Bios 109 Exam 1 Study Guide Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards created from the Bios 109 Exam 1 Study Guide.

Biological Organization

The structural hierarchy of life extending from the simplest level of atoms up through complete organisms.

Hypothesis

A testable explanation formulated as a key step in the scientific method and evaluated using data.

Cell Theory

A fundamental biological doctrine outlining the core tenets regarding the structure and function of cells.

Tonicity

The measure of the effective osmotic pressure gradient between solutions, categorized into different types.

Eukaryotic Organelles

Specialized structures within eukaryotic cells that perform distinct primary functions.

Cellular Respiration

A metabolic process characterized by its overall purpose of energy production and its resulting chemical products.

Muscular Tissue

One of the four main tissue types, which includes the skeletal, cardiac, and smooth subgroups.

Epithelial Tissue

One of the four main tissue types, categorized and named using various specific structural conventions.

Dorsal

An anatomical directional term used to determine location toward the back or posterior side of the body.

Ventral

An anatomical directional term used to determine location toward the front or belly side of the body.

Distal

An anatomical directional term used to determine location situated farther from the point of attachment or reference.

Homeostasis

The biological process of maintaining dynamic internal equilibrium within an organism.

Positive Feedback Loop

A control mechanism that amplifies a stimulus or change to drive a physiological process to completion.

Negative Feedback Loop

A primary homeostatic mechanism that counteracts or reduces a stimulus to maintain internal stability.

Cellular Transport

The movement of molecules defined by concentration gradients, energy requirements, and molecular subtypes.