AP Biology Terms (Complete Set)

Nucleic acids

Nucleic acids

Nucleic acids are macromolecules essential for the storage and transmission of genetic information in living organisms. Made up of simple unit of nucleotides.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is essential for building cells and producing certain hormones in the body.

Carbohydrates

________ are organic compounds that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Haemoglobin

________ is a molecule in the blood that helps distribute oxygen to the tissues in the body.

Hydrolysis

________ is when polymers can also be broken down into monomers.

Monosaccharides

A monosaccharide is the simplest form of carbohydrate, consisting of a single sugar molecule..

DNA

DNA is a molecule that carries genetic instructions. It has a double helix structure made of nucleotides containing adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine..

Monomers

Monomers are the individual building blocks of a polymer.

concentration of hydrogen

The ________ ions in a solution will indicate whether it is acidic, basic, or neutral.

Electrons

________ are negatively charged (-) particles.

RNA

________ is essential for protein synthesis.

Protons

________ are positively charged (+) particles.

Neutrons

________ are neutral particles as they donot carry any electric charge.

Phospholipids

________ contain two fatty acid "tails "and one negatively charged phosphate "head.

Polymers

________ are chains of building blocks in macromolecules.

Glucose

________ is an important part of the food we eat, and it is the product made by plants during photosynthesis.

Amino acids

________ are building blocks of proteins.

Side chain polarity

________ affects whether an amino acid is more hydrophobic or more hydrophilic.

Polysaccharides

A polysaccharide is a complex carbohydrate composed of multiple monosaccharide (simple sugar) units linked together.

Acidic solution

A solution is acidic if it contains a lot of hydrogen ions (H+).

Atoms

________ are the unit of life and are the building blocks of the physical world.

pH scale

The ________ is logarithmic and represents a tenfold change in hydrogen ion concentration.

alpha helix

An alpha helix is a common secondary structure in proteins, characterized by a tightly coiled, helical shape.

fatty acid

A fatty acid is a type of molecule that serves as a building block of lipids, which are a class of biological molecules that include fats, oils, and phospholipids.

disaccharide

A disaccharide is a type of carbohydrate composed of two monosaccharide molecules joined together through a chemical bond known as a glycosidic bond.

polypeptide

A polypeptide is a chain of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.

triglyceride

A triglyceride is a type of lipid (fat) and is composed of three fatty acid molecules chemically linked to a glycerol molecule.

Proteins

Proteins are large molecules made of amino acids, serving various roles such as enzymes for chemical reactions, structural support, and signaling in the body.

Lipids

Lipids are a diverse group of organic molecules that are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar solvents.

ph scale

The ________ or alkalinity of a solution can be measured using a pH scale.

covalent bond

A(n) ________ is formed when electrons are shared between atoms.

Adhesion

The ________ contributes to another property of water known as surface tension.

Elements

Elements are pure substances that consist of only one type of atom.

Just add water

To break up the disaccharide and form two monosaccharides

Lipid Saturation

The extent of saturation in a lipid can affect its structure and function.

Cohesion

Cohesion refers to the tendency of molecules of the same substance to be attracted to each other.

Surface Tension

beta-plated sheet

A beta-plated sheet is a protein secondary structure where adjacent amino acid chains align in a sheet-like formation, held together by hydrogen bonds.

Neutrons

________ are uncharged particles.

Phospholipids

A phospholipid is a type of lipid molecule composed of two fatty acid chains, a glycerol backbone, and a phosphate group.

Peroxisomes

________ are organelles that detoxify various substances, producing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a byproduct.

Prokaryotes

________ do not have any membrane- bound organelles.

Lysosomes

________ are made when vesicles containing specific enzymes from the trans Golgi fuse with vesicles made during endocytosis.

Glucose

________ and ions such as Na+ and K+ are also transported across the plasma membrane via membrane proteins.

ATP

Transport proteins form pumps that use ________ to actively transport solutes across the membrane.

fluid filled sacs

They are ________ that store water, food, wastes, salts, or pigments.

genetic material

The ________ in a prokaryote is one continuous, circular DNA molecule that is found free in the cell in the nucleoid.

Secondary

________ active transport occurs when something is actively transported using the energy captured from the movement of another substance flowing down its concentration gradient.

