AP Biology Review UNIT I - UNIT VII

A set of flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and definitions from AP Biology lecture notes.

Element

Substances that cannot be broken down into smaller substances by chemical means.

Essential Elements of Life

96% of the mass of living things made up of Oxygen (O), Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Nitrogen (N).

Trace Elements

Necessary in minute amounts, such as Iron (Fe) and Iodine (I).

Atom

Smallest unit of an element, building blocks of everything.

Protons

Positively charged particles found in the nucleus of an atom.

Neutrons

Neutral particles found in the nucleus; isotopes vary by number of neutrons.

Electrons

Negatively charged particles that spin around the nucleus.

Chemical Bond

A lasting attraction between atoms, ions, or molecules that enables the formation of chemical compounds.

Ionic Bond

A bond formed by the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, resulting in oppositely charged ions.

Covalent Bond

A bond formed when atoms share electrons.

Hydrogen Bonds

Weak attractions between a hydrogen atom and electronegative atoms like oxygen, important in water's properties.

Polarity

The distribution of electrical charge over the atoms in a molecule, where water is a polar molecule.

Cohesion

The tendency of water molecules to stick to each other.

Adhesion

The tendency of water molecules to stick to other substances.

Acid

A solution containing a high concentration of H+ ions.

Base

A solution containing a high concentration of OH- ions.

pH Scale

A logarithmic scale used to measure the acidity or basicity of a solution.

Organic Compounds

Compounds that contain carbon, often found in living organisms.

Macromolecules

Large complex molecules, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Glycosidic linkage

Bond formed between monosaccharides to create disaccharides or polysaccharides.

Peptide bond

Covalent bond formed between amino acids during protein synthesis.

Nucleotide

The monomer of nucleic acids, consisting of a nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group.

Gene

A unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring.

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

DNA -> RNA -> Protein; describes the flow of genetic information.

Allele

Different versions of a gene that may produce distinguishable phenotypic effects.

Mutation

A change in the genetic sequence that can affect traits and evolution.

Natural Selection

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Speciation

The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Ecological Succession

The process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time.