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Key definitions bio
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abiotic factors | Non living factors |
| Acquired variations | Are not inherited but are learned or developed during life |
| Active immunity | The production of a persons own antibodies in response to foreign antigens that enter the body |
| Active site | The part of an enzyme that combines with a substrate |
| Active transport | Energy (in the for ATP) is used to move molecules, often against the concentration gradient e.g lower concentration to higher concentration |
| Adaptation | Any alteration that improves an organisms chances of survival and reproduction |
| Adhesion | Occurs when different molecules stick together |
| Aerobic respiration | The controlled release of energy from food using oxygen |
| Alleles | Different forms of the same gene |
| All or nothing law | States that if the threshold is reached an impulse is carried, but if the threshold is not reached no impulse is carried |
| Anabolic reactions | Use energy yo convert smaller molecules into bigger molecules |
| Anaerobic respiration | The controlled release of energy from food without the use of oxygen |
| Antagonistic pair | Two muscles that have opposite effects on each other |
| Antibiotics | Chemicals produced by microorganisms that stop the growth of, or kill other micro organisms without damaging human tissue |
| Antibody | A protein produced by white blood cells in response to a specific antigen |
| Anticodon | A sequence of three bases on tRNA that are complementary to a sequence of three bases on mRNA |
| Antigen | A foreign molecule that stimulates the production of antibodies |
| Appendicular skeleton | Composed of limbs (arms and legs), the pectoral (shoulder) girdle and the pelvic (hip) girdle |
| Artificial active immunity | Occurs when a pathogen is medically introduced into the body |
| Artificial passive immunity | Occurs when a person is given an injection containing antibodies made by another organism |
| Aseptic/ asepsis | Means that measures are taken to exclude unwanted microorganisms |
| Asexual reproduction | Involves only one parent |
| Autotrophic organism | One that makes its own food |
| Axial skeleton | Consists of the skull, spine, ribs and sternum |
| Bacteriophage (phage) | A virus that infects bacteria |
| Balanced diet | Contains all the necessary food types in the correct proportions |
| Batch culture | The growth of cells in a sealed container over a short period of time and under ideal conditions until all the nutrients are used up |
| Biogenesis | Living things arise from other living things of the same time. Also known as the continuity of life |
| Biology | Study of living things |
| Biomolecules | Chemicals that are made inside a living thing |
| Bioprocessing | The use of enzyme controlled reactions to produce a product |
| Bioreactor | A vessel or container in which living cells or their products are used to make a product |
| Biosphere | The part of the planet containing living organisms |
| Biotechnology | The use of living things or their components to manufacture useful products or to carry out useful reactions |
| Biotic factors | Living factors |
| Birth control | Methods taken to limit the number of children that are born |
| Blastocyst/ blastula | A hollow ball of cells formed from a morula |
| Blood pressure | The force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels |
| Bud | A potential growth point that may develop into a shoot, a leaf or a flower |
| Bulb | A modified bud |
| Cancer | A group of disorders in which certain cells lose their ability to control both the rate of meiosis and the number of times mitosis takes place |
| Carnivores | Animals that feed mainly on animals |
| Carpels | Female part of the flower |
| Catabolic reactions | Release of energy when a complex molecule is broken down to a simpler form |
| Catalyst | A substance that speeds up an reaction without being used up in the reaction |
| Cell continuity | All cells develop from pre existing cells |
| Cell cycle | The changes that take place in a cell during the period between one cell division and the next |
| Cellular energy | The energy stored in the bonds of biomolecules |
| Centromere | The point at which the chromosomes are attached in a double stranded chromosome |
| Characteristics | Traits or features that are inherited genetically |
| Chemosynthesis | The production of food using energy released from chemical reactions |
| Chemotropism | A change in growth of a plant in response to chemicals |
| Chromatin | The name given to chromosomes when they are elongated and not dividing |
| Chromosomes | Are coiled threads of DNA and proteins that become visible in the nucleus at cell division |
| Chromosome mutation | A large change in the structure or number of one or more chromosomes |
| Classification | Placing objects into groups based on similar characteristics |
| Climatic factors | Refer to weather over a long period of time |
| Cloning | The production of identical copies of bacterium (containing the target gene) |
| Closed circulatory system | Blood remains in a continuous system of blood vessels |
| Codon (triplet) | A sequence of three bases in DNA (or RNA) that acts as a code for an amino acid |
| Cohesion | The sticking of similar molecules to each other |
| Community | All the different populations in an area |
