fibrinogen that forms an interlocking meshwork across damaged blood vessels to arrest bleeding.

Gaseous exchange

The physical and biological process of exchanging respiratory gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) between an organism and its environment, equivalent in meaning to breathing.

Cytokinins

A class of plant growth substances and hormones that promote cell division and aid in the preservation and delay of senescence in harvested plant fruits.

Mammalian gamete fusion

The biological process of fertilization where the nucleus of a male gamete (sperm) fuses with the nucleus of a female gamete (ovum) to form a new individual.

Haploid chromosome number

The single set of chromosomes found within mature gametes, consisting of $23$ chromosomes in mammalian sex cells when somatic cells possess $46$.

Plasmolysis

The biological process that causes the shrinking of cytoplasm away from the cell wall when a plant cell such as Spirogyra is placed in a concentrated hypertonic solution.

Photolysis

The photochemical splitting of water molecules into hydrogen ions and oxygen occurring during the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis.

Variegated leaf experiment

A classic starch-testing photosynthesis experiment using leaves with green and non-green patches to prove the necessity of chlorophyll.

Magnesium deficiency

A mineral deficiency in plants that impairs chlorophyll synthesis and root vitality, leading to poor root development and leaf scorching.

Roughages

Indigestible dietary plant fiber that adds bulk to feces and facilitates intestinal peristalsis, the absence of which leads to constipation.

Goiter

An enlargement of the thyroid gland typically caused by iodine deficiency, treatable via the dietary intake of iodized salt.

Villus

A microscopic finger-like projection in the mammalian small intestine that is richly supplied with blood capillaries to carry away absorbed food substances.

Carnassial teeth

Modified shearing teeth in carnivores consisting of the last upper premolar and the first lower molar teeth adapted for slicing flesh.

Plant anti-predator adaptations

Protective morphological and biochemical mechanisms developed by plants to deter predators, such as tough bark, sharp thorns, chemical poisons, and the ability to fold leaves.

Tropical rain forest biome

The most productive terrestrial biome, supported by consistently stable temperatures and abundant annual rainfall.

Inbreeding

The selective mating or breeding of closely related individuals within a population over successive generations.

Stable community

An ecological ecological assemblage in which biotic factors and species interactions exist in a state of stable dynamic equilibrium.

Inorganic deposits

Mineralized chemical nutrients in the soil formed through the long-term decomposition of dead organisms and biological waste products.

Heat energy loss

The primary form of unrecoverable metabolic energy lost to the environment as biomass passes between trophic levels along a food chain.

Gonorrhea

A sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterial pathogen rather than a viral agent.

Commensalism

A symbiotic association between two organisms in which one species derives nutritional or spatial benefits while the other is neither harmed nor helped.

Reduced birth rate

A demographic factor characterized by a decline in offspring production, preventing overcrowding within a population.

Wildlife conservation

The managed preservation and protection of wild species and natural habitats to save endangered wildlife from extinction.

Discontinuous variation

A form of genetic variation displaying clear-cut, qualitative traits without intermediate overlapping phenotypes within a population.

DNA molecule

A double-stranded helical nucleic acid carrying genetic code that is packaged into chromosomes within the cell nucleus.

Chromosome

A thread-like structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of cells, carrying hereditary genes.

Treponema pallidium

The spirochaete bacterial species responsible for causing the sexually transmitted disease syphilis.

Vasoconstriction

The physiological narrowing of superficial cutaneous blood vessels, a thermal mechanism not likely to take place on the skin during hot weather.

Vasodilation

The widening of subcutaneous blood vessels during hot weather to increase blood flow to the skin surface and enhance radiant heat loss.

Reflex action

A rapid, automatic, and involuntary response of the nervous system to a specific sensory stimulus, such as sneezing.

Glomerular filtrate

The fluid filtered into the nephron containing water, glucose, and urea, but strictly excluding large structures such as blood corpuscles.

Cambium

The cylindrical layer of actively dividing meristematic cells in plant stems responsible for secondary growth and increasing stem diameter.

Salivary gland

An exocrine digestive gland that secretes saliva via ducts into the mouth, distinguishing it from ductless endocrine glands.

Caudal vertebrae

The series of vertebrae comprising the tail region of the vertebral column, numbering $4$ in humans (fused into the coccyx) and $27$ in rats.

Erythrocyte

A red blood cell containing hemoglobin, having the highest physiological binding affinity for transporting oxygen and carbon (IV) oxide.

Adrenaline

The hormone responsible for anxiety and fight-or-flight states, exerting physiological actions on the heart, digestive system, kidneys, and uterus.

Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

A pituitary hormone that selectively regulates water retention by acting on the epithelial lining of the kidney nephrons.

Oestrogen

A female steroid hormone that exerts primary targeted physiological effects on the uterus and reproductive tissues.

Nitrobacter

A genus of nitrifying bacteria in the nitrogen cycle that oxidizes toxic nitrite ions into nitrate ions.

Onchocerciasis

A parasitic filarial disease, also known as river blindness, transmitted to humans through the bites of infected blackflies.