Rebecca Cestaro - Microbiome - TEST Review Guide - Google Docs

Cells

The smallest microscopic structures that make up all living things and perform basic life functions.

Microscopic

Describing an object or organism that is too small to be seen with the unaided eye.

Microbiome

All of the microorganisms that live together in a specific environment, such as the human body.

Scale

The relative size or extent of objects compared to one another.

Bacteria

Tiny, single-celled organisms that can be either beneficial or harmful to other living things.

Microorganism

Any living thing that is too small to be viewed without magnification.

Organism

Any individual living entity, including plants, animals, and single-celled life forms.

Claim

A proposed answer to a scientific question.

Reasoning

The logical explanation of how scientific evidence supports a given claim.

Antibiotics

Medications that destroy or inhibit bacteria, reducing both harmful and beneficial populations.

Relative size of cells and molecules

Cells are microscopic, but they are significantly larger than the molecules that make them up.

Microorganism population in the human microbiome

Approximately 100 trillion organisms, most of which are bacteria.

Three tenets of Cell Theory

1. All living organisms are made of one or more cells. 2. The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in living things. 3. All cells arise from existing cells.

Robert Hooke

The English scientist who observed cork tissue under a microscope and coined the biological term 'cell'.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

The scientist who improved microscope design and became the first to observe living microorganisms, which he called 'animalcules'.

Matthias Schleiden

The botanist who concluded that all plant tissues are composed of cells.

Theodor Schwann

The zoologist who concluded that all animal tissues are composed of cells.

Rudolf Virchow

The physician who proposed that all new cells arise only from pre-existing living cells.

Cell membrane

The semipermeable outer boundary that regulates which substances enter and exit a cell.

Cell wall

A rigid layer located outside the membrane in plants, fungi, and bacteria that provides structure and protection.

Chloroplast

The organelle in plant cells where light energy is converted into chemical energy via photosynthesis.

Cytoplasm

The fluid substance that fills the cell and supports internal organelles.

Endoplasmic reticulum

A network of membranous sacs and tubules that assists in synthesizing, processing, and transporting lipids and proteins.

Golgi bodies

Organelles that sort, modify, and package proteins and lipids for storage or export outside the cell.

Mitochondria

Organelles that generate cellular energy in the form of ATP through cellular respiration.

Nucleus

The membrane-bound organelle that encloses and protects genetic material (DNA) in eukaryotic cells.

Nucleolus

A dense structure inside the nucleus responsible for producing ribosomes.

Ribosomes

Complexes of RNA and protein that synthesize proteins according to genetic instructions.

Vacuole

A membrane-bound storage organelle that holds water, nutrients, and waste products.