bio terms

Archaea

a group of prokaryotes that live in extreme environments; also known as extremophiles

Bacteria

a group of prokaryotes that can reproduce by asexual reproduction

cell

basic functional unit of all organisms

cell volume

the amount of water in the cell

cell wall

a semi rigid structure located outside the plasma membrane in the cells of plants, algae, fungi and bacteria

Chloroplast

chlorophyll-containing organelle that occurs in the cytosol of cells of specific plant tissues

cillia

in eukaryotic cells, whip-like structures formed by extensions of the plasma membrane involved in synchronized movements

Cytoplasm

formed by cell organelles excluding the nucleus and cytosol

Cytosol

it surrounds the cell organelles in eukaryotes.

endosymbiotic Theory

see endosymbiosis; a theory proposed by Lynn Margulis

Eukaryotes

any cell or organism with a membrane-bound nucleus

Flagella

whip-like cell organelles involved in movement

Golgi Apparatus/Complex

it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles inside the cell before the vesicles are sent to their destination.

Lysosome

vesicle filled with digestive enzymes

Membrane-bound organelles

an organelle that has a membrane surrounding it

Mitochondria

in eukaryotic cells, organelles that are the major site of ATP production

Multicellular

surrounds the cell organelles in eukaryotes.

Nuclear Pore

protein lined channel that perforates the nuclear envelope

Nucleolus

a small, dense, spherical structure inside the nucleus that is composed of RNA and rRNA

Nucleus

in eukaryotic cells, membrane-bound organelles containing the genetic material DNA

Organelle

any specialised structure that performs a specific function

Peroxisomes

small membrane-bound organelle rich in the enzymes that detoxify various toxic materials that enter the bloodstream

Plasma Membrane

separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment.

Prokaryotes

any cell or organism without a membrane-bound nucleus

Protein

macromolecules built of amino acid subunits and linked by peptide bonds to form a polypeptide chain

Ribosome

an organelle containing RNA that is the major site of protein production in cells

Rough endoplasmic reticulum

endoplasmic reticulum with ribosomes attached

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

endoplasmic reticulum without ribosomes

Surface Area

he area of an outer part or uppermost layer of something.

Surface area to volume ratio

he amount of surface area per unit volume of an object or collection of objects.

Symbiosis

is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms

Vacuole

structure within plant cells that is filled with fluid-containing materials in solution, including plant pigments

Vesicle

A small sac formed by a membrane and filled with liquid.