Grade 11 Life Sciences - Key Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on key concepts in Grade 11 Life Sciences.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.

Cellular Respiration

The metabolic process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

Chloroplast

An organelle in plant cells where photosynthesis occurs, containing chlorophyll.

Enzyme

A protein that acts as a catalyst to speed up biochemical reactions in living organisms.

Glucose

A simple sugar that is an important energy source in living organisms.

Anaerobic Respiration

A type of respiration that occurs without oxygen, resulting in the production of energy with lactic acid or ethanol.

Photosynthesis Equation

$6CO_2 + 6H_2O + ext{light energy} <br /> ightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$.

Osmoregulation

The process by which organisms regulate the water and electrolyte balance in their bodies.

Excretion

The process of eliminating waste materials from the body.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with their environment.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain a stable internal environment despite external changes.

Metabolism

The set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms.

Diffusion

The process by which molecules spread from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration.

Symbiosis

A close ecological relationship between two or more different species.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals that an environment can support sustainably.

Ecological Niche

The role and position a species has in its environment, including all interactions with biotic and abiotic factors.

Biodiversity

The variety and variability of life forms within a given ecosystem.

Decomposition

The process by which organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter.

Autotroph

An organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, like plants through photosynthesis.

Heterotroph

An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and relies on other organisms — both plants and animals — for nutrition.

Feedback Mechanism

A process that uses the consequences of an action to regulate the function or process that produced the action.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, or alcohol in the absence of oxygen.