Exploring Creation with Marine Biology Module 2--Life in the Sea

respiration

the process through which organisms use energy from chemical reactions to maintain themselves and convert it into usable energy for life functions

regulate

keeping their internal environment consistent

reproduce

passing characteristics to offspring via nucleic acids

respond

react

what three things do all organisms need to survive

water, oxygen, and food

metabolism

the process by which a living organisms takes energy from its surroundings and uses it to sustain itself, develop, and grow

carbohydrates

a group of molecules made from the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; used for basic metabolic processes, ready energy, and energy storage

proteins

a group of molecules involved in metabolism; complex chains of amino acids that make up parts of marine animals, hormones, enzymes, and chemical signals

amino acids

contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; make up proteins

lipids

a group of molecules that store energy, form fats and oils, keep moisture in/out of the body, insulate, and help with buoyancy

nucleic acid

chemicals that store the basic genetic information of life; long molecular chains made of four types of nucleotides; two types (DNA and RNA)

nucleotides

made of sugar, phosphorus, and nitrogen

DNA

type of nucleic acid that provides the information necessary for organisms to pass genetic information to their offspring, containing instructions for construction and maintenance of all the components of an organism’s body

RNA

nucleic acid made of 4 types of nucleotides (one unique); works to convert DNA information into protein

organic molecules

molecules made of carbon that also contain other atoms such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and/or phosphorus

producers

organisms that cannot create their own energy, but can transform it into a usable form

photosynthesis

the process by which an organisms uses the energy from the sun to produce its own food

chlorophyll

a special bright green pigment inside of producer organisms that absorbs the solar energy

carbon fixation

the process that converts an inorganic carbon (carbon dioxide) into an organic form (sugar)

autotrophs

organisms able to produce their own food

heterotrophs

organisms that cannot make their own food and must obtain it from other organisms

anaerobic respiration

less efficient respiration without the use of oxygen

aerobic respiration

respiration with oxygen that is more efficient at completely breaking down sugars

adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

a special molecule made from three connected phosphate groups that stores the energy produced by respiration

adenosine diphosphate (ADP)

smaller, weaker chains with lower energy that can be used for metabolic processes

primary production

the net increase in organic matter made by autotrophs (stored inside their body and later becomes food for heterotrophs)

primary producers

autotrophs that photosynthesize more than they respire

cell

the basic unit of life that makes up every living thing

plasma membrane

an outer wall that separates the internal fluids from the exterior environment and controls the exchange of material between them

cytoplasm

a cell’s internal fluid that houses the cell’s organelles

organelles

complex structures that are specialized for specific jobs

prokaryotic cells

the simplest and smallest cells that don’t have any membrane-bound organelles

prokaryotes

organisms made up of prokaryotic cells

cell wall

the outer wall of bacteria cells that provides form and mechanical support

ribosomes

small structures made from protein and RNA that produce the cell’s proteins

eukaryotes

a group of organisms made up of much more complex cells

eukaryotic cells

cells with many membrane-bound organelles that perform a host of functions within the cells

chromosomes

structures that carry most of a cell’s DNA located in the nucleus

nucleus

the central structure that holds majority of the genetic information and behaves like the control center of the cell’s functions

mitochondria

the powerhouse of the cell; breaks down sugar molecules to provide energy (respiration)

endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex

two cells structures made of folded membrane that are responsible for construction and transport of organic molecules the cell needs

vacuoles

stores food particles ingested by the cell

two special structures of eukaryotic photosynthesizers

chloroplasts and a cell wall

chloroplasts

serves as sites for photosynthesis

cilia

short projections used for propulsion through their environment

levels of organization

the organization of more complex groups in biology

atom

smallest unit of an element

molecule

a chemical unit resulting from bonded atoms

cellular organelle

a well-defined structure within a cell

cell

the basic organizational unit of living material

tissue

a grouping of similar cells with a specific function

organ

a body part made of tissues performing as a unit

organ system

a group of organs working together

organism

an individual capable of reproduction

population

a group of coexisting organisms

community

integrated populations living in a limited area

ecosystem

a community and the physical features of its environment

homeostasis

the tendency of living organisms to control or regulate changes in their internal environment

diffusion

the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration

selectively permeable membranes

substances that only permit selected molecules to pass through

osmosis

the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane

central vacuole

fills up with water to push on the cell’s fluids and give its cell wall rigidity

osmoconformer

an organism that allows its internal concentration of dissolved substances to change in order to match the external concentration of dissolved substances in the surrounding water

osmoregulator

an organism that regulates and maintains its internal concentration of dissolved substances

what do chloride cells in salmon gills do

specialized cells that extract and excrete the excess salts from the saltwater

ectotherms

an organism whose body temperature is controlled by its surrounding environment

endotherm

an organism whose internal body temperature is a result of internal sources of heat

homeotherm

an animal whose internal body temperature does not change

poikilotherm

an organism whose body temperature changes with its surrounding environment

heredity

the transfer of genetic information from one generation to the next

daughter cells

a copy of the original cell created through cell fission

how do single-celled organisms (prokaryotes) reproduce

by dividing into two identical daughter cells

how do eukaryotes reproduce

through asexual or sexual reproduction

asexual reproduction

reproduction accomplished by a single organism

sexual reproduction

reproduction that involves the union of gametes from a male and female organism

germ tissue

a special type of tissue that produces gametes

meiosis

the process in which a diploid cell splits into two haploid cells (gametes) with only half the regular amount of chromosomes

diploid cells

cells with pairs of chromosomes

haploid cells

cells containing only half the amount of chromosomes

pollen

the sperm of plants

gonads

special organs in animals that contain the germ tissue

ovaries

female germ tissue

testes

male sperm tissue

zygote

a fertilized egg (diploid from the union of the two gametes)

placenta

a special structure that allows nutrients from the mother to be passed to the developing zygote

broadcast spawning

the release of millions of gametes to reproduce

reproductive strategy

the combination of methods an organism uses to reproduce

classification

the sorting of all living things into categories

species

a population of organisms that have similar characteristics and can successfully breed with each other

reproductively isolated

when two populations cannot interbreed successfully

genus

a group of very similar species

binomial nomenclature

identifying an organism by its genus and species name

taxonomy

the science of classifying organisms

kingdom

the most general taxonomical grouping