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AP Survival Guide
Biology Terms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Active site | The part of the enzyme where the substrate will bind. |
| Active transport | The movement of molecules across the cell membrane with the use of ATP. |
| Alternation of generations | The life cycle of a plant that includes both a multicellular haploid form and a multicellular diploid form. |
| Alveoli | The functional unit of the lung. |
| Amino Acids | The 20 molecules that are held together by peptide bonds to make up proteins. |
| Amniotic egg | The hard shelled egg that allows reptiles and birds to have internal fertilization, but not have to have the organism created form inside the mother. |
| Angiosperm | Flowing plants |
| Antibodies | Proteins made by the B cells that immobilize antigens. |
| Anticodon | The three nucleotide combination on the transfer RNA that matches up with the three letter combination on the messenger RNA. |
| Antigen | The foreign particles or substances that trigger an immune response. |
| ATP | A high energy molecule that can be split apart to release energy for many different processes in living things. |
| Autotroph | An organism that makes its own food. |
| Auxins | Plant hormones that lead to phototropism by elongating the dark side of the plant. |
| Binary fission | The asexual reproduction in bacteria. |
| Buffer | A chemical that can release or absorb hydrogen ions depending on the conditions and therefore can maintain the pH of a solution at a constant level. |
| Capillary | the smallest blood vessels that connect veins to the arteries and are the site of all exchange with the environment. |
| Catalyst | A molecule that speeds up a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy. |
| Cell Cycle | The continuous series of events that all somatic cells go through that includes mitosis, cytokinesis, and interphase. |
| Cell Wall | Structural part of some cells that can be made of cellulose, peptidoglycan, or chitin depending on what kingdom the organism belongs to. |
| Cellular respiration | The process of breaking down glucose to make ATP. |
| Cholesterol | The steroid embedded in the cell membrane that keeps the membrane fluid and strong. |
| Chloroplast | The cell part responsible for photosynthesis in eukaryotic cells. |
| Chromatin | The unwound form of DNA that is accessible for making RNA. |
| Chromosomes | The DNA when it is wrapped up tightly around proteins during metaphase. |
| Codon | The three nucleotide combination on the messenger RNA that matches up with the three letter combination on the transfer RNA and has the information to code for one amino acid |
| Cohesion | The attractive force between polar molecules of the same substance. |
| Controlled variables | The many characteristics of the experimental group and control group which are held constant. |
| Covalent bond | A intramolecular bond where atoms are sharing electrons equally. |
| Cuticle | The waxy protective layer on plants that prevents dessication. |
| Cytokinesis | After mitosis or meiosis it is the “splitting” of the cytoplasm to form two or four new cells each with its own nucleus. |
| Dehydration synthesis | The type of reaction that links together monomers to make polymers and release water in the process. |
| Diploid | Cells that have two copies of each kind of chromosome. |
| DNA ligase | The enzyme that splices DNA together in genetic engineering and the okazaki fragments of replication. |
| Duodenum | The primary site of chemical digestion in humans. |
| Endoplasmic reticulum | the series of membranes inside the cell that allow for passage of materials through the cytoplasm and the synthesis of lipids. |
| Endosymbiosis | The theory that eukaryotic cells arose from prokaryotic cells that lived closely together to the point that we now call these former cells “mitochondria” and “chloroplasts”. |
| Estuary | The biome created when freshwater mixes with salt water to form brackish water that is one of the most productive areas on Earth. |
| Enzyme | An organic catalyst that lowers the activation energy of chemical reactions in organisms thus increasing the rate of reaction. |
| Eukaryotic cell | A cell with a nucleus and membrane bound organelles. |
| External fertilization | When an egg and sperm unite outside the body of the mother. |
| Facilitated transport | The movement of molecules across the cell membrane without the use of ATP, but with the help of a protein. |
| Fruit | The ripened ovary of a plant. |
| Gametes | The haploid cells produced by meiosis. |
| Gene | The section of DNA that is responsible for the production of one polypeptide. |
| Genetic engineering | The process of combining the DNA of two different organisms. |
| Genome | The entire complement of chromosomes in an individual. |
| Global Warming | The increase in carbon dioxide and other gases causes heat to be trapped and thus raises the temperature of the Earth and possibly could lead to flooding and climate change. |
| Glycerol | The three carbon backbone molecule of the triglycerides. |
| Glycogen | The polysaccharide that is how animals store glucose in their liver. |