| Competition | Occurs when organisms actively struggle for a resource that is in short supply |
| Conclusion | A summary of the results from an experiment |
| Conservation | The wise management of the existing natural resources in an ecosystem, in order to maintain a wide range of habitats and prevent the death or extinction of organisms |
| Consumers | Organisms that take in food from another organism |
| Contest competition | An active physical contest between two individual organisms |
| Continuity of life | Living things arise from other living things of the same type |
| Continuous flow (food processing) | The growth of cells in an open container, where nutrients are added and the end products are removed all the time at a rate that maintains the volume of liquid and the number of cells |
| Contraception | The deliberate prevention of fertilisation or pregnancy |
| Control | Used to provide a comparison against which the actual experiment can be judged |
| Copulation | The act of sexual intercourse |
| Cotyledon | A seed leaf |
| Cross pollination | The transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma on a different plant |
| Cutting | A portion of a plant that is removed from the parent plant and grown into a new, independent plant |
| Cytoplasm | The living material in a cell outside the nucleus |
| Data | The measurements, observations or information gathered from experiments |
| Decomposers | Organisms that feed on dead organic matter |
| Denatured enzyme | One that has lost its shape and can no longer carry out its function |
| Denitrification | The conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas |
| Detritus feeders | Organisms that feed on small pieces of dead organic matter |
| Diastole | When the heart chambers relax |
| Diffusion | The spreading out of molecules from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration |
| Dihybrid cross | Involves the study of two characteristics |
| Diploid cell | One that has two sets of chromosomes, i.e it has two of each type of chromosome in the nucleus |
| Dispersal | The transfer of a seed or fruit away from the parent plant |
| DNA profile (fingerprint) | A method of making a unique patter of bands of DNA of a person, which can then be used to compare with the DNA profile of another person |
| Dominant | The allele that prevents the recessive allele from being expressed |
| Dormancy | A resting period when seeds undergo no growth and have reduced cell activity or metabolism |
| Double blind | Both the investigator and the participant are unaware of the nature of the treatment the participant is receiving |
| Ecological niche (of an organism) | The functional role it plays in the community |
| Ecology | The study of the interactions between living things and between the organisms and their environment |
| Ecosystem | A group of clearly distinguished organisms that interact with their environment as a unit |
| Ectotherms | Gain or lose heat from or to their external environment |
| Edaphic factors | Relate to soil |
| Ejaculation | The release of semen from the penis |
| Endocrine system | A ductless gland that produces hormones, which are released directly into the bloodstream |
| Endospermic seed | Contains some endosperm when fully formed |
| Endotherms | Generate their own heat from metabolic reactions |
| Enzymes | Proteins that speed up a reaction without being used up in the reaction |
| Enzyme specificity | Each enzyme will react with one particular substrate |
| Ethics | Related to whether conduct is right or wrong |
| Eukaryotic cells | Have a nucleus and cell organelles, all are enclosed by membranes |
| Evolution | The way in which living things change genetically to produce new forms of life over long periods of time |
| Excretion | The removal of waste products of metabolism from the body |
| Exhalation | Breathing out |
| Exocrine glands | Release their product into ducts or tubes |
| Experiment | A test for a hypothesis |
| Expression | The formation of the products by the organism with the recombinant DNA |
| Facultative parasite | Can get it’s good from a live or a dead host |
| Fauna | All the animals in an ecosystem |
| Fermentation | Another name for anaerobic respiration |
| Filtration | Water and small molecules pass (under high pressure) from the blood into the nephron |
| Fertilisation | The union of the male and female gametes to form a diploid zygote |
| Flora | All the plants in an ecosystem |
| Food chain | A sequence of organisms in which each one is eaten by the next member in the chain |
| Food web | Two or more interlinked food chains |
| Forensic medicine | The way in which medical knowledge is used in legal situations |
| Fossil | The remains of something that lived a long time ago |
| Frequency | The chance of finding a named species with any one throw of a quadrat |
| Fruit | A developed ovary |
| Gametes | Haploid cells capable of fusion |
| Ganglion | A group of cell bodies located outside the CNS (central nervous system) |
| Gene | A section of DNA that contains the instructions for the formation of a protein |
| Gene expression | The way in which the genetic information in a gene is decoded in the cell and used to make a protein |
| Gene mutation | A change in a single gene |
| General defence system | Acts as a barrier to all pathogens attempting to gain entry to the human body |
| Genetic code | The sequence of bases in DNA that provide the instruction for a cell (using RNA) to form a protein |
