Organism
a singular form of life such as a plant, animal, bacterium, protist or fungus
Cell
smallest building blocks of living things
Unicellular
an organism made of only one cell
Multicellular
organisms that are made of multiple cells
Sexual Reproduction
when the genetic material of two living things in the same species combine to form a new living thing
Asexual Reproduction
when offspring comes from the genetic material of only one parent
DNA
the genetic code that is in all cells
Metabolism
the combination of all chemical reactions in a living thing
Digestion
the way in which food is broken down into less complex substances
Cellular Respiration
the way in which energy stored in the chemical bonds of sugar molecules is released and used as energy for living things
Photosynthesis
the way in which plants combine energy from the sun with carbon dioxide and water to create carbohydrates
Stimulus
a signal in a living thing that it reacts to
Response
when a living thing reacts to the environment
Homeostasis
the methods that living things use to keep stable internal conditions despite changing external conditions
Energy
the ability to affect and change matter
Autotrophs
living things that make their own food
Heterotrophs
living things that get food by eating other living things
Chemotrophs
living things that use chemicals for energy
Hypothesis
a possible explanation for observations or the answer to a scientific question
Independent Variable
the manipulated variable that the scientist changes
Dependent Variable
the responding variable that changes based on the independent variable
Control Variable
the variable that remains constant
Taxonomy
the scientific study of the names and classifications of living things
Classification
the organization of items due to similarities and shared shared characteristics
Binomial Nomenclature
a two name system
Scientific Name
a way of describing and categorizing living things
Domain
the biggest, broadest, most inclusive level of classification for living things
Prokaryotic
cells without a nucleus
Eukaryotic
cells with a nucleus
Genus
A taxonomic classification that has multiple, closely related species
Species
A group of similar organisms that are able to mate with each and produce fertile offspring