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Final Exam Bio Vocab
Finals vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Science | Organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world |
| Observation | Use of one or more of the senses-sight, hearing, touch, smell, and sometimes taste-to gather information |
| Data | Evidence; information gathered from observations |
| Inference | Logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience |
| Hypothesis | Possible explanation for a set of observations or possible answer to a scientific question |
| Spontaneous Generation | Hypothesis stating that life could arise from nonliving matter |
| Controlled Experiment | A test of the effect of a single variable by changing it while keeping all other variables the same |
| Manipulated Variable | Factor in an experiment that a scientist purposely changes |
| Responding Variable | Factor in an experiment that a scientist wants to observe, which may change in response to the manipulated variable |
| Theory | Well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations |
| Biology | science that seeks to understand the living world |
| Cell | collection of living matter enclosed by a barrier; basic unit of life |
| Homeostasis | process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment |
| Sexual reproduction | process by which cells from two different parents unite to produce the first cell of a new organism |
| Asexual Reproduction | process by which a single parent reproduces by itself |
| Metabolism | set of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials as it carries out its life processes |
| Stimulus | a signal in which an organism responds |
| Metric System | decimal system of measurement based on certain physical standards and scales on multiples of 10 |
| Microscope | device that produces magnified images of structures that are too small to see with the unaided eye |
| Compound Light Microscope | microscope that allows light to pass through a specimen and used two lenses to form an image |
| Electron Microscope | microscope that forms an image by focusing beams of electrons into a specimen |
| Cell Culture | group of cells grown in a nutrient solution from a single original cell |
| Cell Fractionation | technique in which cells are broken into pieces and the different cell parts separated |
| Atom | basic unit of matter |
| Nucleus | the center of the atom which contains the protons and neutrons; in cells, structure that contains the cells genetic material and controls the cells activities |
| Electron | negatively charged particle; located outside the atomic nucleus |
| Element | substance consisting entirely of one type of atom |
| Isotope | atom of an element that has a number of neutrons different from that of other atoms of the same element |
| Compound | substance formed by the chemical combinations of two or more elements in the definite proportions |
| Ionic Bond | bond formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another |
| Ion | atom that has a positive or negative charge |
| Covalent Bond | bond formed by sharing a pair of electrons between atoms |
| Molecule | smallest unit of most compounds |
| Van Der Waals Force | a slight attraction that develops between the oppositely charged regions nearby molecules |
| Cohesion | attraction between molecules of the same substance |
| Adhesion | attraction between molecules of different substances; in plants, attraction between unlike molecules |
| Mixture | material composed of two or more elements or compounds that are physically mixed together but not chemically combined |
| Solution | mixture of two or more substances in which the molecules of the substances are evenly distributed |
| Solute | substance that is dissolved in a solvent to make a solution |
| Solvent | substance in which a solute is dissolved to form a solution |
| Suspension | mixture of water and non dissolved materials |
| pH Scale | measurement system used to indicate the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution; ranges from 0 to 14 |
| Acid | compound that forms hydrogen ions in solution |
| Base | compound that produces hydroxide ions in solution |
| Buffer | weak acid or or base that can react with strong acids or bases to help prevent sharp, sudden changes in pH |
| Monomer | small unit that can join together with other small units to form polymers |
| Polymer | large compound formed from combinations of many monomers |
| Carbohydrate | compound made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body |
| Monosaccharide | single sugar molecule |
| Polysaccharide | a carbohydrate whose molecules consist of a number of sugar molecules bonded together. |
| Lipid | macromolecule made mainly from carbon and hydrogen atoms; includes fats, oils, and waxes |
| Nucleic Acid | macromolecule containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus |
| Nucleotide | monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base |
| Ribonucleic Acid | single-stranded nucleic acid that contains the sugar ribose |
| Deoxyribonucleic Acid | nucleic acid that contains the sugar deoxyribose |
| Protein | macromolecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; needed by the body for growth and repair and to make up enzymes |
| Amino Acid | compound with one amino group on one end and a carboxyl group on the other end |
| Chemical Reaction | process that changes one set of chemicals into another set of chemicals |
| Reactant | element or compound that enters into a chemical reaction |
| Product | element or compound produced by a chemical reaction |
| Activation Energy | energy needed to get a reaction started |
| Catalyst | substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction |
| Enzyme | protein that acts as a biological catalyst |
| Substrate | reactant of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction |
| Weather | condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place |
| Climate | average, year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region |
| Greenhouse Effect | natural situation in which heat is retained Earth’s atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases |
| Polar Zone | cold climate zone where the sun’s rays strike Earth at a very low angle |
| Temperature Zone | Moderate climate zone between the polar zones and the tropics |
| Tropical Zone | warm climate zone that receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year around |
| Biotic Factor | biological influence on organisms within an ecosystem |
| Abiotic Factor | physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem |
| Habitat | the area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it |
| Niche | full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions |
| Resource | any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food , or space |
| Competitive Exclusion Principle | ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time |
| Predation | interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism |
| Symbiosis | relationship in which two species live closely together |
| Mutualism | symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship |
| Commensalism | symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed |
| Parasitsm | symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism and consequently harms it |
| Ecological Succession | gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance |
| Primary Succession | succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists |
| Pioneer Species | first species to populate an area during primary succession |
| Secondary Succession | succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil |
| Biome | group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities |
| Tolerance | organisms capacity to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor |
| Microclimate | climate within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area |
| Canopy | dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees |
| Understory | layer in rain forest formed by shorter trees and vines |
| Deciduous | term used to refer to a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year |
| Coniferous | term used to refer to trees that produce seed-bearing cones and have thin leaves shaped like needles |
| Humus | material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter |
| Taiga | biome in which the winters are cold but the summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw |
| Permafrost | layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the tundra |
| Plankton | tiny, free-floating organisms that occur in aquatic environments |
| Phytoplankton | population of algae and other small, photosynthetic organisms found near the surface of the ocean and forming part of plankton |
| Zooplankton | tiny animals that form part of the plankton |
| Wetland | ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year |
| Estuary | wetlands formed where rivers meet the ocean |
| Detritus | particles of organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of an estuary’s food web |
| Salt Marsh | temperature-zone estuary dominated by salt tolerant grasses above the low-tide zone and by seagrasses under water |
| Mangrove Swamp | coastal wetland dominated by mangroves, salt-tolerant, woody plants |
| Photic Zone | well-lit upper layer of the oceans |
| Aphotic Zone | permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone |
| Zonation | prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live a particular habitat |
| Coastal Ocean | marine zone that extends from the low-tide mark to the end of the continental shelf |
| Kelp Forest | coastal ocean community named for its dominant organism-kelp, a giant brown alga |
| Coral Reef | diverse and productive environment named for the coral animals that make up its primary structure |
| Benthos | organisms that live attached to or near the ocean floor |
| Population Density | number of individuals per unit of area |
| Immigration | movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population |
| Emigration | movement of individuals out of an area |
| Exponential Growth | growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate |
| Logistic Growth | growth pattern in which a population’s growth rate is slows or stops following a period of exponential growth |
| Carrying Capacity | largest number of individuals of a population that a given environment can support |
| Limiting Factor | factor that causes the growth of a population to decrease |
| Density-Dependant Limiting Factor | limiting factor that depends on population size |
| Predator-Prey Relationship | mechanism of population control in which a population is regulated by predation |
| Density-Independent Limiting Factor | limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size |
| Demography | scientific study of human populations |
| Demographic Transition | change in a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates |
| Age-Structure Diagram | graph of the numbers of males and females within different age groups of a population |
| Cell | collection of living matter enclosed by a barrier that separates the cell from its surrounding; basic unit of all forms of life |
| Cell Theory | idea that all living things are composed of cells, cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things, and new cells are produced from existing cells |
| Nucleus | the center of the atom which contains the protons and neutrons; in cells, structure that contains the cell’s genetic material and controls the activities |
| Eukaryotic | organism whose cells contain nuclei |
| Prokaryotic | unicellular organism lacking a nucleus |
| Organelle | specialized structure that performs important cellular functions within a eukaryotic cell |
| Cytoplasm | material inside the cell membrane --- not including the nucleus |
| Nuclear Envelope | layer of two membranes that surrounds the nucleus of a cell |
| Chromatin | granular material visible within the nucleus; consists of DNA tightly coiled around proteins |
| Chromosome | threadlike structure within the nucleus containing the genetic information that is passed from one generation of cells to the next |
| Nucleolus | small, dense region within most nuclei in which the assembly of proteins begin |
| Ribosome | small particle in the cell on which proteins are assembled; made of RNA and protein |
| Endoplasmic Reticulum | internal membrane system in cells in which lipid components of the cell membrane are assembled and some proteins are modified |
| Golgi Apparatus | stack of membranes in the cell that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum |
| Lysosome | cell organelle filled with enzymes needed to break down certain materials in the cell |
| Vacuole | cell organelle that stores materials ishc as waters, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates |
| Mitochondrion | cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use |
| Chloroplast | organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms; captures light energy |
| Cytoskeleton | network of protein filaments within some cells that helps the cell maintain its shape and is involved in many forms of cell movement |
| Centriole | one of two tiny structures located in the cytoplasm of animal cells near the nuclear envelope |
| Cell Membrane | thin, flexible barrier around a cell; regulates what enters and leaves the cell |
| Cell Wall | strong supporting layer around the cell membrane in plants, algae, and some bacteria |
| Lipid Bilayer | double-layered sheet that forms the core of nearly all cell membrane |
| Concentration | the mass of solute in a given volume of solution or mass/volume |
| Diffusion | process by which molecules tend to move from an area where they are less concentrated |
| Equilibrium | when the concentration of a solute is the same throughout a solution |
| 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 |
| Hypotonic | when comparing two solutions, the solution with the lesser concentration of solutes |
| Facilitated Diffusion | movement of specific molecules across cell membranes through protein channels |
| Active Transport | energy-requiring process that moves material across a cell membrane against a concentration difference |
| Endocytosis | process by which a cell takes material into the cell by infolding of the cell membrane |
| Phagocytosis | process in which extensions of cytoplasm surround and engulf large particles and take them into the cell |
| Pinocytosis | process by which a cell takes in liquid from the surrounding environment |
| Exocytosis | process by which a cell releases large amounts of material |
| Cell Specialization | the process in which cells develop in different ways to perform different tasks |
| 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 |
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