| Genetic engineering | The artificial manipulation or alteration of genes |
| Genetic screening | Testing DNA for the presence or absence of a particular gene or an altered gene |
| Genotype | The genetic make up of an organism i.e the genes that are present |
| Geotrophism | The change in growth of a plant in response to gravity |
| Germination | The regrowth of the embryo, after a period of dormancy, if the environmental conditions are suitable |
| Germ layers | Basic layers of cells in the blastocyst from which all adult tissues and organs will form |
| Gestation | The length of time spent in the uterus from fertilisation to birth |
| Glycolysis | The conversion of glucose into geo molecules of pyruvic acid |
| Gonad | Am organ that produces sex cells in animals |
| Grafting | The joining and uniting of part of one plant with a second plant |
| Growth inhibitor | A chemical that causes a reduction in growth of plants |
| Growth plate | The area between the epiphysis and the diaphysis in a long bone within which bone growth occurs |
| Growth promoter | A chemical that causes increased growth in plants |
| Growth regulator | A chemical that controls the growth of a plant |
| Habitat | The place where a plant or an animal lives |
| Haploid cell | One that has one set of chromosomes i.e it has only one of each type of chromosome in the nucleus |
| Helper T cells | Stimulate B cells and killer T cells |
| Herbaceous plants | Do not contain wood or lignin |
| Herbivores | Animals that feed mainly on plants |
| Heredity | The passing on of features from parents to offspring by means of genes |
| Heterotrophic | One that takes in food made by other organisms |
| Heterozygous | The alleles are different |
| Homeostasis | The ability of an organism to maintain a constant internal environment |
| Homologous pair | Two chromosomes of similar size with the same sequence of genes |
| Homozygous | Two alleles are identical |
| Hormone | A chemical messenger produced by an endocrine gland and carried by the bloodstream to another part of the body, where it has a specific effect |
| Hydrotrophism | A change in growth of a plant in response to water |
| Hypha | A tube or filament of fungus |
| Hypothesis | An educated guess based on observations |
| Immobilised enzymes | Are attached or fixed to each other or to an inert material |
| Immunisation | Occurs when we produce or are injected with antibodies against a pathogen |
| Immunity | The ability to resist infection |
| Implantation | The embedding of the fertilised egg into the lining of the uterus |
| Incomplete dominance | Neither allele is dominant or recessive with respect to the other. Both alleles are equally expressed in the heterozygous genotype to produce an intermediate phenotype |
| Induced immunity | The ability to resist disease caused by specific pathogens by the production of antibodies |
| Infertility | The inability to produce an offspring |
| Inhalation | Breathing in |
| Inherited variations | Are controlled by genes |
| Insemination | The release of semen into the vagina, just outside the cervix |
| Interneuron | Carries information between sensory and motor neurons |
| Internode | The region on a stem between two nodes |
| Interphase | The phase in the cell cycle when the cell is not dividing |
| Interspecific competition | Occurs between members of different species |
| Intraspecific competition | Occurs between members of the same species |
| In vitro fertilisation | Removing eggs from an ovary and fertilising them outside the body |
| Isolation | The removal of the chromosome from the human cell and the plasmid DNA from the bacterium |
| Joint | Where two or more bones meet |
| Key | A means of naming organisms by answering a series of questions with alternative answers |
| Killer T cells | Destroy abnormal human body cells |
| Lactation | The secretion of milk by the mammary glands of the female |
| Larynx | The voice box |
| Law/ principle | Arises from a theory that has been shown to be valid when fully tested over a long period of time |
| Law of independent assortment | States that : when gametes are formed either of a pair of alleles is equally likely to combine with either of another pair of alleles |
| Law of segregation (Mendels first law) | Inherited characteristics are controlled by pairs of alleles These alleles segregate from each other at gamete formation, with only one member of the pair being found in each gamete |
| Layering | The growth of a new plant from a stem that is still attached to the parent plant |
| Lenticels | Openings in the stems of plants that allow gas exchange |
| Life | The possession of of the characteristics: organised, requiring nutrition and excretion, capable of responding and reproducing |
| Ligaments | Strong, fibrous, slightly elastic tissues that connect bone to bone |
| Lignin | A strengthening material found in some plant cell walls |
| Linkage | Genes are located on the same chromosome |
| Locus (of a gene) | Its position on a chromosome |
| Meiosis | A form of nuclear division in which the four daughter nuclei contain half the chromosome number of the parent nucleus |
| Memory B cells | Survive for years after the infection is eliminated and can make the specific antibody if the same infection later enters the body |
| Memory T cells | Survive for years after the infection is eliminated and can stimulate the specific B cells and killer T cells if the same infection later enters the body |
