Characteristics of Life, Ecology, Evolution, and Microbiology Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic cell biology, ecology, taxonomy, evolutionary mechanisms, microbiology, and microscopy based on lecture transcripts.

Cellular Organization

The trait of being made of one or more cells.

Metabolism

The process by which an organism obtains and uses energy through chemical processes.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a stable internal environment, such as body temperature.

Heredity

The passing on of genetic traits via $DNA$ or $RNA$.

Evolutionary Adaptation

The process where populations change over generations to adapt to their environment.

Prokaryotic Cells

Small cells that lack a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, typically found in Bacteria and Archaea.

Eukaryotic Cells

Large cells that contain a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria and ER, found in plants, animals, fungi, and protists.

Nucleus

The control center of the cell that houses $DNA$ and sends out $mRNA$ instructions.

Ribosomes

The sites of protein synthesis that can be free or bound to the endoplasmic reticulum.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (RER)

A region covered in ribosomes responsible for folding and modifying proteins.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (SER)

A region that synthesizes lipids and detoxifies toxins.

Golgi Apparatus

The shipping center of the cell that sorts, tags, and packages proteins into vesicles.

Mitochondria

The powerhouses of the cell that convert glucose into usable energy $ATP$ via cellular respiration.

Chloroplasts

Organelles in plants that convert solar energy into chemical energy (glucose) via photosynthesis.

Lysosomes

Organelles containing digestive enzymes to break down waste or foreign invaders.

Cell Membrane

A phospholipid bilayer that regulates what enters and exits the cell.

Photosynthesis Equation

$$6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{Light Energy} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$$

Cellular Respiration Equation

$$C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + ATP \text{ Energy}$$

Primary Succession

Ecological change starting in a completely barren area with no soil, such as after a volcanic eruption.

Pioneer Species

The first organisms to colonize barren rock, such as lichens and mosses, which help build the first layer of soil.

Secondary Succession

Ecological change starting in an ecosystem that was disturbed but retains its soil, such as after a forest fire.

Climax Community

A stable, mature, and self-sustaining ecosystem that marks the end stage of succession.

Biotic Factors

Living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and bacteria.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living components of an ecosystem, such as temperature, sunlight, soil, and water.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can sustainably support.

Keystone Species

A species with an exceptionally large impact on its ecosystem relative to its population size, such as sea otters.

The 10% Law

The rule stating only about $10\%$ of energy available at one trophic level is passed to the next.

Exponential Growth

Rapid, unrestricted population growth represented by a J-curve.

Logistic Growth

Growth that slows and stabilizes at the carrying capacity (K), represented by an S-curve.

Density-Dependent Factors

Biotic factors whose impact increases as population density increases, such as disease and competition.

Density-Independent Factors

Abiotic factors that limit populations regardless of density, such as hurricanes or forest fires.

Mutualism

A symbiotic interaction where both species benefit ($+/+$).

Commensalism

A symbiotic interaction where one species benefits and the other is unaffected ($+/0$).

Parasitism

A symbiotic interaction where one species benefits while harming the host ($+/-$).

Bioaccumulation

The buildup of a toxin inside the tissues of a single organism over its lifetime.

Biomagnification

The increasing concentration of toxins at higher levels of a food chain.

Homologous Structures

Structures inherited from a common ancestor that look similar even if they perform different jobs.

Analogous Structures

Structures that function similarly due to convergent evolution rather than shared ancestry.

Binomial Nomenclature

A two-part scientific naming system consisting of the Genus (capitalized) and species (lowercase).

Natural Selection

Darwin's theory that organisms with traits best suited to their environment survive and produce more offspring.

Genetic Drift

Random fluctuations in allele frequencies that affect small populations most severely.

Founder Effect

A type of genetic drift occurring when a small group splits from a main population to establish a new colony.

Bottleneck Effect

A type of genetic drift following a disaster that drastically reduces population size.

Directional Selection

Natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype.

Stabilizing Selection

Natural selection that favors intermediate phenotypes and acts against extremes.

Disruptive Selection

Natural selection that favors both phenotypic extremes while acting against average individuals.

Microevolution

Small-scale genetic changes within a single population over a short period.

Macroevolution

Large-scale evolutionary changes over millions of years resulting in new species or taxonomic groups.

Allopatric Speciation

Speciation occurring when a population is split by a physical geographic barrier.

Sympatric Speciation

Speciation occurring without geographic isolation, often due to behavioral or chromosomal changes.

Gradualism

The theory that species evolve slowly and continuously through steady, tiny changes.

Punctuated Equilibrium

The theory that species remain in stasis for long periods punctuated by brief, rapid bursts of change.

Divergent Evolution

The pattern where related species evolve different traits due to distinct environmental pressures.

Convergent Evolution

The pattern where unrelated species develop similar traits because they adapt to similar environments.

Co-evolution

Two species evolving in response to changes in each other over time.

Vestigial Structures

Remnants of organs that functioned in ancestors but are useless or downsized now, such as the human appendix.

Capsid

The protective protein shell enclosing the nucleic acid core of a virus.

Lytic Cycle

A direct viral replication cycle that results in the immediate destruction and lysis of the host cell.

Lysogenic Cycle

A viral cycle where $DNA$ integrates into the host genome as a prophage and stays hidden until triggered.

Antibody

Y-shaped proteins made by B-cells that bind to specific antigens to neutralize them.

Herd Immunity

Protection of unvaccinated individuals occurring when a high percentage of a population is vaccinated.

Autoimmune Disorders

Conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy tissues.

Binary Fission

Asexual reproduction in bacteria where a cell copies its $DNA$ and splits into two identical clones.

Conjugation

Horizontal gene transfer where direct contact via a pilus allows the transfer of a plasmid between bacteria.

Transformation

Horizontal gene transfer where a bacterium absorbs loose $DNA$ from its surrounding environment.

Transduction

Horizontal gene transfer where a virus carries bacterial $DNA$ from one host to another.

Antibiotic Resistance

The phenomenon where bacteria evolve to survive exposure to medications designed to kill them.

Total Magnification Formula

$$\text{Ocular Lens Magnification} \times \text{Objective Lens Magnification}$$