Life Processes

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to life processes in biology.

Life Processes

The processes required for maintaining life, including nutrition, respiration, transport, and excretion.

Autotrophic Nutrition

A form of nutrition where organisms make their own food from simple substances like carbon dioxide and water using sunlight.

Heterotrophic Nutrition

A form of nutrition where organisms obtain their food by consuming other organisms.

Photosynthesis

The process by which autotrophs convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using sunlight.

Excretion

The biological process of removing harmful metabolic wastes from the body.

Respiration

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

Xylem

The plant vascular tissue responsible for transporting water and minerals from the roots to other parts of the plant.

Phloem

The plant vascular tissue responsible for transporting the products of photosynthesis from the leaves to other parts of the plant.

Nephrons

The functional units of the kidney that filter blood and produce urine.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The energy currency of the cell, produced during cellular respiration and used for various cellular activities.

Transpiration

The process by which plants lose water vapor through small openings (stomata) in their leaves.

Guard Cells

Specialized cells that control the opening and closing of stomata in plant leaves.

Fermentation

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

Respiratory Pigment (Hemoglobin)

The protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen in the lungs and carries it to tissues throughout the body.

Peristalsis

The rhythmic contractions of muscles in the digestive tract that move food along the alimentary canal.

Salivary Amylase

An enzyme found in saliva that begins the digestion of starches in the mouth.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells break down glucose to produce energy, which may be aerobic (with oxygen) or anaerobic (without oxygen).