| Menopause | When ovulation and menstruation stop happening in a female |
| Menstrual cycle | A series of events that occurs every 28 days on average in the female fertilisation has not taken place |
| Menstruation | The discharge of the lining of the uterus and the unfertilised egg |
| Meristem | A plant tissue capable of mitosis |
| Metabolism | The sum of all chemical reactions in an organism |
| Microorganisms | Small living things |
| Micro propagation | The growth of plants from small pieces of tissue under sterile conditions on a specially selected medium |
| Mitosis | A form of nuclear division in which one nucleus divides to form two nuclei, each containing the same number of chromosomes with identical genes |
| Monohybrid cross | Involves the study of a single characteristic |
| Morula | A solid ball of cells formed from a zygote by mitosis |
| Motor neuron | Takes a message frein the CNS to a muscle or a gland |
| Mutagens | Agents that cause mutations |
| Mutation | A spontaneous change in the amount or structure of DNA |
| Mycelium | A usually visible mass of hyphae |
| Natural active immunity | Occurs when a pathogen enters the body in the normal way e.g when you get an infection |
| Natural passive immunity | Occurs when a child gets antibodies from its mother |
| Natural selection | The process by which those organisms with genetically controlled characteristics that allow them to be well adapted to their environments will survive and reproduce to pass on their genes to following generations |
| Natural vegetative propagation | Involves forming new plants from a stem, root, leaf or bud |
| Negative tropism | Occurs when the growth is away from the stimulus |
| Neuron | A nerve cell |
| Nitrification | The conversion of ammonia and ammonium compounds to nitrite and then to nitrate |
| Nitrogen fixation | The conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia, ammonium or nitrate |
| Node | The point on a stem at which a leaf is attached |
| Non endospermic seed | Has no endosperm when fully formed |
| Nutrient recycling | The way in which elements (e.g carbon and nitrogen) are exchanged between the living and non living components of an ecosystem |
| Nutrition | The way organisms obtain and use food |
| Obligate parasite | Can only take it’s food from a live host |
| Observation | When something is noticed |
| Omnivores | Animals that feed on plants and animals |
| Open circulatory system | Blood leaves blood vessels and flows around the cells of the animals body before reentering blood vessels again |
| Optimum pH | The pH value at which the enzyme works best |
| Organ | A structure composed of a number of tissues that work together to carry out one or more functions |
| Organisation | Living things are composed of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems |
| Organism | A living thing |
| Organ system | A number of organs working together to carry out one or more functions |
| Orgasm | The physical and emotional sensations experienced at the peak of sexual excitement |
| Osmosis | The movement of water molecules across a semi permeable membrane from a region of high water concentration to a region of low water concentration |
| Osteoblast | A bone forming cell |
| Osteoclast | A bone digesting cell |
| Ovulation | The release of an egg from the ovary |
| Parasites | Organisms that take in food from a live host and cause harm |
| Parasitism | When two organisms of different species live in close association and one organism (the parasite) obtains its food from and to the disadvantage of the second organism (the host) |
| Passive immunity | Occurs when individuals are given antibodies that were formed from another organism |
| Pathogen | An organism that causes disease |
| Pathogenic bacteria | Bacteria that causes disease |
| Pectoral girdle | Consists of the collarbone (clavicle) and the shoulder blade (scapula) |
| Pedigree | A diagram showing the genetic history of a group of related individuals |
| Percentage cover | An estimate of the amount of ground in a quadrat covered by each species |
| Peristalsis | A wave if muscular action in the walls of the alimentary canal that moves the contents along |
| Pharynx | The throat |
| Phenotype | The physical makeup, or appearance of an organism |
| Phospholipids | Fat like substances in which one of the fatty acids is replaced by a phosphate group or has a phosphate group added to it |
| Photolysis | The splitting of water by light |
| Phototropism | The change in growth of a plant in response to light, usually from one direction |
| Plasma | The liquid part of blood |
| Plasma B cells | Produces antibodies |
| Plumule | The part of the plant embryo that develops into the shoot |
| Pollination | The transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma of a flower from the same species |
| Pollutants | Harmful additions to the environment |
| Pollution | Ant harmful addition to the environment |
| Population | All the members of the same species living in an area |
| Portal system | A blood pathway that begins and ends in capillaries |
| Positive tropism | Occurs when the growth is towards the stimulus |
| Predation | An organism that catches, kills and eats another organism |
| Prey | The organism that is eaten by a predator |
| Producers | Organisms that carry out photosynthesis |
| Product | The substance formed by an enzyme |
| Progeny | Offspring that are produced |
| Prokaryotic cells | Do not have a nucleus or membrane enclosed organelles |