| Gonads | The site of meiosis in humans that includes the ovaries and testes. |
| Haploid | Cells that have one copy of each kind of chromosome. |
| Homeostasis | The condition in animals where they keep their internal environment constant for a specific characteristic often as a result of negative feedback. |
| Homozygous | The description of an individual who has the same allele for a trait on both homologous chromosomes. |
| Hydrogen bond | The weak intermolecular bond that forms between water molecules that causes them to “stick” to each other. |
| Hyphae | The “body” of the fungus |
| Hypothesis | A testable explanation for a question that is often written in if… then… form. |
| Incomplete dominance | The type of inheritance where the heterozygous individual has a blend of the dominant and recessive trait. |
| Independent variable | The one difference between the experimental group and the control group. |
| Innate | Behavior that an organism is not learned and is genetically determined. |
| Insulin | The hormone that lowers blood sugar by having it stored as glycogen in the liver and increasing cellular uptake. |
| Logistic | The type of population growth where the population has reached the carrying capacity and stays at a relatively constant level as indicated by a J curve. |
| Marker proteins | Proteins embedded in the cell membrane which allow organisms to differentiate between self and nonself cells. |
| Meiosis | The type of nuclear division that leads to four nuclei with a haploid complement of chromosomes produced from one diploid nucleus. |
| Messenger RNA | RNA made from DNA that carries the nucleotide template to the ribosome for protein synthesis. |
| Mitochondria | In eukaryotic cells it is the site of the Krebs cycle and electron transport chain of aerobic cellular respiration |
| Mitosis | The type of nuclear division that leads to two nuclei with the entire diploid complement of chromosomes. |
| Mutation | A change in the DNA either by changing a chromosome’s structure or the order of nucleotides. |
| Natural selection | The theory that states explains how a population changes over time to reflect the individuals who are most successful. |
| Nephron | The functional unit of the kidney. |
| Nucleotides | The monomer subunit that links together along the sugar phosphate backbone to form nucleic acids (DNA/RNA). |
| Oviduct | The tube that leads from the ovary to the uterus that is the site of fertilization in humans. |
| Pancreas | The gland that releases glucagon and insulin to help control blood sugar. |
| Passive transport | The transport of molecules across the cell membrane without the use of energy. |
| Photosynthesis | The chemical reaction that makes glucose and oxygen from water and carbon in the presence of sunlight. |
| Pituitary gland | The gland that controls the release of hormones from many other glands. |
| Plasma | The liquid noncellular component of blood. |
| Plasma membrane | The outer selectively permeable membrane of ALL cells. |
| Polar bond | A bond where the atoms are sharing electrons unequally creating small negative and positive charges on the atoms. |
| Population | The members of a species within a specific area that has gene flow between its members. |
| Primary productivity | The amount of photosynthesis in an ecosystem. |
| Prokaryotic | Cells that have no nucleus or membrane bound organelles. |
| Protista | The kingdom that has predominantly unicellular eukaryotic organisms including algae, protozoans, and slime molds. |
| Replication | The duplication of the DNA during the middle “s phase” of interphase during the cell cycle. |
| Restriction enzymes | Enzymes that are used to “cut” DNA into pieces that often have “sticky” ends. |
| Ribosome | The part of the cell responsible for dehydration synthesis of proteins using the mRNA template. |
| Root | The structure responsible for water absorption in plants. |
| RNA | the single stranded nucleic acid with uracil instead of the thymine found in DNA. |
| RNA polymerase | The enzyme that makes RNA from DNA. |
| Sex chromosomes | The 23rd pair of chromosomes in humans that determine whether the offspring is male or female. |
| Species | A group of similar looking organisms that can reproduce to make fertile offspring. |
| Spindle fibers | The microtubules that are used to separate the chromosomes and drag them to separate sides during nuclear division. |
| Stomata | The small openings on the underside of leaves that allow for carbon dioxide to come in and oxygen to escape. |
| Symbiosis | A long term relationship between organisms of two different species where at least one of the organisms benefits. |
| Transcription | The making of RNA from DNA. |
| Transfer RNA | RNA made from DNA that attaches to amino acids and delivers them to the mRNA in the ribosome. |
| Translation | The process of making proteins from the mRNA template. |
| Transpiration | The evaporation of water from the stomata of a leaf that allows water to be pulled up a stem. |
| Uterus | The place where the blastocyst implants and grows in a human female. |
| Xylem | The vascular tissue in a plant that carries water up from the roots to the rest of the plant. |
| Zygote | The fertilized egg. |