All Vocab

Question 1

Absorption Spectrum

Answer 1

The range of a pigment’s ability to absorb various wavelengths of light

Question 2

Abyssal Zone

Answer 2

The portion of the ocean floor where light does not penetrate and where temperatures are cold and pressures intense

Question 3

Acclimation

Answer 3

Physiological adjustment to a change in an environmental factor

Question 4

Accommodation

Answer 4

The automatic adjustment of an eye to focus on near objects

Question 5

Acetyl CoA

Answer 5

The entry compound for the Krebs cycle in a cellular respiration; formed from a fragment of pyruvate attached to a coenzyme

Question 6

Acetylcholine

Answer 6

One of the most common neurotransmitters; functions by binding to receptors and altering the permeability of the postsynaptic membrane to specific ions, either depolarizing or hyperpolarizing the membrane

Question 7

Acid

Answer 7

A substance that increases the hydrogen ion and concentration in a solution

Question 8

Acid Precipitation

Answer 8

Rain, snow, or fifth at is more acidic than pH 5.6

Question 9

Acoelomate

Answer 9

A solid-bodied animal lacking a cavity between the gut and outer body wall

Question 10

Acrosome

Answer 10

An organelle at the tip of a sperm cell that helps the sperm penetrate the egg

Question 11

Actin

Answer 11

A globular protein that links into chains, two of which twist helically. About each other, forming microfilaments in muscle and other contractile elements in cells

Question 12

Action Potential

Answer 12

A rapid change in the membrane potential of an excitable cell, caused by stimulus-triggered, selective opening and closing of voltage-sensitive gates in sodium and potassium ion channels

Question 13

Active Site

Answer 13

The specific proportion of an enzyme that attaches to the substrate by means of weak chemical bonds

Question 14

Active Transport

Answer 14

The movement of a substance across a biological membrane against its concentration or electrochemical gradient, with the help of energy input and specific transport proteins

Question 15

Adaptive Peak

Answer 15

An equilibrium state in a population when the gene pool has allele frequencies that maximize the average fitness of a population’s members

Question 16

Adaptive Radiation

Answer 16

The emergence of numerous species from a common ancestor introduced into an environment, presenting a diversity of new opportunities and problems

Question 17

Adenylyl cyclase

Answer 17

An enzyme that converts ATP to cyclic AMP in response to a chemical signal

Question 18

Adrenal Gland

Answer 18

An endocrine gland located adjacent to be kidney in mammals; composed of two glandular portions: an outer cortex, which responds to endocrine signals in reacting to stress and effecting slag and water balance, and a central medulla, which responds to nervous inputs resulting from stress

Question 19

Aerobic

Answer 19

Containing oxygen; referring to an organism, environment, or cellular process that requires oxygen

Question 20

Age Structure

Answer 20

The relative number of individuals of each age in a population

Question 21

Agnathan

Answer 21

A member of a jawless class of vertebrates represented by the lampreys and hagfishes

Question 22

Agnostic Behavior

Answer 22

A type of behavior involving a contest if some kind that determines which competition gains access to some resource, such as food or mates

Question 23

Abscisic Acid (ABA)

Answer 23

A plant hormone that generally acts to inhibit growth, promote dormancy, and help the plant tolerate stressful conditions