Marine Biology Module 2

metabolism

the process by which an organism takes energy from its surroundings and uses it to sustain itself, develop, and grow

photosynthesis

the process where an organism uses energy from the sun to produce its own food

autotrophs

organisms that produce their own food

heterotrophs

organisms that cannot produce their own food, get food from other organisms

respiration

the process where food is converted into usable energy for life functions

homeostasis

the tendency of living organisms to control or regulate changes in their internal environment

diffusion

the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to low concentration

osmosis

the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane

osmoconformer

organism that allows its internal concentration of dissolved substances to match the external concentration of dissolved substances in the water

osmoregulator

organism that regulates and maintains its internal concentration of dissolved substances

poikilotherm

an organism whose body temperature changes with its surrounding environment

ectotherm

an organism whose body temperature is controlled by its surrounding environment

homeotherm

an animal whose internal body temperature does not change

endotherm

an animal whose internal body temperature is a result of internal sources of heat

asexual reproduction

reproduction accomplished by a single organism

sexual reproduction

involves the union of gametes from two organisms: a male and a female

binomial nomenclature

identifying an organism by its genus and species name