AP Biology Ultimate Guide (copy)

What are elements in chemistry?

Substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means.

What four elements are primarily used to build biological molecules?

Oxygen (O), carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and nitrogen (N).

What are trace elements?

Elements required by an organism only in very small quantities, such as iron (Fe), iodine (I), and copper (Cu).

What are the three types of subatomic particles?

Protons (positively charged), neutrons (uncharged), and electrons (negatively charged).

What is an ionic bond?

A bond formed between two atoms when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to the other.

What is a covalent bond?

A bond formed when electrons are shared between atoms.

What is cohesion in water?

The tendency of water molecules to stick to each other due to hydrogen bonding.

What is adhesion in water?

The tendency of water molecules to stick to other substances.

How does capillary action occur?

By the combined forces of cohesion and adhesion, allowing water to rise up against gravity.

What indicates an acidic solution?

A solution that contains a lot of hydrogen ions (H+).

What is a monosaccharide?

The simplest form of carbohydrates, providing an energy source for cells.

What are disaccharides?

Sugars formed from the joining of two monosaccharides, such as maltose from two glucose molecules.

What is a polysaccharide?

Carbohydrates made up of many repeated units of monosaccharides.

What are the four classes of organic compounds essential for life?

Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

What defines proteins?

Proteins are important for the structure, function, and regulation of tissues and organs, made from amino acids.

What is a polypeptide?

A chain of amino acids that can fold into a functional protein.

What role do lipids play in the body?

Functions as structural components of cell membranes, sources of insulation, signaling molecules, and energy storage.

What are nucleic acids?

Molecules made up of nucleotides that contain the genetic blueprint of life.

What are prokaryotic cells?

Simple, smaller cells without membrane-bound organelles, with genetic material in a nucleoid.

What defines eukaryotic cells?

More complex cells that contain organelles and a defined nucleus.

What is homeostasis?

The state of steady internal conditions maintained by living organisms.

What is the cell cycle?

The life cycle of a cell, consisting of interphase and mitosis.

What is the purpose of mitosis?

To produce daughter cells that are identical to the parent cell.

What happens during meiosis?

The production of gametes (sex cells) that contain half the number of chromosomes.

What is natural selection?

The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

What is genetic variation?

The differences in DNA among individuals, essential for evolution.

What is a keystone species?

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.

What does the Hardy-Weinberg principle state?

The frequencies of alleles in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences.

What is ecological succession?

The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time.

What are symbiotic relationships?

Interactions between two different organisms living in close physical proximity, including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.