7th Grade Life Science Final Exam Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic life science concepts including taxonomy, cell biology, photosynthesis, respiration, mitosis, and genetics.

Taxonomy

The scientific study of how living things are classified.

Classification

The process of grouping things based on their similarities.

Scientific Name

A naming system consisting of the Genus and the Species of an organism.

Stimulus

A change in an organism's surroundings that causes the organism to react.

Response

An action or change in behavior that occurs as a result of a stimulus.

Autotroph (Producer)

An organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food.

Heterotroph (Consumer)

An organism that cannot make its own food and must consume other living things.

Prokaryote

A unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Eukaryote

An organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

Homeostasis

The condition in which an organism's internal environment is kept stable in spite of changes in the external environment.

Growth

The process of an organism becoming larger.

Development

The process of change that occurs during an organism's life to produce a more complex organism.

Father of Modern Classification

The historical figure (Carl Linnaeus) responsible for developing the modern system of naming and classifying organisms.

Vascular Plants

Plants that have a system of tube-like structures (xylem and phloem) to transport water, food, and minerals.

Xylem

Vascular tissue that carries water and dissolved minerals upward from the roots to every part of a plant.

Phloem

Vascular tissue that carries sugar and organic substances throughout a plant.

Endotherms

Animals that can regulate their own internal body temperature regardless of the environment.

Ectotherms

Animals whose body temperature changes depending on the temperature of their environment.

Exoskeleton

A tough, waterproof outer covering that protects and supports the body of many invertebrates.

Endoskeleton

An internal structural support system or skeleton within the body of an animal.

Cell Membrane

A phospholipid bilayer that acts as a boundary and controls which substances can enter or leave the cell.

Nucleus

The control center of the cell that contains the genetic material (DNA).

Mitochondria

The organelle where respiration takes place, converting food molecules into energy (ATP).

Chloroplasts

Organelles found in plant cells that capture energy from sunlight and use it to produce food through photosynthesis.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane.

Diffusion

The process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

Stomata

Small openings on the underside of a leaf through which oxygen and carbon dioxide move.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants and some other organisms capture light energy and use it to make food from carbon dioxide and water.

Chlorophyll

A green pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and some bacteria that absorbs light energy.

Respiration

The process by which cells break down simple food molecules to release the energy they contain; takes place in the mitochondria.

Fermentation

An energy-releasing process that does not require oxygen.

Mitosis

The stage of the cell cycle during which the cell's nucleus divides into two new nuclei.

Replication

The process by which a cell makes a copy of the DNA in its nucleus.

Cytokinesis

The final stage of the cell cycle, in which the cell's cytoplasm divides, distributing the organelles into each of the two new cells.

Alleles

The different forms of a gene.

Phenotype

An organism's physical appearance or visible traits.

Genotype

An organism's genetic makeup or allele combinations, such as $TT$ or $Tt$.

Meiosis

The process that occurs in the formation of sex cells by which the number of chromosomes is reduced by half.

Mutation

A change in a gene or chromosome.

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

RNA that copies the genetic message from DNA in the nucleus and carries it to the ribosome in the cytoplasm.

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

RNA in the cytoplasm that carries an amino acid to the ribosome during protein synthesis.

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles for a particular gene (e.g., $BB$ or $bb$).

Heterozygous

Having two different alleles for a particular gene (e.g., $Bb$).

Hybrid

An organism that has two different alleles for a trait (heterozygous).

Purebred

The offspring of many generations that have the same form of a trait (homozygous).

Raptor

A bird of prey, such as an owl.

Tytonidae

One of the two scientific families owls belong to; commonly refers to barn owls.

Strigidae

One of the two scientific families owls belong to; commonly refers to typical owls.

Ocelli

Simple eyes used for sensing light, part of the anatomy of arthropods like grasshoppers.

ATP

The main energy-carrying molecule used by cells to power biological processes.