JLSS 26 Biology Lecture Review

These vocabulary flashcards cover key concepts from the JLSS 26 Biology lecture, including microscopy, cell biology, genetics, microbiology, and human anatomy.

Coarse adjustment knob

A microscope part that moves the stage rapidly to bring the object into focus.

Fine adjustment knob

A microscope part used for precise focusing, especially under higher magnification such as HPO and OIO.

Iris diaphragm

A microscope component that controls the amount of light entering the instrument.

Stamen

The male fertilizing organ of a flower, consisting of an anther and a filament.

Pistil

The female fertilizing organ of a flower, consisting of an ovary, a style, and a stigma.

Stomata

Pores located in the leaf epidermis, often more numerous in the lower epidermis, that facilitate gas exchange.

Prokaryotes

Unicellular organisms that lack a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, such as bacteria.

Eukaryotes

Organisms that possess a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; examples include amoebas (unicellular) and humans (multicellular).

Ribosomes

Structures found in the cytoplasm or on the endoplasmic reticulum responsible for reading mRNA and assembling amino acids into proteins.

Lysosomes

Organelles responsible for digestion, often referred to as the “suicide bag of the cell.”

Mitochondria

Commonly known as the powerhouse of the cell, they are responsible for ATP production in both plant and animal cells.

Golgi apparatus

The packaging center of the cell, responsible for modifying, sorting, tagging, and packaging proteins for secretion.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

An organelle primarily responsible for the synthesis of lipids.

Peroxisome

A cellular organelle involved in the process of detoxification.

Meiosis

A process occurring in reproductive organs that produces gametes with half the chromosome number ($2n \rightarrow n$), increasing genetic variation.

Metaphase

The phase of mitosis where sister chromatids align at the equatorial plate and spindle microtubules attach to the kinetochores.

Punnett square

A tool invented by Reginald Crundall Punnett used to visualize Mendelian Inheritance patterns.

Anthropogenic extinction

Species extinction caused by human activity, such as the 1936 extinction of Tasmanian tigers (Thylacinus cynocephalus) due to habitat destruction and hunting.

Stationary Phase

A phase in the bacterial growth curve where the growth rate equals the death rate, resulting in a plateau on the graph.

Streptococcus pneumoniae

The scientific name for the most common causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia.

Reflex action pathway

The sequence of an involuntary response: Stimulus $\rightarrow$ Receptor $\rightarrow$ Sensory Neuron $\rightarrow$ Motor Neuron $\rightarrow$ Effector $\rightarrow$ Response.

Platelets

Specialized blood components responsible for clotting to prevent and stop bleeding.

Transcription

The molecular biology process involving the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template.

Histones

Proteins that DNA wraps around to allow long strands of genetic material to fit tightly inside the nucleus.

Progesterone

A hormone that prepares and stabilizes the endometrium (uterine lining) for embryo implantation during pregnancy.

Nitrification

The stage of the nitrogen cycle where ammonia is converted into nitrate by soil bacteria.

Cellular Respiration Equation

The chemical equation represented by $C_6H_{12}O_{6} + 6\text{ }O_{2} \rightarrow 6\text{ }CO_{2} + 6\text{ }H_{2}O + ATP$.

Facilitated diffusion

The passive transport method used by large molecules like glucose to enter the cell through transport proteins.