Honors Biology Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Honors Biology lecture notes for exam review.

Mechanical breakdown (Digestive system)

Physical breakdown of food into smaller pieces (e.g., chewing)

Chemical breakdown (Digestive system)

Breakdown of food using enzymes

Enzymes (Digestive system)

Catalyze the breakdown of biomolecules; produced in various organs, function in specific locations.

Alveoli/capillaries (Circulatory & Respiratory systems)

Sites of gas exchange (oxygen and carbon dioxide) in the lungs

Diffusion (Circulatory & Respiratory systems)

Movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration

Systemic circulation

Circulation of blood throughout the body

Pulmonary circulation

Circulation of blood between the heart and lungs

Renal arteries and veins (Urogenital system)

Supply blood to and from the kidneys

Biosphere (Ecology)

The parts of Earth that contain living organisms

Biodiversity (Ecology)

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Abiotic factors (Ecology)

Non-living components of an ecosystem (e.g., temperature, sunlight)

Biotic factors (Ecology)

Living components of an ecosystem (e.g., plants, animals)

Habitat (Ecology)

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Niche (Ecology)

The role and position a species has in its environment; how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it reproduces.

Autotroph (Ecology)

Producer; an organism that produces its own food

Heterotroph (Ecology)

Consumer; an organism that obtains food from other organisms

Decomposer (Ecology)

An organism that breaks down dead organisms or organic waste

Food chain

A linear sequence of organisms showing the transfer of energy

Food web

Interconnected food chains in an ecosystem

Energy pyramid

A graphical representation of energy flow in a community

Keystone species

A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

Symbiosis

Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed

Predation

An interaction in which one organism (the predator) kills and eats another organism (the prey)

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support

Human population growth

The rate at which the number of humans on Earth increases

Cellular respiration

Converts energy in food (glucose) to ATP

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that carries energy within cells

Photosynthesis

Converts energy in sunlight into food (glucose)

Adaptation

A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment

Natural selection

The process by which individuals with favorable inherited traits are more likely to survive and reproduce

Sexual selection

A form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates.

Artificial selection

The selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desirable traits.

Microevolution

Evolutionary change within a species or small group of organisms, especially over a short period.

Macroevolution

Major evolutionary change, usually over a long period. The term applies mainly to the evolution of whole taxonomic groups over long periods of time.

Homologous structures

Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry.

Analogous structures

Structures that do not have a common evolutionary origin but are similar in function

Vestigial structures

Remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a species' ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species.

Disruptive selection

Natural selection in which individuals on both extremes of a phenotypic range survive or reproduce more successfully than do individuals with intermediate phenotypes.

Stabilizing selection

Natural selection in which intermediate phenotypes survive or reproduce more successfully than do extreme phenotypes.

Directional selection

Natural selection in which individuals at one end of the phenotypic range survive or reproduce more successfully than do other individuals.

Mutation

A change in the nucleotide sequence of an organism's DNA or in the DNA or RNA of a virus.

Speciation

The process by which one species splits into two or more species.

Allopatric speciation

The formation of new species in populations that are geographically isolated from one another.

Sympatric speciation

The formation of new species in populations that live in the same geographic area.

Genetic drift

A process in which chance events cause unpredictable fluctuations in allele frequencies from one generation to the next.

Fitness

The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Common ancestor

An ancestral species from which later species evolved.

Morphology

The study of the form and structure of organisms.

Punnett Square

Diagram that is used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles for a given gene

Heterozygous

Having two different alleles for a given gene

Dominant

An allele that is fully expressed in the phenotype of a heterozygote.

Recessive

An allele whose phenotype effect is not observed in a heterozygote.

Phenotype

The set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.

Genotype

The genetic makeup, or set of alleles, of an organism.

Polygenic inheritance

An additive affect of two or more genes on a single phenotype character.

Epistasis

A type of gene interaction in which one gene alters the phenotypic effects of another gene that is independently inherited.

Pleiotropy

The ability of a single gene to have multiple effects.

Incomplete dominance

The situation in which the phenotype of heterozygotes that is intermediate between the phenotype of individuals homozygous for either allele.

Sex Linked Traits

A trait associated with a gene that is carried only by the male or female parent.

Independent variable

The factor manipulated by the researchers

Dependent variable

The factor being measured that is predicted to be affected by the independent variable

Controlled variable

A variable that is kept constant during a controlled experiment.

Control group

In a controlled experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

Experimental group

In a controlled experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Monomer

A small subunit that can be combined with others to form a polymer

Polymer

A large molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together

Condensation reaction

A chemical reaction in which two molecules are joined covalently with the removal of a water molecule

Hydrolysis reaction

A chemical reaction that breaks bonds between two molecule by the addition of water

Eukaryotic Cell

A type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles.

Prokaryotic Cell

A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles.

Osmosis

The diffusion of free water across a selectively permeable membrane.

Facilitated diffusion

The passage of a molecule or ion down its electrochemical gradient across a biological membrane with the assistance of specific transmembrane transport proteins, requiring no energy expenditure.

Active transport

The movement of a substance across a cell membrane against its concentration or electrochemical gradient, mediated by specific transport proteins and requiring an expenditure of energy.

Endocytosis

Cellular uptake of biological molecules and particulate matter via formation of vesicles from the plasma membrane.

Exocytosis

The cellular secretion of biological molecules by the fusion of vesicles containing them with the plasma membrane.

Hypotonic Solution

Referring to a solution that, when surrounding a cell, will cause the cell to take up a water.

Hypertonic solution

Referring to a solution that, when surrounding a cell, will cause the cell to lose water.

Isotonic solution

Referring to a solution that, when surrounding a cell, causes no net movement of water into or out of the cell.

Replication

The process of copying DNA before cell division and occurs in the nucleus.

Transcription

The synthesis of RNA using a DNA template and occurs in the nucleus.

Translation

The synthesis of a polypeptide using the genetic information encoded in an mRNA molecule and occurs in the ribosome.

Mitosis

A process of nuclear division in eukaryotic cells conventionally divided into five stages: prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Mitosis conserves chromosome number by allocating replicated chromosomes equally to each of the daughter nuclei.

Meiosis

A modified type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms consisting of two rounds of cell division but only one round of DNA replication. It results in cells with half the number of chromosome sets a the original cell.

Crossing Over

The reciprocal exchange of genetic material between nonsister chromatids during prophase one of meiosis.

Apoptosis

A type of programmed cell death.

Taxonomy

The scientific discipline concerned with naming and classifying the diverse forms of life.

Scientific name

The two-part format of the scientific name which consists of the Genus and species.