AP Bio Summer Flashcards (copy)

Abiotic Factors

Describes non-living things in an environment

Active Transport

the movement of materials through a cell membrane using energy

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

A molecule that powers cellular activity; releases energy when third phosphate is broken off

Adhesion

An attraction between molecules of different substances

Allele

Alternative versions of genes that control phenotypes and genotypes

Amino Acid

Compounds that make up proteins and polypeptide chains.

Analogous Structure

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

Aquatic

A term that describes an organism associated with a water environment

Artificial Selection

Selective breeding of plants and animals to promote the occurrence of desirable traits in offspring

Asexual Reproduction

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

Biology

The scientific study of life

Biomass

the amount of matter that's stored in the bodies of a group of organisms.

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical 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

The manipulation of living organisms or their components to produce useful products.

Biotic Factors

Describes the living (or once living) factors in an environment

Carbohydrate

compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body; major macromolecule

Carnivore

A consumer that eats primarily 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; also known as transport proteins

Catalyst

Substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed by it

Cell

Basic unit of life that makes up all organisms

Cell Cycle

Series of events that cells go through as they grow and divide; includes interphase and mitosis

Cellular Respiration

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

Chlorophyll

A green pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and some bacteria that traps sunlight

Chloroplast

An organelle found in plant and algae cells where photosynthesis occurs

Chromosomal Mutation

A change in the chromosome structure, resulting in new gene combinations (ex. Insertion, deletion or nondisjunction)

Chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain genetic material; found in the nucleus

Cladogram

an evolutionary tree that diagrams the ancestral relationships among organisms

Co-dominance

A condition in which both alleles for a gene are fully expressed

Cohesion

Attraction between molecules of the same substance

Community (Eco)

All organisms that live in a specific area; combination of populations in one area

Community

a group of different populations living in the same area

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 (Eco)

An organism that eats other organisms as its energy source

Crossing-Over

Process in which homologous chromosomes exchange portions of their chromatids during meiosis

Cytokinesis

Division of the cytoplasm to form two separate daughter cells

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down waste and dead organisms

Diffusion

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

Dioxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

The primary storage of genetic information in nearly all organisms; double helix structure and is made of nucleus acid bases

DNA Mutation

A change to the DNA structure altering the sequence of bases

DNA Replication

The process in which DNA makes a duplicate copy of itself

Dominant Inheritance

A pattern of inheritance in which the phenotypic trait of the dominant 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 biological community of interacting organisms and the abiotic factors in the environment

Embryology

The study of embryos and their development; especially in evolution

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; transports molecules

Endosymbiosis

A unicellular organism engulfs another which will live within the host cell; became basis for endosymbiont theory

Energy Pyramid

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

Enzyme

A substance produced by a living organism that acts as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction

Eukaryote

Organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles

Evolution

Descent with modification; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present-day ones; also defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation

Exctinction

The disappearance of an entire species

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.

Exponential

Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate

Extracellular

Situated or taking place outside a cell or cells

Facilitated Diffusion

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

Food Chain

Series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Food Web

The interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem

Fossils

The remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.

Founder Effect

Genetic drift that occurs when a few individuals become isolated from a larger population and form a new population whose gene pool composition is not reflective of that of the original population.

Frame-Shift Mutation

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

Gamete

a mature haploid male or female germ cell that is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote.

Gene

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

Gene Recombination

The production of offspring with combinations of traits that differ from those found in either parent

Gene Splicing

The process by which the DNA of an organism is cut and a gene from another is inserted

Genetic Drift

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

Genetic Engineering

The direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes

Genotype

The genetic makeup, or set of alleles that make up an organism; Aa or RR

GMO

[Genetically Modified Organism] An organism that has acquired one or more genes by artificial means

Golgi Apparatus

An organelle found in eukaryotic cells responsible for the final stages of processing proteins for release by the cell; modifies, sorts, and packages

Gradualism

A proposed explanation in evolutionary biology stating that new species arise from the result of slight modifications (mutations and resulting phenotypic changes) over many generations

Habitat

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism

Herbivore

Organism that obtains energy by eating primarily 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

Impassable, not allowing passage through (such as by a liquid)

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 by which physical and biological characteristics are transmitted from the parent (or parents) to the offspring

Interphase

A period in the cell cycle where the cell prepares for division

Intracellular

Located inside a cell

Isolating Mechanism

any factor that acts to reduce or block the flow of genes between two populations; causes individual species to form

Limiting Factor

An environmental factor that prevents a population from increasing

Lipids

Energy-rich organic compounds, such as fats, oils, and waxes, that are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; hydrophobic and a major macromolecule

logistic growth

Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of exponential growth

Macromolecule

A very large organic molecule composed of many smaller molecules

Meiosis

Cell division that produces reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms

Migration

A regular, long-distance change in location

Mitochondrion

Cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use; main site for cellular respiration

Mitosis

part of eukaryotic cell division during which the cell nucleus divides; PMAT + Cytokinesis

Monomer

A simple compound whose molecules can join together to form polymers

Monosaccharide

A single sugar molecule such as glucose or fructose, the simplest type of sugar.

Multicellular

Any organism that has more than one cell

Multiple Alleles

three or more forms of a gene that code for a trait; (ex. Blood Type)

Natural Selection

Organisms that are better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass down their traits

Niche

A role that a species plays in its community

Nondisjunction

Error in meiosis in which homologous chromosomes fail to separate, resulting in too many/few chromosomes in a cell

Nonnative Species

A species normally living outside a distribution range that has been introduced through either deliberate or accidental human activity; also can be known as introduced, invasive, alien, nonindigenous, or exotic

Nucleic Acid

macromolecule containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus; makes up DNA and RNA