bio final

Abitoic Factors

a nonliving part of an ecosystem

autrotroph

organism that can make its own food

Hetrotroph

An organism that doesn't produce its own food

Biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biomass

the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.

biomass pyramid

Diagram representing the biomass in each trophic level of an ecosystem

Biosphere

part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

biotic factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

carrying capacity

The largest population that an area can support

Commensalism

one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Community

All the different populations that live together in an area

Consumer

An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

density dependent factors

limiting factor that depends on population size

density independent factors

limiting factors whose influence is not affected by population density

Ecology

Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

energy pyramid

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

exponential growth

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

food chain

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

food web

a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

habitat

Place where an organism lives

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

interspecific competition

competition between members of different species

intraspecific competition

competition between members of the same species

limiting factor

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

logistic growth curve

a plot that shows how the initial exponential growth of a population is slowed and finally brought to a standstill by limiting factors

mortality

death rate

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Niche

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

numbers pyramid

shows how many organisms are needed at each trophic level

Ominovore

eat both plants and animals

Organism

A living thing

parasite

An organism that feeds on a living host

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

population density

Number of individuals per unit area

population ecology

the study of factors that cause populations to increase or decrease

Predation

An interaction in which one organism kills another for food.

Producer

An organism that can make its own food.

Symbiosis

A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.

trophic structure

The different feeding relationships in an ecosystem, which determine the route of energy flow and the pattern of chemical cycling

Adhesion

An attraction between molecules of different substances

amino acids

building blocks of proteins

capilary action

tendency of water to rise in a thin tube

Carbohydrates

the starches and sugars present in foods; broken down to glucose to provide energy

Cholesterol

A type of fat made by the body from saturated fat; a minor part of fat in foods.

Cohesion

Attraction between molecules of the same substance

covalent bond

A chemical bond formed when two atoms share electrons

dehydration synthesis

A chemical reaction in which two molecules covalently bond to each other with the removal of a water molecule.

Denature

Characteristic of proteins; a change in shape that stops the protein from functioning.

Disaccharide

A double sugar, consisting of two monosaccharides joined by dehydration synthesis.

Electronegativity

A measure of the ability of an atom in a chemical compound to attract electrons

fatty acids

chains of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms

Glycerol

A three-carbon alcohol to which fatty acids are covalently bonded to make fats and oils.

Hydrocarbon

An organic compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen

Hydrolysis

Breaking down complex molecules by the chemical addition of water

Lipid

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

Macromolecules

A very large organic molecule composed of many smaller molecules

Monomer

a molecule that can be bonded to other identical molecules to form a polymer.

Monosaccharides

glucose, fructose, galactose

nucliec acid

polymers that are made up of monomers called nucleotides

Nucleotide

monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base

Polarity

Molecules having uneven distribution of charges

Polymer

A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together.

polynucleotide

A polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers in a chain; nucleotides can be those of DNA or RNA.

Polypeptide

A polymer (chain) of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates that are made up of more than two monosaccharides

Products

The elements or compounds produced by a chemical reaction.

Protein

A three dimensional polymer made of monomers of amino acids.

Reactants

A starting material in a chemical reaction

Solute

A substance that is dissolved in a solution.

Solution

A homogeneous mixture of two or more substances

Solvent

A liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances

specific heat

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree celcius

steroid

lipid molecule with four fused carbon rings

activation energy

Energy needed to get a reaction started

Active site

The part of an enzyme or antibody where the chemical reaction occurs.

capsule

A sticky layer that surrounds the cell walls of some bacteria, protecting the cell surface and sometimes helping to glue the cell to surfaces.

catalyst

substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction

Cell

Basic unit of life

cell wall function

provides support and protection

Chloroplast

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

Chlrophyll

pigment that absorbs light energy in a chloroplast

concentration gradient

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

Cytoskeleton

A network of fibers that holds the cell together, helps the cell to keep its shape, and aids in movement

Cytosol

Fluid portion of cytoplasm

Diffusion

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

Endergonic

A chemical reaction that requires the input of energy in order to proceed

Endocytosis

process by which a cell takes material into the cell by infolding of the cell membrane

endoplamis reticulum (ER)

a network of membranous tubules within the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell, continuous with the nuclear membrane. It usually has ribosomes attached and is involved in protein and lipid synthesis.

Enzyme

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

Equilibrium

A state of balance

Eukaryote

A cell that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles

exergonic reaction

A chemical reaction that releases energy

Exocytosis

Process by which a cell releases large amounts of material

Flagella

whiplike tails found in one-celled organisms to aid in movement

Golgi apparatus

A system of membranes that modifies and packages proteins for export by the cell

Lysosome

An organelle containing digestive enzymes

Mitochondria

Powerhouse of the cell, organelle that is the site of ATP (energy) production

Nucleoid

A dense region of DNA in a prokaryotic cell.