Term | Definition |
Photosynthesis | the process by which plants, alage, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce carbohydrates and oxygen. |
cellular respiration | the process by which cells produce energy from carbohydrates. |
ATP | adenine patriarchate, an organic molecule that acts as the main energy source for cell processes; composed of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and three phosphate groups. |
ATP Synthase | an enzyme that catalyzes the syntheses of ATP |
Electron Transport Chain | a series of molecules, found in the inner membrane of mitochondria and chloroplast, through which electrons pass in a process that causes protons to build up on one side of the membrane. |
Thylaktoid | a membrane system found within chloroplasts that contains the components for photosynthesis. |
pigment | a substance that gives another substance or a mixture its color. |
Chlorophyll | a green pigment that is present in most plants and algae cells and come bacteria. that gives plants their characteristic green color, and that absorbs light to provide energy for photosynthesis. |
Calvin Cycle | a biochemical pathway of photosynthesis in which carbon dioxide is converted into glucose using ATP and NADPH |
glycolysis | the anaerobic breakdown of glucose to pyruvate, which makes a small amount of energy available to cells in the form of ATP |
anaerobic | describes a process that does not require oxygen |
aerobic | describes a process that requires oxygen |
kreb cycle | a series of biochemical reactions that convert pyruvates into carbon dioxide and water |
fermentation | the breakdown of carbohydrates by enzymes, bacteria, yeast, or mold in the absence of oxygen |
Charter | a recognizable inherited feature or characteristic of an organism |
trait | one of two or more possible forms of a character. a recognizable feature or characteristic of an organism |
hybrid | the offspring of a cross between parents that have contracting traits. |
generation | the entire group of offspring produced by a given group of parents |
allele | one of two or more alternative forms of a gene, each leading to a unique trait. |
domainant | describes an allele that is fully expressed whenever the allele is present in an individual |
recessive | describes an allele that is expressed only when there is no dominant allele present in an individual |
genotype | a specific combination of allele in an individual |
phenotype | the detectable trait or traits results from two genotype of an individual |
homozygous | describes an individual that carries two identical alleles of a gene |
heterozygous | describes an individual that carries two different alleles of a gene |
punnet square | a graphic used top predict the results of a genetic cross |
probability | the likelihood that a specific event will occur; expressed in mathmatical terms |
pedigree | a digram that shows the occurrence of agentic triat in several generations of a family |
genetic disorder | an inherited disease or disorder that is caused by a mutation in a gene or by a chromosomal defects |
polygenic character | a character that is influenced by more than one gene |
codominance | a condition in which both alleles for a gene are fully expressed. |
linked | in genetics, describes two or more genes that tend to be inherited together. |
gene | a segment of DNA that is located in a chromosome and that codes for a specific hereditary trait. |
DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid, the material that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics |
nucleotide | in a nucleic acid chain, a sub unit that consist of a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogenous base. |
purine | a nitrogenous base that has a double-ring structure, adenine or guanine. |
pyrimidine | a nitrogenous base that has a single-ring structure; in DNA, either thymine or cytosine. |
DNA replication | the process of making a copy of DNA |
DNA Helicase | an enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix during DNA replication |
DNA polymerase | an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of the DNA molecule |
RNA | ribonuclic acid, a natural polymer that is present in all living cells and that plays a role in protein structure. |
gene expression | the manifestation of the genetic material of an organism in the form of specific traits. |
transcription | the process of forming a nucleic acid by using another molecule as a template |
translation | the portion of protein synthesis that takes place at ribosomes and that uses the codon in mRNA molecules to specify the sequence of amino acids in polypeptide chains. |
codon | in DNA and mRNA, a three-nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid or signifies a start signal or a stop signal. |
mutation | a change in the structure or amount of the genetic material of an organism. |
nondisjunction | a failure of homologous chromosomes to sperate during meiosis 1 or the failure of sister chromatids to seperate during mitosis or meiosis 2 |
polyploidy | an abnormal condition of having more than two sets of chromosomes |
operon | a unit of adjacent genes that consist of funtionally related structural genes and their associated regulatory genes |
transcription factor | an enzyme that is needed to begin and/or continue genetic transcription |
intron | a nucleotide sequence that is part of a gene and that is transcribed from DNA into mRNA but not trasnlated into amino acids |
exon | on of several nonadjacent nucleotides sequences that are part of one gene and that are transcribed, joined together, and then translated. |
domain | in proteins, a functional unit that has a distinctive pattern of structural folding |
genome | the complete genetic material contained in an individual or species |
plasmid | genetic structure that can replicate independently of the main chromosome |
transposon | a genetic sequence that is randomly moved in a functional unit to a new place in a genome |
cell differentiation | the process by which a cell becomes specialized for a specific structure or function during multicellular development |
apopotosis | in multicellualr organism a genetically controlled process that leads to the death of a cell, programmed cell death |
cuticle | a waxy or fatty and watertight layer on the external wall of epidermal cells |
spore | a reproductive cell or multicellular structure that is resistant to environmental conditions |
sporophyte | in plants and algae that have alternation of generations, the diploid individual or generation that produces haploid spores. |
gametophyte | in alternation of generation the phase in which gametes are formed; a haploid individual that produces gametes. |
archegonium | a female reproductive structure that produces a single egg in which fertilization and development takes place. |
antheridium | a reproductive structure that produces male sex cells in seedless plants |
spornagium | a specialized sac, case, capsule, or other structures that produce spores. |
rhizome | a horizontal undergorund stem that provided a mechanism for sexual reproduction. |
frond | a leaf of a fern or palm |
sorus | a cluster of sporangium |