Biology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on Biology lecture notes.

Quantitative

Data that uses numbers or measurements.

Qualitative

Data that describes qualities or characteristics, like color or smell.

Quantitative

Data that uses numbers or measurements.

Qualitative

Data that describes qualities or characteristics, like color or smell.

Hypothesis

An educated guess that can be tested by experiments.

Independent Variable

The factor in an experiment that you change on purpose.

Dependent Variable

The result you measure in an experiment.

Control Group

The group that doesn’t get the treatment, used for comparison.

Experimental Group

The group that gets the treatment in an experiment.

Ecosystem

All the living and nonliving things in an area and how they interact.

Food Chain

A line showing who eats whom in an ecosystem.

Food Web

A group of connected food chains in an ecosystem.

Producer

A living thing, like a plant, that makes its own food using sunlight.

Consumer

A living thing that eats other organisms for energy.

Decomposer

A living thing that breaks down dead plants and animals.

Herbivore

An animal that eats only plants.

Carnivore

An animal that eats only other animals.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals.

Heterotroph

A living thing that gets energy by eating others.

Autotroph

A living thing that makes its own food, usually from sunlight.

CHNOPS

The six elements most living things are made of: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.

Water Cycle

The way water moves through the air, ground, and living things.

Carbon Cycle

The path carbon takes as it moves through the environment.

Nitrogen Cycle

The path nitrogen takes through the air, soil, and living things.

Atom

The smallest part of an element that still has its properties.

Proton

A positively charged particle in the nucleus of an atom.

Neutron

A particle in the nucleus of an atom with no charge.

Electron

A negatively charged particle that moves around the nucleus of an atom.

Molecule

Two or more atoms joined together.

Element

A pure substance made of only one kind of atom.

Covalent Bond

A bond where atoms share electrons.

Ionic Bond

A bond where one atom gives electrons to another.

Chemical Formula

A way to show what elements are in a compound and how many of each.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus.

Compound

A substance made of two or more elements that are chemically joined.

Valence Electron

An electron in the outer shell of an atom, important in bonding.

Chemical Reaction

A process where substances change into new ones.

Carbohydrate

A type of nutrient that gives quick energy, like sugar or starch.

Protein

A molecule made of amino acids, needed to build and repair body parts.

Lipid

A fat or oil used to store energy and make cell membranes.

Nucleic Acid

A molecule like DNA or RNA that carries genetic information.

Enzyme

A protein that speeds up chemical reactions.

Activation Energy

The energy needed to start a chemical reaction.

Catalyst

A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being changed.

Denaturation

When a protein/Enzyme changes shape and stops working, usually from heat or pH changes.

pH Scale

A scale from 0 to 14 that measures how acidic or basic something is.

Cell Theory

The idea that all living things are made of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, and all cells come from other living things.

Prokaryotic Cell

A simple cell with no nucleus, like bacteria.

Eukaryotic Cell

A complex cell that has a nucleus and organelles.

Mitochondrion

The part of the cell that makes energy.

Nucleus

The part of the cell that holds DNA and controls activities.

Ribosome

The part of the cell that builds proteins.

Golgi Apparatus

The part of the cell that packages and ships proteins.

Vacuole

A storage space in a cell that holds water, food, or waste.

Vesicle

A small sac in a cell that moves materials around.

Cell Membrane

The outer layer of a cell that controls what goes in and out.

Selectively Permeable

Lets some things pass through but blocks others.

Phospholipid Bilayer

The double layer of fats that makes up the cell membrane.

Polar

A molecule with positive and negative parts that mixes well with water.

Nonpolar

A molecule without charged parts that does not mix with water.

Protein Channel

A tunnel in the cell membrane that helps certain things move in or out.

Hydrophilic

Likes water and mixes with it.

Hydrophobic

Hates water and avoids it.

Concentration Gradient

A difference in how much of something is on each side of a membrane.

Diffusion

When particles move from where there’s more of them to where there’s less.

Osmosis

The movement of water through a membrane from more to less.

Passive Transport

Movement across a membrane that does not need energy.

Active Transport

Movement across a membrane that needs energy.

Hypertonic

A solution with more solute than the cell, so water moves out.

Hypotonic

A solution with less solute than the cell, so water moves in.

Isotonic

A solution with the same amount of solute as the cell—no net water movement.

Facilitated Diffusion

Movement across a membrane with help from a protein, no energy needed.

Solute

The substance that is dissolved, like salt.

Solvent

The substance that does the dissolving, like water.

Solution

A mix of a solute and a solvent.

Semi-permeable (Selectively Permeable)

Allows only certain materials to pass through.

Light Spectrum

The range of colors visible in sunlight.

Chlorophyll

The green pigment in plants that absorbs light for photosynthesis.

Carotenoid

Pigments in plants that help absorb light and protect chlorophyll.

Chloroplast

The part of the plant cell where photosynthesis happens.

Thylakoid

A part inside the chloroplast where light energy is captured.

Stroma

The fluid in the chloroplast where sugar is made.

Light Dependent Reactions

Part of photosynthesis that needs light to make energy molecules.

Light Independent Reactions

The part of photosynthesis that makes sugar using energy molecules.

Calvin Cycle

The process in photosynthesis that makes glucose from carbon dioxide.

Respiration Formula

Glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy (ATP).

Anaerobic Respiration

Making energy without oxygen.

Aerobic Respiration

Making energy using oxygen.

Glycolysis

The first step of respiration, breaking glucose into smaller parts.

Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle)

A step in respiration that makes energy molecules.

Electron Transport Chain

The last step of respiration where most ATP is made.

ADP to ATP

Adding a phosphate to ADP to make ATP, which stores energy.

Fermentation

A way to make energy without oxygen.

Alcoholic Fermentation

Yeast makes alcohol and carbon dioxide without oxygen.

Lactic Acid Fermentation

Cells make energy and lactic acid when there’s no oxygen.

Cell Cycle

The life of a cell, including growth and division.

Interphase

The part of the cell cycle when the cell grows and copies DNA.

Mitosis

The process where the nucleus divides to form two identical cells.

Cytokinesis

The cell’s cytoplasm divides after mitosis.

Chromatin

Loose DNA found in a cell’s nucleus during interphase.

Chromatid

One of the two identical halves of a chromosome.

Prophase

The first step of mitosis, where chromosomes become visible.