AP Biology Exam Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from AP Biology focusing on essential terms for exam preparation.

Ionic Bond

A type of bond formed by the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond formed when a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom is also electrostatically attracted to another electronegative atom.

Electronegativity

The tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself in a chemical bond.

Cohesion

The attraction between molecules of the same substance, e.g., water molecules attracted to each other.

Adhesion

The attraction between molecules of different substances, e.g., water molecules attracted to other materials.

Macromolecules

Large molecules formed by the joining of smaller molecules, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Amino Acid

The building blocks of proteins, which contain a central carbon atom, an amino group, a carboxyl group, and an R group.

Glycosidic Bond

The covalent bond that connects two monosaccharides to form a disaccharide.

Phospholipid

A type of lipid molecule that is a major component of cell membranes, consisting of a hydrophilic head and two hydrophobic tails.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water.

Mitosis

The process of cell division where one cell divides to produce two genetically identical daughter cells.

Meiosis

A specialized type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, producing four genetically different gametes.

Gene Expression

The process by which genetic information is used to synthesize gene products, typically proteins.

Natural Selection

The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a stable internal environment despite changes in external conditions.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Hybridization

The process of interbreeding individuals from different populations or species.

Tonicity

The ability of a surrounding solution to cause a cell to gain or lose water.

Crossing Over

The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during meiosis, resulting in genetic variation.

Antibody

A protein produced by the immune system that binds to specific antigens to help protect the body from pathogens.

Feedback Mechanism

A process that uses the conditions of one component to regulate the function of another component.

Cloning

The process of creating a genetically identical copy of an organism or cell.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms.