Leaving Cert biology

Control

Set up for comparison

Data

Measurements or observations or information gathered during an experiment

experiment

Test of hypothesis

Law

Theory that has withstood long term testing

Replicate

Repeat of an experiment

Theory

A hypothesis that has been supported by many different experiments

Saphrophytic

Living on dead organic matter

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead organic matter.

Disaccharide

Made up of two sugar units

Fat

Lipid solid at room temperature

Heterotrophic

Obtains food from other organisms

Triglycerides

Glycerol + 3 fatty acids

Monosaccharide

Made up of a single sugar unit

Oil

Lipid liquid at room temperature

Biomolecules

carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids

Phospholipids

2 fatty acids and a phosphate attaches to glycerol

Polysaccharides

Made up of many sugar units

Symbiosis

Relationship between different species in which at least one benefits

trace element

Small amount needed e.g iron, copper, zinc

abiotic factors

non-living factors

Adaptations

Features that help an organism to survive in its environment

Adverse external environment

Surroundings that are harmful to an organism

Biosphere

Parts of the earth that support life

biotic factors

living factors

Climatic factors

Relating to weather e.g. temperature

Community

All the different populations living in an area

competition

Struggle between organisms for a resource in short supply

conservation

The wise management of the environment

contest competition

A struggle between organisms where one organism gets all the resource

Ecology

The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

Ecosystem

A community of organisms and their environment

Edaphic factors

Relate to soil

Eutrophication

addition of excess nutrients to water that causes an increase in plant growth

Fauna

animals

flora

plants

grazing food chain

A sequence of organisms in which each one is eaten by the next member in the chain

Food web

Two or more Interconnected food chains

Germination

The regrowth of the embryo, after a period of dormancy, if the environmental conditions are suitable

Habitat

Place where an organism lives

Heterotrophic

Obtains food from other organisms

key

A guide to identication

Mutualism

Close relationship between two species where both benefit

Niche

functional role of an organism in an ecosystem

Nitrification

conversion of ammonia to nitrites and then nitrates

nitrogen fixation

Atmospheric Nitrogen is converted to ammonia or nitrates

nutrient recycling

Returning elements to the environment so they can be reused

Omnivore

Eats plants and animals

parasite

Lives in or on a host causing harm

Percentage cover

estimate of the amount of the quadrat covered by each species

percentage frequency

is the chance of finding a named species with any one throw of a quadrat

Population

All the members of a species living in an area

Predation

catching, killing and eating of one organism by another organism

predator

The organism that catches, kills and eats other organisms

prey

Organism that is eaten by a predator

Producer

organism that makes its own food

pyramid of numbers

Diagram that shows the number of organisms at each trophic level

Qualitative study

Records the presence or absence of an organism

Quantitative study

records the numbers of organisms present

Saprophytic

Living on dead organic matter

scramble competition

A struggle between organisms in which each organism gets some of resource

Symbiosis

Relationship between different species in which at least one benefits

trophic level

Feeding stage in a food chain

Cancer

Group of disorders in which the body loses control of both the rate and number of times mitosis occurs

Cell continuity

All cells are derived by the division of other cells

Cytoplasm

the living material in a cell outside the nucleus

Cytosol

cytoplasm minus the organelles

Diffusion

Movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration

Eukaryotic

have a nucleus and membrane bound organelles

Meiosis

a type of nuclear division that results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell

Organ

Group of tissues carrying out a common function

System

Group of organs carrying out a common function

Osmosis

The movement of water molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration across a semi-permeable membrane

active transport

Movement of molecules from low to high concentration. Energy is needed .

Prokaryotic

Do not have a nucleus or membrane bound organelles

selective permeability

Allowing some substance to pass through but not all

Tissue

Group of similar cells with common function

Tissue culture

The growth of cells in or on a sterile nutrient medium outside an organism

turgor

Pressure of cell contents against the cell wall

Active site

part of the enzyme that combines with the substrate

Bioreactor

Vessel in which cells or their products produce useful substances

denatured enzyme

has lost its shape and can no longer function

Enzyme

biological catalyst made of protein

Immobilised enzyme

are attached, or fixed, to each other or to an inert material

optimum

Temperature or pH at which the enzyme works best

Protease enzyme

Acts on protein

enzyme specificity

Acts on only one particular substrate

Substrate

Substance the enzyme reacts with

Photosynthesis

Conversion of light energy into chemical energy using carbon dioxide, water and chlorophyll

Aerobic

requires oxygen

anabolic reactions

use energy to convert smaller molecules into larger molecules

Anaerobic

does not require oxygen

Catabolic

release energy when a complex molecule is broken down into a simpler form

Fermentation

anaerobic respiration

Metabolism

the sum of all the chemical reactions in a organism

Anti-codon

Group of three bases on tRNA

Codon

Group of three bases on DNA or RNA that codes for an amino acid

DNA replication

making a copy of DNA

Gene

a section of DNA that codes for a protein

gene expression

the way in which the genetic information in a gene is decoded in the cell and used to make a protein

genetic engineering

the artificial manipulation or alteration of genes