General Science: Solutions, Ecosystems, and Unifying Themes of Life Science

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering general science topics: environmental chemistry, levels of biological organization, genetics, homeostasis, cellular energetics, and ecological interactions.

Sodium Chloride ($\text{NaCl}$)

A compound in seawater that dissociates into sodium ions ($\text{Na}^+$) and chloride ions ($\text{Cl}^-$) in water, which can hinder root water uptake and decrease crop yield when accumulating in soil.

Algal Bloom

The rapid proliferation of algae triggered by excess dissolved nutrients, particularly nitrates and phosphates, leading to dissolved oxygen depletion when decomposing microorganisms consume oxygen.

Heavy Metals

Metallic elements, such as mercury ($\text{Hg}$), lead ($\text{Pb}$), and cadmium ($\text{Cd}$), that can dissolve from mining or industrial wastes, remain toxic at low concentrations, and accumulate in aquatic food chains.

Pesticides

Chemical formulations applied to manage insects, weeds, and agricultural pests, which can enter aquatic systems through runoff and harm non-target wildlife.

Biological System

A complex network of interconnected biological components functioning as an integrated unit, spanning from molecular complexes up to whole ecosystems.

Cell

The basic structural and functional unit of life, bounded by a membrane that encloses cytoplasm and genetic material such as DNA.

Tissue

A coordinated group of similar, specialized cells that work in unison to carry out a specific function within an organism.

Organ

A discrete anatomical structure composed of multiple combined tissue types that together perform a dedicated physiological function.

Organ System

A group of organs working collectively to accomplish broad, essential survival functions by integrating their individual activities.

Organism

An individual living entity with an organized structure capable of reacting to stimuli, reproducing, growing, adapting, and maintaining homeostasis.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species that inhabit a shared geographic area and can interbreed.

Community

An assemblage of interacting populations of different species coexisting simultaneously within a designated geographical location.

Ecosystem

A biological unit formed by a community of living organisms (biotic factors) interacting with their physical, non-living environment (abiotic factors).

Biome

A large regional ecological zone defined by its prevailing climate and characteristic communities of ecosystems, such as deserts or tropical rainforests.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems, encompassing all living biota on Earth and the abiotic components with which they exchange energy and nutrients.

Homeostasis

The self-regulating physiological process through which an organism maintains internal equilibrium within narrow ranges despite fluctuating environmental conditions.

Double Helical Model

The structural configuration of DNA composed of two antiparallel polynucleotide chains bound together by hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs.

Somatic Variation

Acquired phenotypic changes affecting non-reproductive body cells during an organism's life that are not transmitted to subsequent generations.

Germinal Variation

Heritable changes that occur within reproductive cells or gametes, representing the only variation type passed down to offspring.

Law of Dominance

Mendel's principle stating that in a heterozygous individual, the dominant allele determines the expressed phenotype, masking the recessive allele.

Law of Segregation

Mendel's law stating that allele pairs separate during gamete formation so that each gamete carries only a single allele for each gene.

Law of Independent Assortment

Mendel's principle stating that alleles for different traits segregate and assort independently of one another during the formation of gametes.

Four Types of Tissues

The four fundamental animal tissue classifications: epithelial tissue, nervous tissue, muscle tissue, and connective tissue.

Xylem and Phloem

The specialized plant vascular tissues where xylem conducts water and minerals upward through thick, lignified cells without end walls, while phloem distributes sugars bidirectionally through perforated, cellulose-walled cells.

Cellular Respiration

The biochemical process where cells degrade organic nutrients, such as glucose, in the presence of oxygen to release usable chemical energy captured as ATP.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

The primary energy carrier in cells that supplies usable energy to fuel activities such as active transport, molecular synthesis, movement, and cellular repair.

Mutualism

A symbiotic ecological interaction in which both participating species benefit from each other ($+ / +$), such as the relationship between algae and fungus in lichens.

Commensalism

An ecological interaction where one organism benefits while the other species remains completely unaffected ($+ / 0$), exemplified by cattle egrets feeding alongside grazing cattle.

Amensalism

An ecological interaction where one species is inhibited or harmed while the other organism is unaffected ($0 / -$), such as a tall tree suppressing underlying grasses.

Adaptive Radiation

The evolutionary diversification of a single ancestral species into multiple specialized forms adapted to distinct ecological niches, as observed in Darwin's finches.