Biology vocab 2

Sodium-Potassium Pump

A transport protein in the plasma membrane of animal cells that actively transports sodium out of the cell and potassium into the cell.

Control Group

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

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured in an experiment.

Independent Variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Hypothesis

A testable answer to a scientific question.

Qualitative Data

Information, using the five senses, to describe color, odor, shape, or some other physical characteristic.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data.

Science

A way of learning about the natural world.

Scientific Theory

A well-tested explanation for a wide range of observations or experimental results; usually explains how.

Scientific Law

A statement that describes what scientists expect to happen every time under a particular set of conditions; usually in the form of a mathematical formula to explain why.

Variable

A factor that can change in an experiment.

Biology

The study of living things.

Biotic Factor

Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact.

Abiotic Factor

Any non-living parts of the environment with which an organism might interact.

Species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.

Community

A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms.

Biosphere

All parts of the Earth where life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere.

Autotroph

An organism that makes its own food.

Heterotroph

An organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer.

Carbon Cycle

The circulation of carbon from inorganic compounds in the atmosphere into organic compounds in organisms and back again.

Nitrogen Cycle

The transfer of nitrogen from inorganic compounds in the atmosphere and soil to organic compounds in living organisms and back again.

Nitrogen Fixation

The process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use.

Taxis

Movement toward or away from a stimulus.

Estivation

A period of reduced metabolism in an organism during hot dry seasons.

Habituation

An organism's decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it.

Imprinting

The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that occurs when an animal links two unrelated stimuli together.

Operant (Trial-and-Error) Conditioning

A form of conditioning in which an animal learns to associate behaviors to a positive or negative consequence.

Innate Behavior

An inherited behavior that does not depend on the environment or experience.

Adaptation

A characteristic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Hibernation

A period of reduced metabolism in an organism during the winter months.

Predator

An organism that hunts other organisms for food.

Prey

An organism that is hunted and eaten by another organism.

Mutualism

A relationship between two different species in which both species benefit.

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed.

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms of different species in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.

Carrying Capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support based on its resources.

Limiting Factor

Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms.

Exponential Growth

Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a more rapid rate in proportion to the growing total number or size of the population.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)

A group of chemical compounds used in refrigerators, air conditioners, foam packaging, and aerosol sprays that may enter the atmosphere and destroy ozone.

Bioaccumulation

The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.

Eutrophication

A process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria.

Monomer

A simple compound whose molecules can join together to form polymers.

Polymer

A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together.

Nucleotide

A monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Protein

An organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principal component of all cells.

Amino Acid

A monomer of proteins.

Peptide Bond

A covalent chemical bond formed between amino acids in a protein.

Organic Compounds

Carbon containing compounds making up living organisms.

Nucleic Acid

An organic compound, DNA or RNA, composed of nucleotides and originate in the nucleus of cells.

Lipids

Energy-rich organic compounds, such as fats, oils, and waxes, that are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Steroids

Lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four fused rings used in communicating information in organisms.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

A nucleic acid the transmits genetic information from one generation to the next and codes for protein synthesis.

Insulin

A protein hormone synthesized in the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into tissues.

Hemoglobin

An iron-containing protein in red blood cells that helps transport oxygen.

Monosaccharide

Simple sugars that are the monomers of carbohydrates.

Polysaccharide

Carbohydrates that are made up of three or more monosaccharides bonded together.

Substrate

The reactant molecule on which an enzyme works.

Active Site

The part of an enzyme where the substrate attaches to be converted into product during a chemical reaction.

Enzyme

A type of protein that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living thing.

Catalyst

Any substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction.

Transcription

The process in which the DNA sequence in a gene is copied into an RNA sequence.

Translation

Process in which mRNA is decoded into an amino acid sequence and a polypeptide (protein) is produced.

Complimentary Base Pairs

Pairs of nitrogen bases that bond together in nucleic acids.

Anticodon

A sequence of three bases of a tRNA molecule that pairs with the complementary three-nucleotide codon of an mRNA molecule during protein synthesis.

Codon

A specific sequence of three adjacent bases on a strand of DNA or RNA that provides genetic code information for a particular amino acid.

mRNA (messenger RNA)

A type of RNA that carries instructions from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome.

tRNA (transfer RNA)

The type of RNA that carries each amino acid to the ribosome to form the polypeptide chain (protein).

rRNA (ribosomal RNA)

A type of RNA that makes up the major part of ribosomes.

Aerobic Respiration

The production of energy, in the form of ATP, that requires oxygen.

Anaerobic Respiration

The production of energy, in the form of ATP, that does NOT require oxygen.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

The universal energy molecule created by cellular respiration using energy from glucose.

Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP)

A low-energy molecule that can be converted to ATP using energy from glucose during cellular respiration.

Alcoholic Fermentation

An anaerobic process used by yeast cells to produce 2 ATP and the waste products carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol from glucose.

Lactic Acid Fermentation

An anaerobic process used by animal muscle cells and some bacteria to produce 2 ATP and the waste product lactic acid from glucose.

Stomata

Small openings on the underside of a leaf through which oxygen and carbon dioxide can be exchanged.

Chlorophyll

A green pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and some bacteria and protists that trap solar energy to use in photosynthesis.

Cellular Respiration

Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen.

Organelle

A tiny cell structure that carries out a specific function within the cell.

Cell

The basic unit of structure and function in living things.

Prokaryote

A unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus and membrane bound organelles.

Eukaryote

An organism made of cells that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles.

Plasma Membrane

A selectively-permeable phospholipid bilayer containing proteins that forms the boundary of the cells.

Cell Wall

A rigid structure that surrounds the cell membrane and provides support to the cell.

Chloroplast

An organelle found in plant and algae cells where photosynthesis occurs.

Mitochondria

An organelle found in eukaryotic cells that carries out the process of cellular respiration, converting the energy from glucose into ATP.

Nucleus

A part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction.

Ribosome

Organelle found in the cytoplasm or attached to rough endoplasmic reticulum, where proteins are synthesized.

Vacuole

Cell organelle that stores materials such as water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Cytoplasm

All the material between the cell membrane and the nucleus of a cell.

Differentiation

A process in which cells of multicellular organisms become specialized in structure and function; i.e, skin cell or muscle cell.

Selectively Permeable

A property of cell membranes that allows some substances to pass through, while others cannot.

Active Transport

Energy-requiring process that moves material across a cell membrane against a concentration gradient.

Facilitated Diffusion

Movement of molecules, down their concentration gradient, across cell membranes through protein channels.

Passive Transport

The movement of materials, down their concentration gradient, through a cell membrane without using energy.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane.