Integrated Science 8 Overview

A series of flashcards designed to help students review and memorize key concepts from their Integrated Science 8 lecture notes.

Biodiversity

The variety and variability of life on Earth, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

Cell Theory

The theory stating that: 1) all organisms are made of cells, 2) the cell is the fundamental unit of life, and 3) all cells arise from preexisting cells.

Prokaryotic Cells

Cells that lack a distinct nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; genetic material is located in a nucleoid.

Eukaryotic Cells

Cells that have a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Viruses

Acellular entities that must infect host cells to replicate; composed of genetic material and a protein coat, known as a capsid.

Gram Positive Bacteria

Bacteria that retain the crystal violet stain during gram-staining, indicating a thick peptidoglycan layer in their cell walls.

Gram Negative Bacteria

Bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain and appear pink after counterstaining, indicating a thinner peptidoglycan layer.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce glucose and oxygen.

Cellular Respiration

The metabolic processes by which cells generate energy (ATP) through the breakdown of glucose, occurring in either aerobic or anaerobic conditions.

Newton’s Laws of Motion

Three physical laws that together form the foundation for classical mechanics, describing the relationship between a body and the forces acting on it.

Conservation of Energy

A principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system, only transformed from one form to another.

Mitosis

A process of cell division that results in two genetically identical daughter cells from a single parent cell.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half, producing four gametes, essential for sexual reproduction.

Ecological Niche

The role and position a species has in its environment, including all interactions with biotic and abiotic factors.

Plate Tectonics

The theory explaining the structure and movement of the Earth's lithosphere, divided into tectonic plates whose interactions cause geological phenomena.

Photosynthesis Equation

6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + light energy → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂, describing the process of converting carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

Kinetic Molecular Theory

A theory that explains the behavior of gases in terms of the motion of their particles, emphasizing that particles are in constant motion.

Acids, Bases, and Salts

Acids produce H+ ions in solution, bases produce OH- ions, and salts result from the neutralization reaction between an acid and a base.

Emergent Properties

Characteristics that arise when individual or simpler components interact and produce new functions.

Density

The mass of a substance divided by its volume, often expressed in g/cm³.

Buoyancy

The ability of an object to float in a fluid, related to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Biogeochemical Cycles

Cycles that describe the movement of elements and compounds through biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems.