Apologia Flashcards
Abiogenesis
The idea that long ago, very simple life forms spontaneously appeared through chemical reactions.
Receptors
Special structures that allow living organisms to sense the conditions of their internal or external environment.
Metabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which convert energy and matter from outside sources and use that energy and matter to sustain the organism’s life functions.
Anabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which use energy and simple chemical building blocks to produce large chemicals and structures necessary for life.
Catabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which break down chemicals to produce energy and simple chemical building blocks
Prokaryotic cell
A cell that has no distinct, membrane-bounded organelles
Eukaryotic cell
A cell with distinct, membrane-bounded organelles.
Species
A unit of one or more populations of individuals that can reproduce under normal conditions, produce fertile offspring, and are reproductively isolated from other such units.
Autotrophs
Make their own food.
Pathogen
An organism that causes disease
Saprophyte
An organism that feeds on dead matter
Parasite
an organism that feeds on a living host
Aerobic Organism
an organism that requires oxygen
Anaerobic Organism
An organism that does not require oxygen
Steady State
A state in which members of a population die as quickly as new members are born
Exponential growth
Population growth that is unhindered because of the abundance of resources for an ever-increasing population
Logistic growth
population growth that is controlled by limited resources
Conjugation
a temporary union of two organisms for the purpose of DNA transfer
Plasmid
A small, circular section of extra DNA that confers one or more traits to a bacterium and can be reproduced separately from the main bacterial genetic code
Transformation
The transfer of a DNA segment form a nonfunctional donor cell to that of a functional recipient cell
Transduction
The process in which infection by a virus results in DNA being transferred from one bacterium to another
Endospore
The DNA and other essential parts of a bacterium coated with several hard layers
Strains
Organisms from the same species that have markedly different traits
Pseudopod
A temporary, foot-like extension of a cell, used for locomotion or engulfing food
Nucleus
The region of a eukaryotic cell that contains the cell’s main DNA
Vacuole
A membrane-bounded “sac” within a cell
Ectoplasm
The thin, watery cytoplasm near that plasma membrane of some cells
Endoplasm
the dense cytoplasm found in the interior of many cells
Flagellate
a protozoan that propels itself with a flagellum
Pellicle
a firm, flexible coating outside the plasma membrane
Chloroplast
An organelle containing chlorophyll for photosynthesis
Chlorophyll
A pigment necessary for photosynthesis
Eyespot
A light-sensitive region in certain protozoa
Symbiosis
A close relationship between two or more species where at least one benefits
Mutualism
A relationship between two ore more organisms of different species where all benefit from the association
Commensalism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefitted
Parasitism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed
Cilia
hairlike projections that extend from the plasma membrane and are used for locomotion
Spore
a reproductive cell with hard, protective coating
Plankton
Tiny organisms that float in the water
Zooplankton
Tiny floating organisms that are either small animals or protozoa
Phytoplankton
TIny floating photosynthetic organisms, primarily algae
Thallus
The body of a plant-like organism that is not divided into leaves, roots, or stems
Cellulose
a substance (made of sugars) that is common in the cell walls of many organisms
Holdfast
A special structure used by an organism to anchor itself
Sessile Colony
a colony that uses holdfasts to anchor itself to an object
Extracellular digestion
digestion that takes place outside of the cell
Mycelium
The part of the fungus responsible for extracellular digestion and absorption of the digested food
Hypha
a filament of fungal cells
Rhizoid hypha
a hypha that is imbedded in the material on which the fungus grows
Aerial hypha
a hypha that is not imbedded in the material upon which the fungus grows
Sporophore
specialized aerial hypha that produces spores
Stolon
an aerial hypha that asexually reproduces to make more filaments
Haustorium
A hypha of a parasitic fungus that enters the host’s cells, absorbing nutrition directly from the cytoplasm
Chitin
a chemical that provides both toughness and flexibility
Membrane
a thin covering of tissue
Fermentation
the anaerobic breakdown of sugars into smaller molecules
Zygospore
a zygote surrounded by a hard, protective covering
Zygote
the result of a sexual reproduction when each parent contributes half of the DNA necessary for the offspring
Antibiotic
A chemical secreted by a living organism that kills or reduces the reproduction rate of other organisms
Matter
Anything that has mass and takes up space
Model
an explanation or representation of something that cannot be seen
element
a collection of atoms that all have the same numbers of protons
molecules
chemicals that result from atoms linking together
Physical change
a change that affects the appearance but not the chemical makeup of a substance
Chemical change
A change that alters the makeup of the elements or molecules of a substance
phase
one of three forms — solid, liquid, or gas — which every substance is capable of attaining
Diffusion
the random motion of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
concentration
a measurement of how much solute exists within a certain volume of solvent
Semipermeable membrane
a membrane that allows some molecules to pass through but does not allow other molecules to pass through
Osmosis
the tendency of a solvent to travel across a semipermeable membrane into areas of higher solute concentration
catalyst
a substance that alters the speed of a chemical reaction but is not used up in the process
organic molecule
a molecule that contains only carbon and any of the following: hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and/or phosphorous
Biosynthesis
The process by which living organisms produce larger molecules form smaller ones
Isomers
Two different molecules that have the same chemical formula
Monosaccharides
simple carbohydrates that contain 3 to 10 carbon atoms
Disaccharides
Carbohydrates that are made up of two monosaccharides
Polysaccharides
carbohydrates that are made up of more than two monosaccharides
Dehydration reaction
a chemical reaction in which molecules combine by removing water
Hydrolysis
Breaking down complex molecules by the chemical addition of water
Hydrophobic
Lacking any affinity to water
Saturated fat
a lipid made from fatty acids that have no double bonds between carbon atoms
Unsaturated fat
a lipid made form fatty acids that have at least one double bond between carbon atoms
Peptide bond
a bond that links amino acids together in a protein
Hydrogen bond
A strong attraction between hydrogen atoms and certain other atoms (usually oxygen or nitrogen) in a specific molecules
