Exam Vocabulary Terms

Intracellular digestion

Food is digested inside specialized cells that pass nutrients to other cells by diffusion

Extracellular digestion

Food is broken down outside cells in a digestive system and then absorbed

Digestive tract

A tube that food is digested in; has two openings a mouth and an anus

Gills

Feathery structures that expose a large surface area of thin, selectively permeable membrane to water

Lungs

Organs that exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide

Alveoli

Provide a large surface for gas exchange

Heart

A hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood around the body

Open circulatory system

Blood is only partially contained within a system of blood vessels as it travels through the body. Blood vessels empty into a system of sinuses, or cavities

Closed circulatory system

Blood circulates entirely within blood vessels that extend throughout the body

Atrium

Receives blood from the body

Ventricle

pumps blood out of the heart to the rest of the body

Excretion

The elimination of metabolic wastes, such as ammonia

Kidneys

Separate wastes and excess water from the blood

Stimulus

Information in the environment that cause an organism to react

Response

a specific reaction to a stimulus

Neutrons

Specialized nerve cells

Sensory neutrons

Neurons that respond to stimuli

Interneurons

Neurons that typically pass information to other neurons

Motor neurons

Carry “directions” from interneurons to muscles

Cerebrum

The “thinking” region of the brain

Cerebellum

Coordinates movement and controls balance

Exoskeleton

External skeleton

Endoskeleton

A structural support system within the body

Ligaments

A strong connective tissue the connects bones at joints

Tendons

Muscles are attached to bones around the joints by these tough connective tissues

Placenta

A specialized organ that enables exchange of respiratory gases, nutrients, and wastes between the mother and her developing young

Metamorphosis

Resulting in changes to their shape and form

Nymphs

Immature forms, resemble adults, by they lack functional sexual organs and some adult structures

Pupa

The stage in which an insect larva develops into an adult

Mammary glands

How the mother’s milk is produced

Endocrine glands

Produce and release hormones

Ectotherm

An animal whose regulation of body temperature depends mostly on its relationship to sources of heat outside its body

Endotherm

An animal whose body temperature is regulated using heat generated by its body

Innate behavior

an instinct

Habituation

The process by which an animal decreases or stops its response to a repetitive stimulus that neither rewards nor harms the animal

Classical conditioning

A certain stimulus comes to produce a particular response

Operant conditioning

the use of a reward or punishment to teach an animal to behave in a certain way through repeated practice

Insight learning

occurs when an animal applies to a new situation something that it learned previously in another context

Imprinting

the process by which some animals recognize and follow the first moving object they see during a critical period in their early lives

Circadian rhythms

Behavioral cycles that occur daily

Migration

the seasonal movement from one environment to another

Courtship

preform these behaviors to attract a mate

Territory

the specific area an animal occupies

Aggression

threatening behaviors that animals use

Society

a group that interacts closely and often cooperatively

Communication

the passing of information from one individual to another

Language

a system of communication that combines sounds, symbols, and gestures according to rules about sequence and meaning