The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye

These flashcards cover key vocabulary from the lecture on the invisible living world, focusing on concepts related to microorganisms and cell biology.

Microscope

A tool that magnifies small objects, making them visible to the human eye.

Lens

A curved piece of glass that can make small things look bigger.

Cell

The basic unit of life that makes up all living organisms.

Organism

Any living being, including plants and animals.

Vacuole

A large, empty-looking space in plant cells that helps store substances and maintain cell shape.

Cytoplasm

The jelly-like substance within a cell, containing various organelles.

Cell Wall

An extra outer layer found in plant cells, providing rigidity and strength.

Nucleus

The round structure inside a cell that regulates all activities of the cell.

Microorganism

A tiny living organism, often not visible to the naked eye, such as bacteria and fungi.

Unicellular

Organisms made up of a single cell.

Multicellular

Organisms made up of multiple cells.

Rhizobium

A bacterium found in the root nodules of legumes that helps trap nitrogen.

Chloroplast

An organelle in plant cells that contains chlorophyll and is involved in photosynthesis.

Fermentation

A metabolic process where microorganisms break down substances producing energy and possibly alcohol.

Plastid

Rod-shaped structures in plant cells, some of which contain chlorophyll.

Yeast

A type of fungus used in baking and fermentation processes.

Bacteria

Single-celled microorganisms that can be beneficial or harmful.