AP Biology Vocab

Abundant

Present in large amounts; plentiful.

Accumulate

To build up or collect over time.

Acquired

Obtained or gained, rather than inherited.

Activate

To cause something to become active or start working.

Adverse

Harmful or unfavorable.

Alter

To change or modify something.

Amplify

To increase or strengthen something.

Ancestral

Related to an ancestor or earlier form of an organism.

Arrest

To stop or slow a process.

Catalyze/Catalysis

To speed up a chemical reaction; catalysis is the process of speeding up a reaction.

Cleave

To split or cut into smaller parts.

Complementary

Matching or fitting together; often referring to molecules that interact based on shape or sequence.

Complex

A group of molecules or parts joined together to perform a function.

Comprise(d)

To consist of or be made up of.

Confer

To give or provide a particular quality or ability.

Conformation

The specific three-dimensional shape of a molecule, especially a protein.

Confounding

Making it difficult to determine the true cause of an observed result because another factor affects it.

Conserved

Kept similar over time because it is important or useful.

Culture

To grow cells or microorganisms under controlled conditions.

Consistent

Remaining the same or showing a similar pattern.

Degrade

To break down into smaller or simpler parts.

Denature/denaturation

To change a protein's shape so it loses its normal function.

Density

The amount of something in a given area or volume.

Disrupt

To interfere with or interrupt a normal process.

Distinguish

To recognize or identify differences between things.

Efficient

Working effectively with little wasted energy or resources.

Emergent

A property that arises from interactions among parts of a system and is not found in the individual parts alone.

Enhance

To increase or improve an effect or quality.

Excrete

To remove waste products from an organism.

Expressed

Produced or used by a cell, especially when referring to a gene or protein.

Facilitate

To make a process easier or help it happen.

Frequency

How often something occurs.

Generate

To produce or create something.

Gradient

A gradual difference in concentration or another property across a space.

Hinder

To slow down, obstruct, or make something more difficult.

Illustrates

Shows or demonstrates an idea or concept.

Inactivate

To make something inactive or unable to function.

Induce

To cause something to happen or begin.

Inhibit

To slow down, prevent, or reduce an activity.

Initial

Existing or occurring at the beginning.

Permeable

Allowing substances to pass through.

Plateau

A period when a value stops increasing or decreasing and remains relatively stable.

Precursor

A substance or structure that comes before and can develop into another.

Prevent

To stop something from happening.

Proliferate

To increase or multiply rapidly, especially cells or organisms.

Promote

To encourage, support, or increase an activity or process.

Propagate/propagation

To reproduce, multiply, or spread from one place or organism to another.

Proportion(al)

A relationship between quantities; proportional means related by a consistent ratio.

Regenerate

To regrow or replace damaged or lost parts.

Regulate

To control or adjust a process or activity.

Repress

To reduce or stop an activity, especially gene expression.

Restrict

To limit or prevent something from occurring or moving freely.

Revert

To return to an earlier state or condition.

Secrete

To produce and release a substance, often from a cell or gland.

Seldom

Rarely; not often.

Signifies/Signified by

Signifies: means or indicates. Signified by: represented or indicated by something.

Stimulate

To increase or encourage activity or a response.

Subsequent

Coming after something else.

Suppress

To reduce, stop, or prevent an activity.

Susceptible

Easily affected or harmed by something.

Undergo

To experience or go through a process or change.

Viable/Nonviable

Viable: capable of surviving or functioning. Nonviable: unable to survive or function normally.

Vulnerable

Easily harmed, damaged, or affected.

Whereby

By which; through which a particular result happens.

Widespread

Found or occurring over a large area or among many organisms.

With respect to

In relation to; concerning.