Cytoplasm

________ within a plant cell is usually taken up by a large vacuole which is the central vacuole.

Microtubules

________ are made up of the protein tubulin, participate in cellular division and movement.

Aquaporins

________ are water- specific channels.

Carbohydrate side chains

________ are found only on the outer surface of the plasma membrane.

Tonicity

________ is used to describe osmotic gradients.

Receptor

________- mediated endocytosis: involves cell surface ________ that work in tandem with endocytic pits that are lined with a protein called clathrin.

Microfilaments

________ are important for movement.

Light microscopes

________ are used to study stained or living cells.

nucleus

The ________ is usually the largest organelle in the cell.

plant cells

Vacuoles serve multiple functions in ________.

plasma membrane

In exocytosis, a cell ejects waste products or specific secretion products, such as hormones, by the fusion of a vesicle with the ________, which then expels the contents into the extracellular space.

Adhesion

________ proteins form junctions between adjacent cells.

natural flow

Movement against the ________ is called active transport.

Bacteria

________ and archaea are examples of prokaryotes.

large ingested particles

They have sacs that carry digestive enzymes, which they use to break down old, worn- out organelles, debris, or ________.

Cilia

________ and flagella have locomotive properties in single- celled organisms.

Bulk flow

________ is the one- way movement of fluids brought about by pressure.

Pinocytosis

________: the cell ingests liquids.

Ribosomes

________ can be either free floating in the cell or attached to another structure called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)

Exocytosis

________ is basically reverse endocytosis.

hypertonic solution

A(n) ________ has more total dissolved solutes than the cell, while a hypotonic solution has less.

Kidney dialysis

________ is a specialized process by which the blood is filtered by using machines and concentration gradients.

solute concentration

If an environment is isotonic to the cell, the ________ is the same inside and outside.

Phagocytosis

________: the cell takes in solids.

Chloroplasts

________ contain chlorophyll, which gives plants their characteristic green color.

ER

The ________ is a continuous channel that extends into many regions of the cytoplasm and provides mechanical support and transportation.

Dialysis

________ is the diffusion of solutes across a selectively permeable membrane.

Channel

________ proteins form channels that selectively allow the passage of certain ions or molecules.

ligand

When a particle, or ________, binds to one of these receptors, the ________ is brought into the cell by the invagination, or "folding in "of the cell membrane.

lipid bilayer

The ________ has hydrophilic outside and hydrophobic on the inside so only hydrophobic things can pass that central zone.

Electron microscopes

________ are used to study detailed structures of a cell that can not be easily seen or observed by light microscopy.

Receptor proteins

________ such as hormones, serve as docking sites for arrivals at the cell.

surface area

The ________ and volumes of cells can be calculated using typical geometry formulas.

shape of a cell

The ________ is determined by a network of protein fibers called the cytoskeleton.

surface markers

Cell ________ such as glycoproteins, and some lipids, such as glycolipids, are exposed on the extracellular surface and play a role in cell recognition and adhesion.

Lysosomes

________ are also essential during programmed cell death called apoptosis.

plasma membrane

The ________ is important because it regulates the movement of substances into and out of the cell.

ribosomes

The ________ are sites of protein synthesis.

Prokaryotes

________ also have small ribosomes.

Ribosomes

________ are round structures composed of two subunits, the large subunit and the small subunit.

There are two distinct types of cells

prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells

This arrangement of phospholipids and proteins is known as the fluid

mosaic model

It is affected by

pressure potential (Ψp) and solute potential (Ψs)

Solute Potential of a Solution Ψs = −iCRT where

i = ionization constant C = molar concentration R = pressure constant T = temperature in Kelvin (°C + 273)

Pinocytosis

the cell ingests liquids

Phagocytosis

the cell takes in solids

Receptor-mediated endocytosis

involves cell surface receptors that work in tandem with endocytic pits that are lined with a protein called clathrin

Example

movement of blood through a blood vessel and the movement of fluids in xylem and phloem of plants are examples of bulk flow

hydrogen ions

As the ________ move back into the stroma through ATP synthase, ATP is produced.

Photosynthesis

________ is the process by which light energy is converted to chemical energy.

Autotrophs

________ are using light and ADP and phosphates (thats phosphorylation) to produce ATP.

Yeast cells

________ and some bacteria make ethanol and carbon dioxide.