| Protoplasm | All the living parts of a cell |
| Puberty | The beginning of sexual maturity |
| Pulse | The alternate expansion and contraction of the arteries |
| Punnet square | A grid used to show the ratio of the genotypes of the progeny in a genetic cross |
| Purines (double ring molecule) | Adenine and guanine |
| Pyramid of numbers | Represents the numbers of organisms at each tropic level in a food chain |
| Pyrimidines (sing ring molecules) | Thymine and cytosine |
| Qualitative study | Records the presence or absence of organisms |
| Quantitative study | Records the number of organisms present |
| Radicle | The part of the plant embryo that develops in a root |
| Reabsorption | Molecules pass from the nephron back into the blood |
| Recessive | The allele is prevented from being expressed by the dominant allele |
| Reflex action | Am automatic, involuntary, unthinking response to a stimulus |
| Reflex arc | The pathway taken by a nerve impulse in a reflex action |
| Refractory period | A short time span after a neuron has carried an impulse during which a stimulus fails to cause a response |
| Replicate | A repeat of an experiment |
| Reproduction | The production of new individuals |
| Response | The activity of a cell or organism as a result of a stimulus |
| Root tuber | A swollen, underground root that remains dormant during the winter and from which new plants may grow |
| Runners | Horizontal stems that grow above ground and from which new plants grow |
| Saprophytes | Organisms that take in food from dead organic matter |
| Scientific method | A process of investigation in which problems are identified and their suggested explanations are tested by carrying out experiments |
| Scramble competition | Soo of the competing individuals get some of the resource |
| Secondary sexual characteristics | Those features that distinguish males from females apart from the sex organs themselves |
| Secretion | Some substances pass from the blood into the nephron |
| Selectively permeable membrane | Allows some but not all molecules to pass through |
| Self pollination | The transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma on the same plant |
| Semen | Fluid containing sperm and seminal fluid |
| Sensory neuron | Takes a message from a sense organ to the CNS |
| Serum | Plasma from which the clotting proteins have been removed |
| Sex linkage | A characteristic is controlled by a gene on a sex (X) chromosome |
| Sexual reproduction | The union of two sex cells or gametes |
| Solar energy | Energy from the sun |
| Speciation | The production of new species as a result of evolution |
| Species | A group of similar organisms that are capable of naturally interbreeding with each other to produce fertile offspring |
| Specific defence system | Attacks particular pathogens |
| Sporulation | The process of making spores |
| Stamens | The male part of the flower |
| Sterile | All microorganisms are destroyed |
| Stimulus | Anything that causes a reaction in an organism or in any of its parts |
| Substrate | The substance with which an enzyme reacts |
| Suppressor T cells | Inhibit the immune response |
| Symbiosis | Occurs when two organisms of different species live in close association and at least one of them benefits |
| Synapse | A region where two neurons come into close contact |
| Synaptic cleft | The tiny gap between the two neurons at a synapse |
| Systole | When the heart chambers contract |
| Taxonomy | The science of classifying organisms |
| Tendons | Strong, flexible, inelastic fibres that connect muscle to bone |
| Theory | A hypothesis that has been supported by many different experiments |
| Thigmotropism | A change in growth of a plant in response to touch |
| Threshold | The minimum stimulus needed to cause an impulse to be carried in a neuron |
| Tissue culture | The growth of cells in or on a sterile nutrient medium outside an organism |
| Tissue | A group of similar cells that are modified to carry out the same functions |
| Transcription | The copying of a sequence of generic bases from DNA onto messenger RNA (mRNA) |
| Transformation | The uptake of DNA into a cell |
| Translation | The conversion of a sequence of genetic bases on messenger RNA into a sequence of amino acids |
| Transpiration | The loss (by evaporation) of water vapour from the leaves and other aerial parts of a plant |
| Triplet | A sequence of three bases in DNA (or RNA) that act as a code for an amino acid |
| Trophic level | A feeding stage in a food chain |
| Tropism | A change in the growth of a plant in response to an external stimulus |
| Turgor | The outward pressure of tjr cytoplasm and vacuole against the cell wall of a plant |
| Ultrastructure | The detail of a structure as seen using an electron microscope |
| Vaccination | The administration of a non disease causing dose of a pathogen to stimulate the production of antibodies |
| Vaccine | A non disease causing dose of a pathogen which triggers the production of antibodies |
| Valves | Control the direction of blood flow |
| Variable | A factor that may change in an experiment |
| Variation | In a group of successfully interbreeding organisms the individual members show different characteristics |
| Vegetative propagation | Asexual reproduction in plants |
| Venation | The pattern of veins in a leaf |
| Woody plants | Contain wood (lignin) |
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