Biology Definitions Flashcards
What is a pathogen?
A micro-organism that causes disease.
What is correlation?
A change in one variable is reflected by a change in another.
e.g. increase of cancer rates as No. of cigarettes smoked increases
What is transmission?
Passing a pathogen from one individual to another.
What is cause?
There is experimental evidence to prove one factor causes another.
What is risk?
A measure of the probability that damage to health will occur as a result of a given hazard.
What are lifestyle factors?
Lifestyle factors are those factors that are affected by the lifestyle of a person.
e.g. addiction of substances, eating behaviours
What is digestion?
The physical and chemical breakdown of food.
What is hydrolysis?
The splitting up of molecules by adding water to them.
Enzymes do this to help the breakdown of molecules
What is assimilation?
Incorporating broken down molecules into body tissues/using them in processes.
What is a monomer?
One of many small molecules that combine to form a larger one.
What is a polymer?
A larger molecule made up of repeating smaller molecules.
What is a condensation reaction?
When two monosaccharides combine, water is removed.
What is a glycoside bond?
The bond in a disaccharide.
What is a peptide bond?
The bod between two amino acids in a protein - formed by a condensation reaction
What is a polypeptide?
A long chain of amino acids
What is an enzyme substrate complex?
Formed when an enzyme and a substrate fit together and form temporary bonds.
What is denaturation?
Permanent changes in the strucure of a protein; enzyme’s active site changes shape so the substrate no longer fits.
What is a non-competitive inhibitor?
A molecule that binds to the enzyme at a position other than the active site.
What is cell fractionation?
The process by which cells are broken up and the organelles separated out
What are prokaryotic cells?
Cells that lack a nucleus and any membrane-bound organelles
What are eukaryotic cells?
Cells that have a nucleus, chromosomes and other membrane-bound organelles
What is hydrophillic?
Attracted to water
