Key Terms Flashcards
Abundance
A measure of how common or rare a particular type of organism is in a given environment
Activation energy
The minimum amount of energy needed for a given chemical reaction to take place
Active site
The site on an enzyme where the reactants bond
Active transport
The movement of substances from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution against a concentration gradient, requiring energy from respiration
Adaptations
Special features that make an organism particularly prepared for living in the certain environment where it lives
ADH
Anti-Diuretic hormone that helps control the water balance of the body and affects the amount of urine produced by the kidney
Aerobic respiration
An exothermic in which glucose in broken down using oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water and release energy for the cells
Algae
Simple aquatic organisms (protista) that make their own food by photosynthesis
Alleles
Different forms of the same gene sometimes referred to as variants
Alveoli
Tiny air sacs in the lungs that increase the surface area for gaseous exchange
Amino acids
Molecules made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen that are the building blocks of proteins
Amylase
Enzyme that speeds up the digestion of starch into sugars
Anaerobic respiration
An exothermic reaction in which glucose in taken and broken down in the absence of oxygen to produce lactic acids in animals and ethanol and carbon dioxide in yeast and plants. The amount of energy released by this in comparison to aerobic respiration is very little
Aorta
The artery that leaves the heart from the left ventricle and carries oxygenated blood to the body
Aphids
Insects that penetrate the plant phloem and feed on the dissolved food. They act as plant pathogens and are also vectors that carry pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and fungi into healthy plant tissues
