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Biology
science of life
Biologist
a scientist who studies living things
Organism
A living thing
Gene
unit of heredity
Genome
genetic information that an organism contains
Cell
simplest self-reproducing unit that can exist independently
Species
group of interbreeding organisms that produce fertile offspring
Evolution
change over time
Natural Selection
some individuals survive and reproduce more than others in a particular environment as a result of variation among individuals that can be passed down to next generation
Energy
the ability to do work
Energetics
the flow of energy and its changes from one form to another
Deoxyribonucleic acid - DNA
carrier of genetic information for all organisms
System
group of things that function together as a whole
Abiotic
non-living components of an environment
Biotic
living organisms
Biological System
made up of both biotic and abiotic entities that interact
Scientific Inquiry
the process scientists use to ask questions and seek answers about the world in a deliberate and ordered way
Observation
the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information.
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Controlled Experiment
An experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time.
Test Group/experimental group
experiences the variable
Control Group
the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.
Independent Variable
variable that is manipulated
dependent variable
The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.
negative control group
group where there should not be an effect
positive control group
group where an effect is expected
null hypothesis
the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between specified populations, any observed difference being due to sampling or experimental error.
alternative hypothesis
The hypothesis that states there is a difference between two or more sets of data.
matter
Anything that has mass and takes up space
atom
Basic unit of matter
molecule
two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds
organic molecule
A molecule containing carbon that is a part of or produced by living systems.
nucleus
Control center of the cell
proton
positively charged particle
neutron
no charge
electron
negatively charged particle
atomic number
number of protons
element
A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances
atomic mass
Number of protons and neutrons - total mass of atom
isotope
Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons
ion
A charged atom
energy level/electron shell
where electrons circle around the nucleus
valence electron
Electrons on the outermost energy level of an atom
periodic table of elements
A table that classifies elements by their physical and chemical properties; rows are called periods; columns are called groups
chemical bond
the force that holds two atoms together
covalent bond
A chemical bond that involves sharing a pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule
single bond
A pair of shared electrons
double bond
A covalent bond in which two pairs of electrons are shared between two atoms
electronegativity
the ability of an atom to attract electrons
polar covalent bond
unequal sharing of electrons
nonpolar covalent bond
equal sharing of electrons
ionic bond
Formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another
chemical reaction
process that changes one set of chemicals into another set of chemicals
reactant
A chemical substance that is present at the start of a chemical reaction
product
A substance produced in a chemical reaction
polymer
molecules composed of many monomers; makes up macromolecules
monomer
A simple compound whose molecules can join together to form polymers
protein
An organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principal component of all cells - contains N, C, H, O, and sometimes sulfur
amino acid
Building blocks of protein
nucleic acid
macromolecule containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus
ribonucleic acid - RNA
single-stranded nucleic acid that contains the sugar ribose
nucleotide
A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.
carbohydrate
compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body
lipid
macromolecule made mostly from carbon and hydrogen atoms; includes fats, oils, and waxes
hydrophobic
Water fearing
hydrophilic
water loving
polar
Molecule with partial charges. Mixes with water.
hydrogen bond
Attraction between a slightly positive hydrogen atom and a slightly negative atom.
cohesion
Attraction between molecules of the same substance
adhesion
An attraction between molecules of different substances
surface tension
A measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid
specific heat
the heat required to raise the temperature of the unit mass of a given substance by a given amount
solvent
the substance in which the solute dissolves
acid
any compound that forms H+ ions in solution - low #
base
A substance that decreases the hydrogen ion concentration in a solution - high #
pH scale
scale with values from 0 to 14, used to measure the concentration of H+ ions in a solution; a pH of 0 to 7 is acidic, a pH of 7 is neutral, and a pH of 7 to 14 is basic
dehydration synthesis/condensation reaction
a chemical reaction in which two or more molecules combine resulting in the loss of a water molecule - makes molecule bigger
hydrolysis reaction
A chemical reaction that breaks apart a larger molecule by adding a molecule of water
functional group
A specific configuration of atoms commonly attached to the carbon skeletons of organic molecules and involved in chemical reactions.
ribose
sugar in RNA
deoxyribose
sugar in DNA
disaccharide
A double sugar, consisting of two monosaccharides joined by dehydration synthesis.
polysaccharide
Carbohydrates that are made up of more than two monosaccharides
complex carboyhydrate
long branched chains of monosaccharides
cell membrane
thin, flexible barrier around a cell; regulates what enters and leaves the cell
plasma membrane
A selectively-permeable phospholipid bilayer forming the boundary of the cells
triacylglycerol
three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule
glycerol
Combines with fatty acids to make lipids.
fatty acid
Building Blocks of Lipids
saturated vs unsaturated fatty acid
a) saturated - no carbon double bond ~ straight
b) unsaturated - at lease one carbon double bond ~ bends
van der waal force
attraction force between the positive region on one molecule and the negative region on another molecule - weak
steriod
A lipid that is composed of 4 fused carbon rings, commonly found in cell membranes.
peptide bond
The chemical bond that forms between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another amino acid
polypeptide
A polymer (chain) of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.
primary structure
sequence of amino acids
secondary structure
Either an alpha helix or beta pleated sheet.
tertiary structure
the overall, three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide due to interactions of the R groups of the amino acids making up the chain.
quaternary structure
the shape resulting from the association of two or more polypeptide subunits.
alpha helix
the spiral shape resulting from the coiling of a polypeptide in a protein's secondary structure
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