9A - Genetics and Evolution

Question 1

abiotic factor

Answer 1

Something that is abiotic has nothing to do with living
organisms (e.g. temperature, the wind).

Question 2

biotic factor

Answer 2

An activity of an organism that affects another
organism (such as competition or predation).

Question 3

characteristic

Answer 3

A feature of an organism.

Question 4

variation

Answer 4

The differences between things.

Question 5

classification

Answer 5

sorting things into groups.

Question 6

continuous

Answer 6

Continuous data can take any value between two limits.
Examples include length, mass, time.

Question 7

continuous variation

Answer 7

When the value of a variable is continuous, it shows
continuous variation.

Question 8

discontinuous

Answer 8

Data values that can only have one of a set number of
options are discontinuous. Examples include shoe
sizes and blood groups.

Question 9

discontinuous
variation

Answer 9

When the value of a variable is discontinuous, it shows
discontinuous variation.

Question 10

environment

Answer 10

The conditions in a habitat caused by physical
environmental factors and living organisms.

Question 11

environmental factor

Answer 11

Anything that can change the conditions in a habitat or
the organisms that live there.

Question 12

environmental
variation

Answer 12

Differences between organisms caused by
environmental factors.

Question 13

physical
environmental factor

Answer 13

A non-living factor that can change the conditions in a
habitat (e.g. amount of light, rainfall).

Question 14

resource

Answer 14

Something needed by an organism. For example,
plants need light as a resource and animals need food
as a resource.

Question 15

species

Answer 15

A group of organisms that can reproduce with each
other to produce offspring that will also be able to
reproduce.

Question 16

genus

Answer 16

A group of similar organisms. The genus name is the
first word in the scientific name for a species (the
second word is the ‘species name’). Different closely
related species belong to the same genus.

Question 17

fertilisation

Answer 17

Fusing of a male gamete with a female gamete.

Question 18

fuse

Answer 18

When two things join together to become one.

Question 19

gamete

Answer 19

A cell used for sexual reproduction. (Sperm or egg cell)

Question 20

gene

Answer 20

Section of the long strand of DNA found in a
chromosome, which contains instructions for a
characteristic.

Question 21

genetic information

Answer 21

The inherited instructions that control your
characteristics.

Question 22

inherit

Answer 22

A feature that an organism gets from a parent is
inherited.

Question 23

inherited variation

Answer 23

Differences between organisms that are passed on to
offspring by their parents in reproduction.

Question 24

normal distribution

Answer 24

If the value of a variable changes in a continuous way,
it will often show a normal distribution. This means that
the middle values of the data range are most common
and values at the highest and lowest extremes are least
common. This sort of data forms a bell shape on charts
and graphs.

Question 25

nucleus

Answer 25

The ‘control centre’ of a cell, where genetic information is found.

Question 26

offspring

Answer 26

The new organisms produced by reproduction.

Question 27

parent

Answer 27

An organism that has produced offspring.

Question 28

sexual reproduction

Answer 28

Reproduction that needs two individuals to produce a new organism of the same type.

Question 29

zygote

Answer 29

term for ‘fertilised egg cell’.

Question 30

cell division

Answer 30

The splitting of a parent cell to form two identical daughter cells. The daughter cells both contain the same genetic information as the parent cell.

Question 31

chromosome

Answer 31

A structure found in the nuclei of cells. Each chromosome contains one enormously long DNA molecule.

Question 32

DNA

Answer 32

A substance that contains genetic information. Short for deoxyribonucleic acid.

Question 33

Sex Chromosomes

Answer 33

Chromosome that determines the sex of an organism. In humans, males have one X sex chromosome and one Y sex chromosome, while females have two Xs.

Question 34

adaptation

Answer 34

The features that something has to enable it to do a certain job or survive in a particular place.

Question 35

biodiversity

Answer 35

The range of different species of organisms in an area.

Question 36

competition

Answer 36

There is competition between organisms that need the same resources as each other. We say that they compete for those resources.

Question 37

ecosystem

Answer 37

All the physical environmental factors and all the organisms that are found in a habitat.

Question 38

endangered

Answer 38

When a type of organism is in danger of ceasing to exist.

Question 39

extinct

Answer 39

An organism that no longer exists is extinct.

Question 40

food web

Answer 40

Many food chains linked together, showing the flow of energy through organisms in a habitat.

Question 41

gene bank

Answer 41

Any facility that stores genetic material from different organisms (e.g. seeds, gametes, tissue samples).

Question 42

native

Answer 42

Naturally found in a certain area.

Question 43

evolution

Answer 43

A change in one or more characteristics of a population over a long period of time.

Question 44

natural selection

Answer 44

A process in which an organism is more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the species because it possesses a certain inherited variation.