Biology Regents Review Practice Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary and core concepts from the Biology Regents Review notes, including body systems, ecology, genetics, and evolution.

Abnormal

Unusual or not normal.

Activate

To turn something on.

Adverse

Harmful or negative.

Advantageous

Helpful or giving a benefit.

Beneficial

Good or helpful.

Breeding

When animals reproduce and have offspring.

Capture

To take or collect something.

Circulate

To move around in a loop or path.

Consistent

Staying the same over time; reliable.

Conserve

To use something carefully so it's not wasted.

Convert

To change something into a different form.

Disproportionately

Too much or too little compared to something else.

Dormant

Not active for a period of time but able to become active again.

Efficient

Getting things done well without wasting time or energy.

Emit

To release or send out (like light, gas, or sound).

Erosion

When wind, water, or ice wears away land.

Excessive

Too much of something.

Extract

To remove something.

Facilitate

To make something easier.

Fluctuate

To go up and down or change often.

Forage

To search for food.

Implement

To start using a plan or rule.

Influx

A large arrival of something, usually all at once.

Infestation

When too many pests or harmful organisms invade an area.

Interfere

To get in the way of something or disturb it.

Invasive

A species that spreads quickly and causes harm to the environment.

Migrate

To move from one place to another, often seasonally.

Optimal

The best or most ideal condition.

Penetrate

To break through or go into something.

Preserve

To protect something so it stays the same over time.

Reduce

To make something smaller or use less of it.

Regulate

To control or manage how something works.

Spawn

When fish or aquatic animals lay eggs.

Sprout

When a plant begins to grow from a seed.

Stimulate

To encourage something to grow, develop, or become active.

Disease

A failure of homeostasis.

Antibodies

Specifically shaped proteins made by white blood cells that bind to antigens on the cell membranes of foreign cells.

Pathogens

Germs or microbes, such as dead, weakened, or parts of an organism used in vaccines.

Memory cells

Cells that allow a person's immune system to "remember" pathogens long term.

Vaccines

Dead, weakened pathogens or parts of a pathogen (antigens or mRNA) that stimulate the production of specific antibodies.

Herd immunity

When adequate vaccination rates allow for protection that helps prevent the spread of disease.

Antibiotics

Medicines used to treat bacterial infections.

Feedback mechanisms

Systems that maintain internal conditions within certain limits and mediate behaviors, allowing a system to remain functional as external conditions change.

Positive Feedback

A mechanism that encourages what is going on inside the living system, such as root development in response to water, blood clotting, or childbirth.

Negative Feedback

A mechanism that discourages what is going on inside the living system to return to "normal," such as heart rate response, body temperature, or blood glucose levels.

Stimulus

Any external or internal factor that causes a response from an organism.

Response

A reaction to a stimulus.

Set Point

The target value or range that a living system aims to maintain to ensure stable internal conditions.

Prediction

A statement about what will happen in the future based on current evidence.

Independent variable

The factor in an experiment that is tested, changed, or controlled.

Dependent variable

The data collected during an investigation.

Constants

Factors in an experiment that are kept the same throughout to ensure changes are due to the variable being tested.

Constraints

Limitations or restrictions considered when designing solutions, including cost, materials, time, environmental impact, and societal needs.

Criteria

Specific requirements that a solution must meet to be considered successful.

Precision

A measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another, even if not near the correct value.

Accuracy

A measure of how close a measurement is to the correct or accepted value of the quantity being measured.

Qualitative

Descriptions or observations that do not involve numerical measurements.

Quantitative

Data or observations that involve numerical measurements.

Amino acids

Molecules formed when the hydrocarbon backbones of sugar molecules combine with nitrogen.

Photosynthesis

The process that captures light energy, $CO_2$, and water and converts it into oxygen and sugar ($C_6H_{12}O_6$).

Aerobic Cellular Respiration

The process by which the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules ($O_2$) are broken and new compounds are formed, resulting in a net transfer of energy.

ATP

Usable chemical energy produced during respiration used to carry out life processes.

Carbon sequestration

The process of taking $CO_2$ out of the atmosphere and storing it in carbon pools like plants, soil, the ocean, or underground fossil fuels.

Biomass

The total number of organisms living at each trophic (feeding) level.

Carrying capacity

The limit to the number of organisms and populations that an ecosystem can support.

Biodiversity

The number of different organisms living in a given area; its presence makes an ecosystem more stable.

Speciation

The formation of new species, which increases biodiversity.

Extinction

The loss of species, which decreases biodiversity.

Keystone species

A species that has a much bigger impact on its ecosystem than most others; if it disappears, the ecosystem can change dramatically.

Trophic cascade

A chain reaction in a food web where changes at the top (like removing predators) cause big changes all the way down to plants.

Habitat Fragmentation

A process when habitat is transformed into a number of patches of a smaller total area isolated from each other.

Ecological Succession

The process where stable conditions are reset by a disturbance, potentially leading to a new climax community.

Desertification

The transition from grassland to desert, often caused by overgrazing and drought.

DNA

The molecule containing genetic information; its structure determines the structure of proteins.

Genes

Regions in the DNA that contain instructions (DNA base sequence) that code for the formation of proteins.

Allele

A version of a gene.

Transcription

The process where the DNA base sequence ($ATCG$) of a gene is copied into mRNA in the nucleus.

Translation

The process where mRNA is translated into amino acids in the ribosome, producing a protein.

Enzyme

A specific type of protein, such as lactase, that speeds up chemical reactions like digestion or synthesis.

Cell Receptors

Proteins that receive chemical messengers like hormones or neurotransmitters to carry out specific functions.

Hormones

Chemical messengers, such as testosterone, estrogen, or insulin, secreted into the bloodstream for cell communication.

Mitosis

Cell division that leads to the growth of multicellular organisms by producing TWO genetically identical daughter cells.

Cell differentiation

The development of specialized cells where genes are regulated or expressed in different ways although genetic content remains the same.

Cancer

Uncontrolled cell division leading to the development of tumors, disrupting homeostasis.

Stem cells

Undifferentiated cells that have the potential to become any type of cell.

Chromosomes

Structures consisting of a single very long DNA molecule; humans typically have $23$ pairs per cell.

Meiosis

The process of cell division that produces gametes (sex cells) containing half the normal number of chromosomes ($n$).

Crossing over

The process during meiosis where chromosomes swap sections, creating new genetic combinations.

Mutations

Errors occurring during DNA replication, such as deletion, insertion, or substitution, which serve as a source of genetic variation.

Ovary

The female reproductive structure responsible for the production of gametes (eggs).

Fallopian Tube

The site in the female reproductive system where internal fertilization occurs.

Uterus

The site of internal development for the embryo or fetus.

Placenta

A structure that allows for the diffusion of materials—such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nutrients—between the mother and the fetus.

Testis

The male reproductive structure responsible for the production of gametes (sperm).

Natural Selection

The process where organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking the trait.

Adaptation

An advantageous heritable trait that positively affects survival and is more likely to be passed on to future generations.