BIO 201 Exam 1 Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary style practice flashcards derived verbatim from the BIO 201 Exam 1 professor study guide covering key anatomical, chemical, and cellular terminology.

Chemical level

The level of organization made of atoms and molecules.

Atoms

The smallest stable units of matter.

Molecules

Groups of atoms joined together.

Cellular level

The level of organization made of cells, which are the smallest living units in the body.

Tissue

A group of cells working together.

Organ

Two or more tissues working together.

Organ system

A group of interacting organs.

Organism

An individual life form.

Anatomical position

Hands at the sides with palms facing forward.

Supine

Lying down, face UP.

Prone

Lying down, face DOWN.

Frontal (coronal) plane

A plane that divides the body into anterior and posterior portions.

Sagittal plane

A plane that divides the body into left and right portions.

Midsagittal plane

A sagittal plane directly through the middle of the body.

Parasagittal plane

A sagittal plane offset from the middle of the body.

Transverse plane

A plane that divides the body into superior and inferior portions.

Viscera

Internal organs found inside body cavities.

Serous membrane (serosa)

A membrane that lines body cavities and covers organs.

Parietal serosa

The layer of a serous membrane that lines the cavity wall.

Visceral serosa

The layer of a serous membrane that covers the organ.

Coelom

Another name for the ventral body cavity.

Thoracic cavity

Body cavity containing the right and left pleural cavities and the mediastinum.

Retroperitoneal space

The space posterior to the peritoneum and anterior to the muscular body wall.

Homeostasis

Keeping the body's internal environment stable.

Negative feedback

A control mechanism where the effector response negates or opposes the original stimulus, bringing the body back toward homeostasis.

Positive feedback

A control mechanism where the response amplifies the original change, moving the body away from homeostasis.

Proton

A subatomic particle with a positive (+) charge and a mass of $1$ mass unit.

Neutron

A subatomic particle with a neutral charge (no charge) and a mass of $1$ mass unit.

Electron

A subatomic particle with a negative (-) charge and very low mass.

Atomic number

The number of protons in an atom.

Valence shell

The outermost electron shell of an atom that determines bonding.

Compound

Two or more atoms of DIFFERENT elements joined by strong or weak bonds.

Ion

An atom with an electric charge.

Cation

A positively charged ion.

Anion

A negatively charged ion.

Ionic bond

Attraction between a positive cation and a negative anion.

Covalent bond

A strong bond where electrons are shared.

Nonpolar covalent bond

A covalent bond where electrons are shared equally.

Polar covalent bond

A covalent bond where electrons are shared unequally because one atom pulls harder on them.

Hydrogen bond

A weak polar bond between nearby molecules caused by electrical attraction.

Metabolism

All reactions occurring in the body at one time.

Activation energy

The energy needed to start a reaction.

Enzymes

Protein catalysts that lower activation energy without being changed or used up.

Substrates

Reactants that bind to an enzyme's active site.

Electrolytes

Inorganic ions that conduct electricity in solution.

Hydrophilic

Water-loving; interacts with water (e.g., ions and polar molecules).

Hydrophobic

Water-fearing; does not interact with water (e.g., nonpolar molecules, fats, and oils).

pH

The negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion ($\text{H}^+$) concentration.

Monomer

A small subunit that can join with others to make a polymer.

Polymer

A larger molecule made by joining monomers.

Saturated fatty acid

A fatty acid with NO double bonds in its hydrocarbon tail.

Unsaturated fatty acid

A fatty acid with one or more double bonds in its tail.

Primary protein structure

The sequence/order of amino acids along a polypeptide.

Secondary protein structure

Protein structure formed when hydrogen bonds form spirals or pleats.

Tertiary protein structure

Protein structure formed by coiling and folding to create a 3-D shape.

Quaternary protein structure

The final protein complex made by interacting polypeptide chains.

Nucleic acids

Large organic molecules found in the nucleus that store and process information.

Phosphorylation

Adding a phosphate group to another molecule to produce a high-energy bond.

ATP

A high-energy compound containing three phosphate groups.

ATPase

An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of ATP to ADP.

Cytosol

Intracellular fluid.

Cytoskeleton

Structural proteins that give the cell shape and strength.

Microvilli

Cellular projections that increase surface area for absorption.

Centrioles

Organelles that form the spindle apparatus during cell division.

Smooth ER (SER)

Endoplasmic reticulum with NO attached ribosomes that synthesizes lipids.

Rough ER (RER)

Endoplasmic reticulum covered with ribosomes that carries out protein and glycoprotein synthesis.

Golgi apparatus

An organelle that modifies and packages secretions.

Lysosomes

Vesicles that destroy bacteria, break down molecules, and recycle damaged organelles.

Peroxisomes

Small enzyme-containing vesicles.

Cristae

Structures in mitochondria surrounding the fluid contents called the matrix.

Glycolysis

An energy-production process in the cytosol that converts glucose to pyruvic acid.

Triplet code

A sequence of three DNA bases that codes for one amino acid.

Transcription

Synthesis of RNA from a DNA template.

RNA polymerase

An enzyme that binds nucleotides to form mRNA in three-base sequences called codons.

Codon

A three-base sequence on mRNA.

Translation

Synthesis of protein involving tRNA matching an anticodon to mRNA.

Anticodon

The tRNA sequence that binds a complementary mRNA codon.

Simple diffusion

Net movement of particles from HIGH concentration to LOW concentration.

Osmosis

Diffusion of WATER across a selectively permeable membrane toward the solution with MORE solutes.

Osmolarity

The total solute concentration in a solution.

Tonicity

How a solution affects cells.

Active transport

Transport where proteins move substances AGAINST their concentration gradients using energy such as ATP.

Sodium-potassium exchange pump

A primary active transport pump that uses $1\,\text{ATP}$ to move $3\,\text{Na}^+$ OUT and $2\,\text{K}^+$ IN.

Interphase

The nondividing period where somatic cells spend most of their lives and perform DNA replication.

Cytokinesis

Division of the cytoplasm.

Mutagens

Agents that cause mutations.

Carcinogens

Cancer-causing agents.

Metastasis

The spread of cancer to other areas.