Biology Definitions Flashcards
Balanced diet
A diet containing the right amount of food from the six types of food
Digestion
The breakdown of food into small pieces
Absorption
Digested food passing into the bloodstream
Peristaltis
Waves of muscular action to push food down the oesophagus
Chemical digestion
Breakdown of food using enzymes
Physical digestion
Breakdown of food using teeth etc.
Enzyme
Proteins made in body which speed up chemical reactions without being used up
Substrate
Substance that the enzyme acts on
Product
Substance produced as result of an enzyme
Response
Reaction to a stimulus in the environment
Respiration
Process of releasing energy from food
Aerobic respiration
Uses oxygen to release energy from food
Ecology
Study of relationships between plants and animals in their natural habitat
Ecosystem
All the plants and animals in an area interacting with each other in their environment
Decomposers
Organisms that feed on dead plants and animals
Food chains
Lists of organisms in which each organism is eaten by the next one in the chain
Adaptation
A structure or habit that helps an organism to survive in its habitat
Interdependence
How living living things depend on each other for survival
Conservation
Protection and management of natural resources to prevent livings things from becoming extinct
Sensory system
Makes us aware of our surroundings and allows us to respond
Stimulus
Causes us to take an action called a response
Joint
Where bones meet
Synovial fluid
A liquid that allows joints to move more freely
Cartilage
This covers the ends of bones and reduces friction
Tendons
Connects muscles to bones
Ligaments
Connect bone to bone
Antagonistic pairs
Two muscles which pull together in separate directions
Puberty
The time in a persons life when they become sexually mature
Reproduction
The production of new individuals
Gametes
Sex cells
Umbilical cord
Connects placenta to baby at the bellybutton
Ejaculation
Release of semen from the penis
Contraception
The prevention of fertilisation
Implantation
The group of cells burying themselves in the lining of the uterus
Photosynthesis
The way in which green plants make their own food
Stomata
Tiny openings on the undersides of leaves
Xylem
Tubes through the stem of a plant that water and dissolved minerals go through
Phloem
Tubes that food travel through
Chlorophyll
A green pigment made by plants that absorbs light
Tropism
A change in the growth of a plant in response to a stimulus
Phototropism
The change in growth of a plant in response to light
Geotropism
The change in growth of a plant in response to gravity
Transpiration
The loss of water from a plant
Transpiration stream
The flow of water from the roots of the stands and into the leaves
Pollination
The transfer of pollen grains from an anther to a stigma
Fertilisation in plants
The union of the nucleus of the pollen grain with the nucleus of an egg
Germination
The resumption of growth after a period of dormancy
Asexual reproduction
The formation of new individuals from the cells of a single parent
Biotechnology
The use of living things or parts of living things to make useful products
Micro organisms
Small living things also known as microbes
Antibiotics
Chemicals made by microorganisms which kill or prevent the growth of bacteria
Microbiology
The study of microorganisms
Viruses
The smallest micro organisms that can exist
Chromosomes
Thread like structures made of DNA and protein found in the nucleus of cells
Genetics
The study of how traits or characteristics are inherited
Genes
Short sections of DNA on chromosomes
