Chapter 1 Bio Vocab Flashcards
Organism
A living entity; an entity that has sufficient qualities of life to be considered “alive”
Biology
The study of life
Unicellular Organism
Any organism that is composed of a single cell
Multicellular Organism
Any organism that is composed of many cells, often involving many types of cells
Cell Structure
Term that refers to forms or molecular arrangements that physically create the cell
Cell Function
Term that refers to the job that a cell performs or how a cell performs its job
Differentiation
Developmental process of cells becoming different from one another
Homeostasis
Maintenance of a steady internal state within a cell or organism
Stimulus
An event, external to a cell or organism, that initiates a response
Response
In a cell or organism, an event or series of events that follows a stimulus
Energy
The ability to do work or to cause change
Reproduction
The creation of offspring by an organism
Inheritance
The passing on of traits from and individual to its offspring
Gene
A segment of DNA that contains the code for production of one polypeptide
Asexual Reproduction
Reproduction involving a single parent and resulting in offspring that are identical to their parent and to each other
Sexual Reproduction
Reproduction involving the joining of two cells to form the first cell of the new offspring; usually involves two parents
Fertilization
The joining of two gametes (egg and sperm) to form the first cell of a new offspring
Zygote
The first cell of a new offspring that resulted from the joining of two gametes
Hermaphrodite
A single organism that contains both male and female sexual organs
Adaption
Ann inherited trait that helps an organism to survive in its environment
Evolution
The gradual change in a species over time
Natural Selection
Term to describe the mechanism of evolution whereby nature chooses which forms of an organism survive to reproduce and pas their traits on to the next generation
Ecology
The study of the interactions among organisms with each other and with their physical environments
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
Photosynthesis
Process by which an organism converts light energy to chemical energy and stores the chemical energy in glucose (food)
Autotrophs
Organisms that can use some energy source to convert inorganic materials into food molecules; “self-feeders”
Cellular Respiration
Process by which an organism releases energy from food molecules and transfers the energy to ATP for cell use
Heterotrophs
Organisms that must consume other living things (as food) for a source of energy
Law of Conservation of Energy
Scientific law that states that, during chemical reactions, energy is neither created nor destroyed
Law of Conservation of Matter
Scientific law that states that, during chemical reactions, matter is neither created nor destroyed
Cell
The basic unit of structure and function in a living organism; the smallest unit that performs the functions of life
Eukaryotic Cell
Cell that contains a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
Prokaryotic Cell
Cell that lacks a true nucleus and also lacks membrane-bound organelles
Metabolism
The sum of all of the chemical/biochemical reactions in an organism
Growth
The biological process of cells/organisms becoming larger and/or maturing
Development
The series of events that occur as an organism matures from its first form to its mature form
Microscope
A tool that is used to create an enlarged image of a specimen
Magnification
A factor of enlargement of an image (e.g., 10x)
Resolution
Ability to see that two closely-positioned points are separate points
Light Microscope
Microscope that uses light to create an image
Compound Light Microscope
Light microscope that uses multiple lenses to magnify an image and typically involves light passing through the specimen
Stage
Horizontal surface on which a slide/specimen is placed for viewing
Ocular lens
On a microscope, a lens that is closest to the eye; one looks directly into the ocular lens
Objective lens
On a microscope, a lens that is closest to the specimen
Revolving Nose-Piece
On a microscope with multiple objective lenses, the part that holds these lenses and can rotate to move different lenses into viewing position
Arm/Neck
On a microscope, the portion to which the ocular lens/es are attached and by which one typically carries the microscope
Diaphragm
On a light microscope, the part that varies the amount of light that can pass through the specimen; the diaphragm may be iris-style or a plate with distinct holes
Dissecting Light Microscope
A light microscope that reflects light off of the surface of a specimen and typically has relatively low magnification options
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
A type of microscope which creates an image by reflecting electrons off of the surface of a specimen; very high magnifications and resolutions are typical
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
A type of microscope which creates an image by passing electrons through a very thin section of a specimen; very high magnifications and resolutions are typical
Scanning-Tunneling Microscope
A computerized imaging machine that detects electrons clouds around atoms on the surface of a specimen and creates the image using information about the electrons
Phase Contrast Microscope
Type of microscope that can change the phase of light coming through a specimen and thereby show greater contrast between different areas than a standard light microscope could do
Cell Culture
Growth of particular cell types in a laboratory, separate from the complete organism
Cell Fractionation
The breaking open of cells in order to collect and/or study the individual structures from the cell’s interior
Centrifugation
Process of separating small particles (even molecules) based on their weight and density; involves spinning the initial mixture at high speed in a tube so that heavier particles end up farther from the center of the spin
Chromatography
Process of separating molecules based on their differing solubilities in a given solvent; the molecules and the solvent are allowed to move along a matrix, and the molecules that dissolved the best travel the farthest
Gel Electrophoresis
Process of separating molecules (often DNA or RNA) in a gel; the molecules follow an electric current, and larger molecules become tangled in the gel sooner and do not travel as far as smaller molecules that move more easily through the gel
Data
Recorded observations, singular form = datum
Qualitative Data
Recorded observations in the form of descriptions or qualities
Quantitative Data
Recorded observations in the form of counts or measurements (numerical)
Observation
Information gathered by using one’s senses
Sampling
Data collection on a small number of individuals that represent a much larger group
Hypothesis
A statement predicting the outcome of an experiment
Prediction
An “If-then” statement; e.g., If the sun comes out, then the temperature will rise.
Experiment
A controlled test of a hypothesis
Control Group
Experimental set-up that will serve as a basis of comparison to all other set-ups of the experiment
Experimental Group
Experimental set-up that differs from the control group in the independent variable
Significant (Results)
Term to indicate that the pattern of results from an experiment did NOT occur by chance
Independent Variable
In an experiment, the condition that the researcher changes or allows to change (e.g., time); change in this variable is not caused by change in another variable
Dependent Variable
In an experiment, the condition that responds to changes in the independent variable
Model
A representation of a complex phenomenon; may be visual, 3-D, mathematical, or verbal
Inference
A conclusion, based on observations, about some phenomenon that is not directly observed
Theory
A statement of explanation about some phenomenon that has been supported by extensive evidence
Meter (m)
Standard base unit for measuring length; abbreviation is lower case m
Gram (g)
Standard base unit for measuring mass; abbreviation is lowercase g
Second (s)
Standard base unit for measuring time; abbreviation is lowercase s
Liter (L)
Non-standard base unit for measuring volume; abbreviation is uppercase L
Mega (M)
Prefix meaning million or 10^6; abbreviation is upper case M
Kilo (k)
Prefix meaning thousand or 10^3; abbreviation is lower case k
Hecto (h)
Prefix meaning hundred or 10^2; abbreviation is lower case h
Deka (da)
Prefix meaning ten or 10^1; abbreviation is lower case ‘da’
Deci (d)
Prefix meaning on tenth or 10^-1; abbreviation is lowercase d
Centi (c)
Prefix meaning one hundredth or 10^-2; abbreviation is lower case c
Milli (m)
Prefix meaning one thousandth or 10^-3; abbreviation is lowercase m
Micro (μ)
Prefix meaning one millionth or 10^-6; abbreviation is lower case Greek mu (μ)
Scientific Notation
The expression of a numerical value as a product of some number that is greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10 times a power of 10.
Ex.: 1234 is properly expressed in scientific notation as 1.234 x 10^3
Nano (n)
Prefix meaning one billionth or 10^-9. Symbol is a lowercase n.
Pico (p)
Prefix meaning one trillionth or 10^-12. Symbol is a lowercase p
