Grade 11 General Science - Comprehensive 2nd Term Summative Reviewer

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering plant transport, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, human organ system interactions, ecosystem health, and experimental design principles from the Grade 11 General Science review.

Xylem

A plant vascular tissue that transports water and dissolved minerals upward from roots to stems and leaves; leaf wilting occurs if roots are damaged or excessive transpiration takes place.

Phloem

A plant vascular tissue that transports organic nutrients (sugars/photosynthates) downward and throughout the plant.

Girdling

The removal of a ring of phloem bark from a plant, which starves lower tissues and roots, ultimately resulting in plant death.

Roots

Plant structures that anchor the plant securely in soil and absorb essential water and inorganic nutrients.

Stomata

Microscopic leaf pores that facilitate gas exchange by taking in $\text{CO}_2$ and releasing $\text{O}_2$.

Guard Cells

Specialized cells that regulate stomatal opening and close under hot/dry conditions to minimize water loss, sharply reducing transpiration.

Waxy Cuticle

A hydrophobic layer located on leaf surfaces that functions as a physical barrier to minimize evaporative water loss.

Transpiration Pull

A mechanism that pulls water upward against gravity in a continuous column through the xylem, operating via cohesion (water molecules sticking together) and adhesion (water molecules sticking to xylem walls).

Photosynthesis

An anabolic and endergonic process occurring in chloroplasts that converts solar energy, carbon dioxide, and water into chemical energy stored as glucose, releasing oxygen gas as a byproduct ($6\text{CO}_2 + 6\text{H}_2\text{O} + \text{light energy} \rightarrow \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + 6\text{O}_2$).

Cellular Respiration

A catabolic and exergonic process occurring in the cytoplasm and mitochondria of plant and animal cells that converts glucose into $\text{ATP}$ to power vital processes such as growth, repair, and active transport.

Role of Oxygen in Aerobic Respiration

Functions as the final electron acceptor in the mitochondrial electron transport chain during aerobic respiration, maximizing $\text{ATP}$ synthesis.

Alternative Metabolic Fuels

Substrates including lipids (fats) and proteins that cells metabolize for energy during prolonged exercise, starvation, or fasting when glucose is unavailable.

Digestive and Circulatory Systems Interaction

The physiological collaboration where the digestive system breaks food down into available nutrients, which are absorbed across intestinal walls into capillaries and distributed body-wide by the circulatory system.

Respiratory and Circulatory Systems Interaction

The physiological collaboration where the respiratory system facilitates $\text{O}_2$ loading and $\text{CO}_2$ removal in the lungs, after which oxygenated blood is pumped by the heart via systemic circulation to body cells.

Energy Mobilization During Exercise

The metabolic response during physical exertion without recent food intake, where muscle cells consume stored glycogen and adipose fat reserves, supported by steady oxygen delivery from the respiratory and circulatory systems.

Respiratory Pathway

The sequential anatomical route of airflow: Nose $\rightarrow$ Pharynx $\rightarrow$ Larynx $\rightarrow$ Trachea $\rightarrow$ Bronchi $\rightarrow$ Bronchioles $\rightarrow$ Alveoli.

Alveoli

The terminal lung structures serving as the primary site of gas exchange across pulmonary capillaries.

Intestinal Villi and Microvilli Damage

Structural damage in the small intestine that severely impairs nutrient absorption into the bloodstream, leading to systemic malnutrition.

Functional Homeostasis

The coordinated response of organ systems to changes in internal state; for example, increased physical activity produces higher $\text{CO}_2$, lowering blood pH and signaling the brain to elevate respiratory and heart rates.

Eutrophication Sequence

The ecological chain reaction: Untreated wastewater/agricultural runoff $\rightarrow$ Nutrient loading (nitrogen/phosphorus) $\rightarrow$ Rapid algal blooms $\rightarrow$ Algal death & microbial decomposition $\rightarrow$ Severe dissolved oxygen depletion $\rightarrow$ Aquatic organism mortality.

Gray Infrastructure

Human-engineered structures like concrete seawalls that provide rigid structural defense against coastal hazards.

Green Infrastructure

Natural ecosystems, such as mangrove forests, that complement gray infrastructure by absorbing wave energy, trapping sediment, preventing erosion, and supporting biodiversity.

Soil Salinity Osmotic Stress

A condition in which elevated soil salinity lowers soil water potential, preventing plant roots from extracting water and impairing growth even under high soil moisture levels.

Bioindicators

Organisms, such as benthic invertebrate populations, whose sudden declines—frequently paired with foam formation—signal synthetic surfactant (detergent) contamination in water bodies.

Independent Variable

The factor intentionally manipulated by the experimenter in an investigation (e.g., salt concentration added to water).

Dependent Variable

The factor observed and measured for changes or responses in an experiment (e.g., plant growth/height after $7\,\text{days}$).

Controlled Variables

Parameters kept identical across all experimental groups (e.g., initial plant height, water volume, soil type, and sunlight exposure) to ensure fair testing.

Experimental Reliability

The degree to which an experiment yields consistent and valid data, enhanced by utilizing multiple trials or replicate pots per treatment group to minimize experimental error.

Data Interpolation

The practice of forecasting unknown values within existing data bounds based on observed trends (e.g., estimating plant growth at an $8\,\text{g}$ salt concentration between data points at $6\,\text{g}$ and $10\,\text{g}$).

Negative Control Group

A baseline group in an experiment (e.g., $0\,\text{g}$ salt) used to verify that observed changes in experimental groups are directly attributable to the independent variable.