General Biology 1: The Biology Alphabet and Cell Theory

Comprehensive flashcards covering the 'Biology Alphabet' vocabulary and the historical development and principles of Classical and Modern Cell Theory.

Arteries

Blood vessels that transport oxygen-rich blood away from your heart.

Biology

The study of life and living organisms.

Cell

The smallest unit of life.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead plants and animals.

Excretion

The process of removing waste products from an organism's body.

Fossil

Any preserved evidence of ancient life, typically over $10,000$ years old, found in the Earth's crust.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain stable conditions.

Instinct

Behavior of an organism born knowing how to do things.

Joint

Term where two bones meet at the body.

Keratin

The structural protein found in the skin and nails.

Ligament

The tough, fibrous band of connective tissue in the body that primarily connects bones to other bones.

Mitochondria

The power house of the cell.

Niche

The role an organism plays in an ecosystem.

Organ

Group of tissues that form a specific function.

Predator

Organisms that hunt other organisms.

Quadruped

Animal that walks on four legs (general term).

Ribosome

Cell structure that produces protein by linking amino acids together.

Stimulus

Changes in the environment that causes an organism to react.

Taxonomy

Classifying organism into groups.

Unicellular

An organism made of a single cell.

Veins

Blood vessels that carried blood towards the heart.

White Blood Cell

The kind of cell helps the body fight infections.

Xenotransplant

Tissue transplant from one species to another.

Yolk

The yellow part of an egg.

Zygote

The cell formed when a sperm fertilizes an egg.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

The Father of Microbiology who used single-lens microscopes to make the first observations of bacteria and protozoa.

Robert Hooke

English scientist who observed thin slices of cork in $1665$ and was the first to use the term "cell" after the box-like compartments reminded him of cella.

Zacharias Janssen

Dutch spectacle-maker who invented the very first compound microscope in $1590$.

Animalcules

The term used by Leeuwenhoek to describe the living, moving cells (little animals) he saw in pond water and dental scrapings.

Matthias Schleiden

Botanist who concluded in $1838$ that all plants are made of cells.

Theodore Schwann

Zoologist who concluded in $1839$ that all animals are made of cells.

Rudolf Virchow

Scientist who popularized "Omnis cellula e cellula" ($1855$), stating that all cells come from pre-existing cells.

Spontaneous Generation

The old belief that living things could pop out of non-living matter, which was disproved by Virchow.

Classical Cell Theory Tenets

1. Cell is the basic unit of life. 2. All organisms are made of cells. 3. Cells come from pre-existing cells.

Modern Cell Theory Tenets

1. All living organisms are made of one or more cells. 2. Similar cells have similar basic composition. 3. Energy flow (metabolism) occurs within cells. 4. Genetic information (DNA) is passed from cell to cell.

Drawback: Viruses

An exception to classical cell theory because they only become active inside a host cell’s machinery.

Drawback: Multinucleate condition

An exception to cell theory where specific cells, like tapetal cells or coenocytic cells, have more than one nucleus.

Drawback: Human RBCs and Sieve tubes

Cells that do not have a nucleus, challenging the idea that every cell must contain a nucleus.

Electron Microscope

Invented in $1931$ by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll, it uses beams of accelerated electrons instead of light to reveal internal cell structures.

Achromatic Lens

Mid-$19$th century advancement that corrected color distortion and improved resolution and contrast in microscopes.

Metabolism

The energy flow that occurs within cells, including processes like Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration.