Exam Revision 2017 Flashcards
Organism
An individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
Species
A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding
Population
A community of animals, plants, or humans among whose members interbreeding occurs.
Community
A group of interdependent plants or animals growing or living together in natural conditions or occupying a specified habitat
Producer
A person or thing that makes or causes something
Consumer
A person or thing that eats or uses something.
Decomposer
An organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material
Autotroph
An organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.
Heterotroph
An organism deriving its nutritional requirements from complex organic substances.
Herbivore
An animal that feeds on plants.
Carnivore
An animal that feeds on other animals.
Omnivore
An animal or person that eats a variety of food of both plant and animal origin.
Symbiotic
Involving interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association.
Parasitism
The practice of living as a parasite on or with another animal or organism.
Mutualism
Symbiosis which is beneficial to both organisms involved.
Commensalism
An association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
Interspecific
Existing or occurring between different species
Intraspecific
Produced, occurring, or existing within a species or between individuals of a single species.
Photosynthesis
The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water
Chloroplast
A plastid in green plant cells which contains chlorophyll and in which photosynthesis takes place.
Food Chain
A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food
Food Web
A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
Trophic Levels
Each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, consisting of organisms sharing the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy
Carrying Capacity
The number of people, animals, or crops which a region can support without environmental degradation
Nucleus
The central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth
Proton
A stable subatomic particle occurring in all atomic nuclei, with a positive electric charge equal in magnitude to that of an electron
Neutron
A subatomic particle of about the same mass as a proton but without an electric charge, present in all atomic nuclei except those of ordinary hydrogen
Electron
A stable subatomic particle with a charge of negative electricity, found in all atoms and acting as the primary carrier of electricity in solids.
Isotope
Each of two or more forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and hence differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties; in particular, a radioactive form of an element
Mass Number
The total number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus.
Atomic Number
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which is characteristic of a chemical element and determines its place in the periodic table
Radioisotope
A radioactive isotope.
Alpha Particle
A helium nucleus emitted by some radioactive substances, originally regarded as a ray.
Beta Particle
A fast-moving electron emitted by radioactive decay of substances (originally regarded as rays).
Gamma Ray
Penetrating electromagnetic radiation of a kind arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei.
Half-Life
The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value.
Product
A substance produced during a natural, chemical, or manufacturing process
Reactant
A substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction.
Exothermic
(of a reaction or process) Accompanied by the release of heat.
Endothermic
(of a reaction or process) Accompanied by or requiring the absorption of heat.
Acid
A substance with particular chemical properties including turning litmus red, neutralizing alkalis, and dissolving some metals; typically, a corrosive or sour-tasting liquid of this kind.
Base
A substance capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt and water, or (more broadly) of accepting or neutralizing hydrogen ions.
Alkali
A compound with particular chemical properties including turning litmus blue and neutralizing or effervescing with acids; typically, a caustic or corrosive substance of this kind such as lime or soda.
Universal Indicator
A mixture of dyes that changes colour gradually over a range of pH and is used (especially as indicator paper) in testing for acids and alkalis.
Combustion
Rapid chemical combination of a substance with oxygen, involving the production of heat and light.
Electric Circuit
A complete and closed path around which a circulating electric current can flow.
Current
A flow of electricity which results from the ordered directional movement of electrically charged particles
Static
(of an electric charge) Having gathered on or in an object that cannot conduct a current.
Resistance
The degree to which a substance or device opposes the passage of an electric current, causing energy dissipation. By Ohm’s law resistance (measured in ohms) is equal to the voltage divided by the current
Battery
A container consisting of one or more cells, in which chemical energy is converted into electricity and used as a source of power.
Cell
A unit in a device for converting chemical or solar energy into electricity.
Switch
A device for making and breaking the connection in an electric circuit.
Ammeter
An instrument for measuring electric current in amperes.
Voltmeter
An instrument for measuring electric potential in volts.
Voltage
An electromotive force or potential difference expressed in volts.
Parallel
Of or denoting electrical components or circuits connected to common points at each end, rather than one to another in sequence.
