C Flashcards
Capillary
The smallest blood vessel with walls only one cell thick. Substances are exchanged through capillary walls between blood and tissue fluid.
Cancer
A disease resulting from the uncontrolled division of cells in one or more parts of the body.
Carbohydrase
An enzyme that digests carbohydrates to simple sugars, e.g. amylase digests starch to sugars.
Carbohydrate
A class of food substances that provides energy, e.g. starch and glucose. Composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Carbon cycle
the flow of carbon compounds through plants, animals , decomposers and their environment
Carbon dioxide
The gas produced as a waste product during respiration and absorbed by plants, and used during photosynthesis to make simple sugars.
Carnivore
An animal that eats other animals - a meat-eater.
Carrier
(1) an individual who has a recessive allele for a genetic disease and can transmit it to the next generation; (2) a person who is infected by the pathogen for an infectious disease, does not have the symptoms of the disease, but is able to transmit it to others
catalyst.
Catalyst
A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction and is not changed by the reaction.
Cell
Structural and functional unit of living organisms. All organisms are composed of cells. Viruses are not.
Cell membrane
The boundary of the cell which controls the the materials that pass into and out of it.
Cell sap
The liquid that fills the vacuole of a plant cell.
Cell wall
The outer layer of a plant cell made of cellulose, which supports the cell and gives it shape.
Cellulose
A complex carbohydrate that makes up the cell walls of plant cells.
Central nervous system
Brain and spinal cord.
Chemical Digestion
The breakdown of large, insoluble molecules into small, soluble molecules.
Chlorophyll
The green pigment found in many plant cells that absorbs light for photosynthesis.
Chloroplast
Small structure containing chlorophyll that is found in plant cells. Carries out photosynthesis.
Cholera
An intestinal disease caused by a bacterium.
Cholesterol
A lipid-based chemical made in the liver and found in the blood. high levels of cholesterol in the blood are linked to an increased risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Chromosome
A thread-like structure made up of genes. they are found inside the nucleus and are visible only when a cell is dividing.
Cilium
A tiny process found on cells that line some tubular organs, e.g. airways and oviducts (plural:cilia). in the airways, they beat to move dust and microbes out of the lungs and up to the throat.
Ciliary muscle
A muscle in the eye that controls the shape of the lens during focussing.
Circulatory system
The organ system made up of blood vessels and the heart that transports blood. mammals have a double circulation with blood passing through the heart twice in one circuit of the body.
Classify
To sort living organisms into groups according to features they have in common.
Clone
An organism that is genetically identical to its parents.
Clotting
A series of chemical reactions that cause blood cells to stick together. at a wound this stops the loss of blood and results in the formation of a scab.
Codominance
The existence of two alleles for a particular characteristic where neither is dominant over the other and both are expressed in heterozygous individuals.
Colon
The part of the alimentary canal between the small intestine and the rectum where the absorption of water occurs.
Community
All the animals, plants and microorganisms that are found in a particular habitat.
Competition
Contest between organisms for resources such as food, water and mates.
Compost
Decaying plant remains used as a source of nutrients in gardens.
Concentration gradient
The difference in concentration of a substance between two places, e.g. either side of a cell membrane, between air in the alveolus and blood in the lungs.
Cone
A sensory cell in the retina of the eye that responds to light of high intensity and detects colour.
Constipation
A condition where compacted faeces are difficult to pass out of the body.
Consumer
An organism that gains its energy by feeding on other organisms.
Continuous variation
Variation in a feature that shows a range of phenotypes between two extremes with many intermediates, e.g. human height.
Contraception
Any method of birth control that prevents fertilisation.
Contraceptive
Any device or substance that prevents fertilisation.
Coronary arteries
Arteries that branch from the aorta to supply oxygenated blood to heart muscle.
Cornea
The transparent layer at the front of the eye which helps to refract light rays onto the retina.
Coronary heart disease
Heart disease caused by blockage of coronary arteries that supply heart muscle with blood.
Cotyledon
Part of the embryo flowering plant - a seed leaf. in many plants cotyledons are food stores for the embryo.
Cross-pollination
The transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the stigma of a flower on a different plant of the same species.
Cuticle
The waxy covering of the epidermis in plant stems and leaves that reduces the loss of water by transpiration.
Crystic fibrosis
An inherited disease affecting the lungs and the digestive system, caused by a faulty, recessive allele.
Cytoplasm
Jelly-like contents of the cell not including the nucleus.
