Grade 11 Life Sciences Examination Guidelines (CAPS)

Vocabulary practice flashcards based on the Grade 11 Life Sciences Examination Guidelines (CAPS 2024), covering key biological definitions, classification, organ system physiology, genetics, ecology, and human environmental impacts.

Specific Aim 1

A broad subject-specific aim in Life Sciences that relates directly to the knowing of subject content.

Specific Aim 2

A broad subject-specific aim that relates to doing science or practical work and scientific investigations.

Specific Aim 3

A broad subject-specific aim relating to understanding the applications of Life Sciences in everyday life, the history of scientific discoveries, and the relationship between indigenous knowledge and science.

Viruses

Acellular, non-living, and parasitic microscopic entities capable of reproduction only within a host organism.

Bacteria

Unicellular, prokaryotic microorganisms that reproduce through binary fission and display various modes of nutrition.

Natural Immunity

The innate form of biological defense present in an organism from birth that protects against infectious pathogens without prior artificial medical intervention.

Acquired Immunity

Immunity that an individual develops during a lifetime, often induced through vaccination or direct exposure to a pathogen.

Vaccination

A biotechnology procedure involving the administration of an antigenic material to stimulate the body's immune system to provide protection against a specific disease.

Bryophytes

A group of non-vascular plants lacking true roots, true leaves, and vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) that depend directly on water for sexual reproduction.

Pteridophytes

Vascular plants possessing xylem, phloem, true roots, and true leaves that reproduce via spores rather than seeds and depend on water for fertilization.

Gymnosperms

Vascular seed plants that produce naked seeds without forming fruits or flowers.

Angiosperms

Flowering vascular plants that produce seeds enclosed within protective fruits and do not depend on water for sexual reproduction.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from an anther to a receptive stigma of a flower, occurring via self-pollination or cross-pollination.

Phylum

A primary taxonomic category in biological classification ranking below kingdom and above class, grouping animals based on basic body plans.

Cephalisation

The evolutionary concentration of sense organs, nervous tissue, and mouth parts at the anterior end of an animal's body to form a distinct head.

Coelom

A fluid-filled main body cavity situated between the digestive canal and the body wall, completely lined by mesoderm-derived tissue.

Light Phase of Photosynthesis

The light-dependent stage occurring in the grana of the chloroplast where chlorophyll molecules absorb radiant energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, release $O_2$, and produce ATP.

Dark Phase of Photosynthesis

The light-independent stage occurring in the stroma of the chloroplast where $CO_2$ combines with energised hydrogen atoms using ATP energy to form carbohydrates such as glucose and starch.

Glycolysis

The initial stage of cellular respiration occurring in the cytosol where glucose is broken down into pyruvic acid, releasing energised hydrogen atoms and ATP.

Krebs Cycle

A cyclic series of reactions taking place in the mitochondrion in the presence of oxygen where pyruvic acid is broken down to release energised hydrogen atoms and $CO_2$.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The aerobic mitochondrial respiration process in which energised hydrogen atoms derived from glycolysis and the Krebs cycle are used to generate ATP, with hydrogen ultimately combining with oxygen to form water.

Dentition

The type, number, and arrangement of teeth in an animal species, adapted specifically according to dietary and nutritional requirements.

Ingestion

The physiological process of taking food or liquid into the body through the mouth.

Peristalsis

The wave-like, involuntary contractions of circular and longitudinal muscles along the walls of the alimentary canal that push food contents forward.

Absorption

The passage of digested soluble nutrient molecules across the lining of the small intestine and villi into the bloodstream or lymphatic system.

Assimilation

The process by which absorbed nutrients are incorporated into the cells and tissues of the body and used for energy, growth, or repair.

Egestion

The discharge or elimination of undigested and unabsorbed food waste material from the alimentary canal through the anus.

Deamination

The biochemical process occurring in the liver wherein excess amino acids are broken down by removing the nitrogen-containing amino group, resulting in the formation of urea.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a constant, stable internal environment within an organism irrespective of fluctuations in external environmental conditions.

Negative Feedback Mechanism

A self-regulating control system where a deviation from an established set point triggers a corrective physiological response that reverses the change back toward the normal level.

Excretion

The biological process of eliminating toxic metabolic waste substances, unwanted by-products, and substances in excess of requirements from an organism's body.

Ultra-filtration

The pressure-dependent process in the nephron whereby fluid and small soluble blood components are filtered under high pressure from the glomerulus into the cavity of Bowman's capsule.

Osmoregulation

The homeostatic regulation of osmotic pressure by balancing water and dissolved salt concentrations in bodily fluids, controlled largely by ADH and aldosterone.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a given species that a specific habitat can sustainably support over an indefinite period under available environmental resources.

Competitive Exclusion

An ecological principle stating that two species competing for the exact same limiting resources cannot coexist indefinitely if their ecological niches are identical.

Resource Partitioning

The evolutionary adaptation wherein competing species divide limited resources or occupy slightly different niches to minimize direct competition and enable coexistence.

Carbon Footprint

The total amount of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane, emitted directly and indirectly by human activities and lifestyle choices.

Eutrophication

The nutrient enrichment of aquatic ecosystems—often due to agricultural runoff—leading to algal blooms, sunlight blockage, bacterial decomposition, and dissolved oxygen depletion.

Food Security

A condition achieved when all individuals at all times have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet dietary needs for an active, healthy life.

Monoculture

An agricultural practice involving the cultivation of a single crop species over a wide geographical area, which increases vulnerability to pests and degrades biodiversity.