Quiz 2 Study Guide: Life Under the Microscope, Photosynthesis & Bryant Pond Ecosystems

Vocabulary flashcards covering microscope anatomy and use, cell classification, organelle functions, photosynthesis stages, plant transport, and ecosystem trophic dynamics.

Compound Light Microscope

An optical instrument that uses visible light and multiple lenses to enlarge the image of specimens too small to see clearly with the unaided eye.

Macroscopic

Describing structures or organisms that can be viewed directly without magnification.

Microscopic

Describing structures or organisms that require a microscope to be seen because they are very small.

Ultramicroscopic

Describing structures that require more elaborate instruments or techniques, such as an electron microscope, to observe.

Ocular Lens / Eyepiece

The lens you look through on a microscope; in the laboratory, it provides $10\times$ magnification.

Objective Lenses

Lenses on a microscope that provide different levels of magnification, such as $4\times$, $10\times$, and $40\times$.

Revolving Nosepiece

The component of a microscope that holds the objective lenses and rotates to change objectives.

Stage

The flat platform on a microscope that supports the slide.

Stage Clips

Clips that hold the specimen slide securely on the stage.

Diaphragm

The mechanism that controls the amount of light reaching the specimen on a microscope stage.

Coarse Adjustment Knob

A control knob that moves the stage or objective substantially to bring the specimen into view; used only with low power.

Fine Adjustment Knob

A control knob that makes small adjustments to sharpen the specimen image, especially at higher magnifications.

Arm

The structural support of the microscope that connects the head to the base and is used when carrying the instrument.

Base

The bottom platform that supports the entire microscope.

Light Source

The component that provides illumination used to view the specimen.

Body Tube

The structural tube that connects the ocular lens to the objective system.

Total Magnification Formula

The formula used to compute total visual magnification: $\text{Total Magnification} = \text{Ocular Magnification} \times \text{Objective Magnification}$.

Prokaryotic Cells

Simple single-celled organisms (e.g., Bacteria and Archaea) that lack a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Eukaryotic Cells

Cells containing a well-defined nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, present in protists, fungi, plants, and animals, typically about $10\times$ larger than prokaryotic cells.

Anabaena

A photosynthetic prokaryote with a simple cell structure that forms long, bead-like strands.

Cheek Cells

Eukaryotic animal cells that can be stained with methylene blue to highlight a dark blue nucleus against lighter blue cytoplasm.

Elodea

An aquatic plant possessing rigid cell walls and small green chloroplasts that may exhibit cytoplasmic streaming.

Amyloplasts

Specialized plant cell organelles responsible for storing starch as an energy source, which stain blue-black when exposed to iodine.

Chromoplasts

Plant cell organelles that store pigments responsible for the distinct colors observed in fruits, vegetables, and berries.

Autotrophs

'Self-feeders' such as plants and photosynthetic bacteria that capture light energy to convert inorganic carbon from $\text{CO}_2$ into organic carbon in glucose.

Light-Dependent Reactions

The first stage of photosynthesis occurring at thylakoid membranes, capturing sunlight energy to produce $\text{ATP}$ and $\text{NADPH}$.

Light-Independent Reactions (Calvin Cycle)

The stage of photosynthesis taking place in the stroma that uses $\text{ATP}$ and $\text{NADPH}$ to synthesize carbon molecules from $\text{CO}_2$.

Stomata

Openings in the leaf epidermis that facilitate gas exchange ($\text{CO}_2$ intake and $\text{O}_2$ release), whose density decreases when ambient $\text{CO}_2$ levels increase.

Guard Cells

Pairs of specialized epidermal cells surrounding each stoma that regulate its opening and closing.

Phenol Red

A $\text{pH}$ indicator that turns yellow below $\text{pH } 7$ as dissolved $\text{CO}_2$ forms carbonic acid ($\text{H}_2\text{CO}_3$) and reverts to red as photosynthesis consumes $\text{CO}_2$.

Xylem

Vascular tissue in plants responsible for transporting water and dissolved minerals upward from roots toward shoots and leaves.

Phloem

Vascular tissue in plants that transports sugars and organic nutrients from photosynthetic sites to storage or growing tissues.

Producers

Organisms occupying the 1st trophic level that obtain energy directly from sunlight via photosynthesis, such as trees, grass, and diatoms.

Primary Consumers

Herbivorous organisms in the 2nd trophic level that feed directly on producers, such as deer, cattle, and grasshoppers.

Secondary Consumers

Predatory organisms in the 3rd trophic level that feed primarily on primary consumers, such as spiders, frogs, and lions.

Tertiary Consumers

Carnivorous organisms in the 4th trophic level that feed on other carnivores.

Detritivores

Organisms that consume dead organic matter and waste material, such as earthworms, mites, centipedes, and snails.

Decomposers

Organisms, primarily fungi and bacteria, that secrete digestive enzymes externally to break down organic matter and absorb nutrients for nutrient cycling.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

Oxygen gas dissolved in water through photosynthesis and atmospheric absorption; its solubility decreases as water temperature increases.