Biology Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes on the characteristics of life, biological organization, feedback mechanisms, and endocrine roles.

Unicellular

A living thing made up of one cell

Multicellular

A living thing made up of more than one cell

Autotroph

A living organism that makes its own food using light and chemical energy

Heterotroph

A living organism that can't make its own food, but eats other organisms for energy and nutrients

Ectotherm

Cold blooded, an organism that needs external sources to regulate body temperature (snakes)

Endotherm

Warm blooded, an organism that regulates body temperature internally (birds)

Constriction

The narrowing or squeezing of a hollow organ, blood vessel, or body opening (adjusting to brightness)

Dilation

The widening or stretching of a hollow organ, blood vessel, or body opening (adjusting to darkness)

Homeostasis

The self regulating process when organisms maintain internal stability even with external changes

Anabolism

Metabolism that builds small molecules into large, complex molecules using energy

Catabolism

Metabolism that breaks down large molecules, and releases energy

Metabolism

System that converts food and drinks into energy

Asexual

Only one parent is required to create offspring

Sexual

Two parents are required to create offspring

Mitosis

Cell division into two daughter cells with equal number of chromosomes as parent cell

Meiosis

Cell division that divides chromosomes number by half

Stimulus

 A reaction or response triggered by an internal or external change

Stimuli

A reaction or response triggered by internal or external changes

Population

Group of same species capable of interbreeding (geographically close)

Community

Various species living in the same area

Ecosystem

Biotic and abiotic factors living in a systemed area

Negative feedback

Returning a temperature to a point

Positive feedback

Produces more of something

Emergent property

Characteristics that a system has, but individual parts do not have (traffic jam)

Cells

Smallest level of organization; a red blood cell carries oxygen from lungs to the rest of the body

Tissue

Third biggest level of organization; a nervous tissue sends signals to the brain sensing stimuli

Organ

Second biggest level of organization; the heart pumps blood through the circulatory system

Organ System

Biggest level of organization; the digestive system has the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and more

Thyroid

Produces and releases hormones that control metabolism, energy use, and growth/development

Thyroxin

Regulate basal metabolic rate, control energy production, and direct growth/development

Iodine

Combines thyroid and thyroxin

Goiter

When the thyroid gland expands

BMR

Basal metabolic rate, the minimum energy needed for an organism to be stable