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Unit 7 Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cell | Basic unit of all forms of life |
| Cell Theory | Fundamental concept of biology that states that all living things are composed of cells; that cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things; and that new cells are produced from existing cells |
| Cell Membrane | Thin, flexible barrier that surrounds all cells; regulates what enters and leaves the cell |
| Nucleus | In cells, structure that contains the cell's genetic material in the form of DNA |
| Eukaryote | Organism whose cells contain a nucleus |
| Prokaryote | Unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus |
| Cytoplasm | Fluid portion of the cell outside the nucleus |
| Organelle | Specialized structure that performs important cellular functions within a eukaryote cell |
| Vacuole | Cell organelle that stores materials such as water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates |
| Lysosome | Cell organelle that breaks down lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins into small molecules that can be used by the rest of the cell |
| Cytoskeleton | Network of protein filaments in a eukaryote cell that gives the cell its shape and internal organization and is involved in movement |
| Centriole | Structure in an animal cell that helps to organize cell division |
| Ribosome | Cell organelle consisting of RNA and protein found throughout the cytoplasm in a cell; the site of protein synthesis |
| Endoplasmic Reticulum | Internal membrane system found in eukaryote cells; place where lipid components of the cell membrane are assembled |
| Golgi Apparatus | Organelle in cells that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and other materials from the endoplasmic reticulum for storage in the cell of release outside the cell |
| Chloroplast | Organelle found in cells and some other organisms that capture the energy from sunlight and converts it into chemical energy |
| Lipid Bilayer | Flexible double-layered sheet that makes up the cell membrane and forms a barrier between the cell and its surroundings |
| Selectively Permeable | Property of biological membranes that allows some substances to pass across it while others cannot; also called semipermeable membrane |
| Diffusion | Process by which particles tend to move from an area where are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated |
| Facilitated Diffusion | Process in diffusion in which molecules pass across the membrane through cell membrane channels |
| Aquaporin | Water channel protein in a cell |
| Osmosis | Diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane |
| Isotonic | When the concentration of two solutions is the same |
| Hypertonic | When comparing two solutions, the solution with the greater concentration of solutes |
| Osmotic Pressure | Pressure that must be applied to prevent osmotic movement across a selectively permeable membrane |
| Homeostasis | Relatively constant internal physical and chemical conditions that organisms maintain |
| Tissue | Group of similar cells that perform a particular function |
| Organ | Group of tissues that work together to perform closely related functions |
| Organ System | Group of organs that work together to perform a specific function |
| Receptor | On or in a cell, a specific protein to whose shapes fits that of a specific molecular messenger, such as a hormone |
| Mitochondrion | Cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use |
| Cell Wall | Strong, supporting layer around the cell membrane in some cells |