Diversity/Animal Structure and Function

Sure! Here are the flashcard definitions for each of the terms you provided, explained in a way that a Grade 5 student could understand:

General Biology Terms

1. Alternation of Generations
   A type of life cycle where an organism switches between two stages: one where it reproduces with sex cells (like eggs and sperm) and another where it grows without them.

2. Autotroph
   An organism that makes its own food, like plants that use sunlight to make their food through photosynthesis.

3. Binomial Nomenclature
   A system for naming living things using two names: the first one is the genus (group) and the second one is the species (specific kind). For example, humans are "Homo sapiens."

4. Classification of Living Things
   The way scientists organize all living things into groups based on their similarities, like animals, plants, fungi, etc.

5. Cladogram (Construct)
   A diagram that shows how different species are related to each other based on shared characteristics, like a family tree for animals or plants.

6. Dichotomous Key (Construct)
   A tool used to identify plants or animals by answering yes/no questions about their characteristics, like "Does it have leaves?" or "Is it warm-blooded?"

7. Eukaryotes
   Organisms whose cells have a nucleus (the brain of the cell), like animals, plants, and fungi.

8. Family
   A group of related organisms, like how humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas belong to the same family called "Hominidae."

9. Genus
   A group of species that are closely related. For example, "Canis" is the genus for dogs, wolves, and foxes.

10. Heterotroph
    An organism that cannot make its own food and must eat other living things to get energy, like animals and fungi.

11. Hierarchical Classification
    A way to organize living things into different levels, starting with the broadest (like "Kingdom") and getting more specific (like "Species").

12. Kingdoms of Life (Compare and Contrast)
    The broadest group to classify living things. There are 6 main kingdoms: Animals (multicellular, eat other things), Plants (make their own food), Fungi (decompose other things), Protists (mostly single-celled), Archaea (ancient bacteria), and Bacteria (simple, single-celled organisms).

13. Order
    A group of related families within a classification system. For example, the order "Carnivora" includes families like "Canidae" (dogs) and "Felidae" (cats).

14. Prokaryotes
    Organisms whose cells do not have a nucleus, like bacteria. They are simpler and smaller than eukaryotes.

15. Protists
    A group of mostly single-celled organisms that can be plant-like, animal-like, or fungi-like, such as algae and amoebas.

16. Species
    The most specific level of classification, where organisms are able to breed and have babies that can also have babies. For example, all domestic dogs belong to the species "Canis lupus familiaris."

17. Taxonomy (Levels)
    The system used to classify and name living things. It starts with the broadest category (Kingdom) and narrows down to the specific species. The levels are: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Animals: Structure and Function

18. Absorption
    The process of taking in nutrients from food into the body, like when the small intestine absorbs nutrients after digestion.

19. Alveoli
    Tiny air sacs in the lungs where oxygen from the air moves into the blood, and carbon dioxide moves out of the blood to be exhaled.

20. Arteries
    Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart, usually carrying oxygen-rich blood to the body.

21. Bronchi and Bronchioles
    The tubes that carry air from the trachea into the lungs. The bronchi split into smaller tubes called bronchioles.

22. Carbohydrates
    Nutrients found in foods like bread and pasta that give our bodies energy. They break down into sugars.

23. Chemoreceptors
    Special sensors in our bodies that detect changes in chemicals, like when our nose senses a smell or when our body detects changes in oxygen or carbon dioxide levels in the blood.

24. Digestion
    The process of breaking down food into smaller parts so the body can use it for energy, growth, and repair.

25. Egestion
    The process of removing undigested food from the body, like when we go to the bathroom.

26. Esophagus
    The tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. It moves food from the mouth to the stomach by a process called peristalsis (wave-like muscle contractions).

27. Exhalation
    The act of breathing out air from the lungs, which includes carbon dioxide that your body doesn't need.

28. Gas Exchange
    The process where oxygen moves into the blood from the lungs, and carbon dioxide moves out of the blood into the lungs to be exhaled.

29. Heart
    The organ that pumps blood throughout the body. It circulates oxygen and nutrients to cells and removes waste.

30. Large Intestine
    The part of the digestive system that absorbs water from food and forms solid waste to be eliminated from the body.

31. Left Atrium
    The upper chamber of the heart that receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and sends it to the left ventricle.

32. Left Ventricle
    The lower chamber of the heart that pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body through the aorta.

33. Lipids
    Fats and oils that provide energy and help store vitamins. They are also important for building cell membranes.

34. Lung Volumes (e.g., Tidal)
    The different amounts of air we breathe in and out. "Tidal volume" is the normal amount of air we breathe in and out during regular breathing.

35. Macromolecules
    Large molecules made of smaller building blocks, like proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, that are important for life.

36. Monomers
    The small building blocks that combine to make larger molecules (macromolecules). For example, amino acids are the monomers of proteins.

37. Polymers
    Large molecules made by joining many smaller molecules (monomers) together. For example, proteins are polymers made of amino acids.

38. Proteins
    Nutrients made up of amino acids that help build muscles, repair tissue, and do many important jobs in the body.

39. Pulmonary Artery
    The blood vessel that carries oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen.

40. Simple Diffusion
    The movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration, like oxygen moving from the lungs into the blood.

41. Small Intestine
    The part of the digestive system where most of the digestion and absorption of food takes place. It’s long and thin and has tiny finger-like structures called villi to absorb nutrients.

42. Stomach
    The organ where food is mixed with digestive juices to break it down into smaller pieces before it moves into the small intestine.

43. Superior Vena Cava
    The large vein that carries oxygen-poor blood from the upper part of the body to the right atrium of the heart.

44. Trachea
    The windpipe that carries air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. It is lined with tiny hairs called cilia that help trap dust and germs.

45. Valves (1 Way, Heart and Veins)
    Special "gates" inside the heart and veins that make sure blood only flows in one direction, preventing backflow.

46. Veins
    Blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood back to the heart. They have valves to help keep blood flowing in the right direction.