AP Bio Summer Word List

Abiotic

Non-living things

Active Transport

The movement of materials through a cell membrane using energy

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

compound used by cells to store and release energy

Adhesion

An attraction between molecules of different substances

Allele

Different forms of a gene

Analogous Structure

Structure that has the same function but different construction and was not inherited from a common ancestor

Aquatic

relating to water

Artificial Selection

Selection by humans for breeding of useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms

Asexual Reproduction

A reproductive process that involves only one parent and produces offspring that are identical to the parent.

Biology

The study of life

Biome

A group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Biotechnology

A form of technology that uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make or modify plants and animals, or to develop other microorganisms for specific purposes.

Biotic

living things

Carbohydrates

Broken down to glucose to provide energy.

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

Carrier (Transport) Proteins

Proteins embedded in the plasma membrane involved in the movement of ions, small molecules, and macromolecules into and out of cells.

Catalyst

substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction

Cell

Basic unit of life

Cell Cycle

series of events that cells go through as they grow and divide

Cellular Respiration

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

Chlorophyll

Green pigment in plants that absorbs light energy used to carry out photosynthesis

Chloroplast

organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms that captures the energy from sunlight and converts it into chemical energy

Chromosomal Mutation

A change in the chromosome structure, resulting in new gene combinations.

Chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

Cloning

A process in which a cell, cell product, or organism is copied from an original source.

Co-dominance

situation in which both alleles of a gene contribute to the phenotype of the organism

Cohesion

Attraction between molecules of the same substance

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Community (ecological)

Different populations of organisms interacting in a shared environment.

Competition

the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources

Concentration Gradient

A difference in the concentration of a substance across a distance.

Consumer (ecological)

Organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms or their remains.

Crossing-over

Process in which homologous chromosomes exchange portions of their chromatids during meiosis. This "shuffles the genetic deck" the first time, creating genetic diversity in the replication cells.

Cytokinesis

Division of the cytoplasm during cell division

Decomposer

organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

Diffusion

Movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

DNA mutation

A change to the DNA structure altering the sequence of bases.

DNA replication

the process of making a copy of DNA

Dominant Inheritance

A pattern of inheritance in which the phenotypic effect of one allele is completely expressed within a homozygous and heterozygous genotype.

Ecology

The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

Ecosystem

A community of organisms and their abiotic environment

Embryology

study of embryos and their development

Endemic Species

Species that is found in only one area. Such species are especially vulnerable to extinction.

Endocytosis

A process in which a cell engulfs extracellular material through an inward folding of its plasma membrane.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

An extensive membranous network in eukaryotic cells, continuous with the outer nuclear membrane and composed of ribosome-studded (rough) and ribosome-free (smooth) regions.

Endosymbiosis

The theory that eukaryotic cells arose from prokaryotic cells that lived closely together to the point that we now call these former cells "mitochondria" and "chloroplasts".

Energy Pyramid

A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web

Enzyme

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

Eukaryote

A cell that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles

Evolution

The gradual change in a species over time

Exocytosis

a process by which the contents of a cell vacuole are released to the exterior through fusion of the vacuole membrane with the cell membrane.

Extinction

A species that no longer has any known living individuals.

Extra cellular

Located outside a cell.

Facilitated Diffusion

the transport of substances through a cell membrane along a concentration gradient with the aid of carrier proteins

Food Chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Food Web

A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains

Fossils

Preserved remains of once-living organisms

Founder Effect

genetic drift that occurs after a small number of individuals colonize a new area

Frame-shift Mutation

mutation that shifts the "reading" frame of the genetic message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide

Gamete

sex cell

Gene

A segment of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific trait

Gene Recombination

a natural process in which a nucleic acid molecule is broken and then joined to a different molecule; the result of crossing-over

Gene Splicing

A type of gene recombination in which the DNA is intentionally broken and recombined using laboratory techniques.

Gene Therapy

The insertion of working copies of a gene into the cells of a person with a genetic disorder in an attempt to correct the disorder

Genetic Drift

A change in the allele frequency of a population as a result of chance events rather than natural selection.

Genetic Engineering

Process of making changes in the DNA code of living organisms

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Organisms whose genetic material has been modified for increased agricultural output

Genotype

genetic makeup of an organism

Golgi Apparatus

stack of membranes in the cell that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum

Gradualism

The theory that evolution occurs slowly but steadily

Habitat

Place where an organism lives

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

Homeostasis

process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment

Homologous Structure

Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry.

Impermeable

not permitting passage

Incomplete Dominance

A pattern of inheritance in which two alleles, inherited from the parents, are neither dominant nor recessive. The resulting offspring have a phenotype that is a blending of the parental traits.

Inheritance

The process in which genetic material is passed from parents to their offspring.

Interphase

Cell grows, performs its normal functions, and prepares for division; consists of G1, S, and G2 phases

Intracellular

inside the cell

Isolating mechanisms

traits that prevent interbreeding and maintain reproductive isolation

Limiting Factors

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

Lipids

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

Macromolecule

large molecule formed by joining smaller organic molecules together

Meiosis

Cell division that produces reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms, results in four genetically unique daughter cells.

Migration

Form of relocation diffusion involving permanent move to a new location.

Mitochondrion

Cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use

Mitosis

part of eukaryotic cell division during which the cell nucleus divides

Monomer

A simple compound whose molecules can join together to form polymers

Multicellular

Made up of more than one cell.

Multiple Alleles

three or more forms of a gene that code for a single trait

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Natural Selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Niche

An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.

Nondisjunction

the failure of one or more pairs of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate normally during nuclear division, usually resulting in an abnormal distribution of chromosomes in the daughter nuclei.

Nonnative Species

Species that migrate into an ecosystem or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into an ecosystem by humans.

Nucleic Acid

a macromolecule that forms when nucleotides join together

Nucleus

Control center of the cell. Contains DNA.

Omnivore

A consumer that eats both plants and animals