Life Science Flashcards
Algae
Primitive. Range single cell - huge seaweed. Inhabit lakes/oceans
Fungi
Primitive. Molds yeast mushrooms. Lack chlorophyll. Cannot make food. Either parasites eating other food. Or saprophytes living off waste/decay.
Ferns
Advanced. Lack seeds and reproduce by spores which develop without fertilization
Gymnosperms
Advanced. Male pollen grains carried to the female ovule by winds and insects. Cone bearing. With seeds exposed.
Angiosperms
Advanced. Flowering plants that bear seeds within fruits.
Photosynthesis
Metabolic pathway that converts light energy into chemical energy.
Convert CO2 and H2O into simple sugars.
Chlorophyll
A green colored magnesium containing pigment. Needed for photosynthesis. Usually present in ant leaves and other parts as well.
Cell
The smallest amount of living matter. A bit of organic material that is the unit of structure and function for all organisms.
Nucleus
Membrane enclosed organelle found in all eukaryotic cells. Contains most of a cells genetic DNA
Chloroplasts
Organelles found in plant cells and eukaryotic algae thats conduct photosynthesis. Absorb light and use it with H2O
5 plant groups
Algae Fungi Ferns Gymnosperms Angiosperms
Mitochondrion
Cellular power plants generate most of the cells supply of adenosine triphosphate.
Digestion
Breaking down of chemicals in the body into a form that can be absorbed. The majority of digestion and absorption occurs in the small intestine. Absorption in stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Process finish with defecation.
Circulatory system
An organ system that moves nutrients, gases, and wastes to and from cells. Helps fight diseases and stabilizes body temp and pH to maintain homeostasis.
Sensory system
Includes those specialized structures that initiate a nerve impulse after being affected by the environment.
Nervous system
Is composed of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves that extend throughout the body
Neuron
A nerve cell with short dendrites that carry electrical impulses to the cell body, and a long axon, the outgoing fiber along which the impulse is transmitted further.
Hindbrain
(Cerebellum and medulla oblongata) operates unconsciously and automatically to regulate vital functions like circulation, respiration, excretion, and muscle tension.
Cerebrum
Is the largest part of the brain. It receives information from the senses and makes conscious decisions.
Ecology
The study of living organisms
Adaptation
A characteristic of an organism that has been favored by natural selection and increases the fitness of its possessor. Structural behavioral or physiological.
Food chain
Producers Primary consumers (herbivores) Secondary consumers Tertiary consumers Decomposers
Producers
Organisms in an ecosystem that produce biomass from inorganic compounds (autotrophs). Producers are green plants in an ecosystem that can make their own food through photosynthesis.
Primary consumers (herbivores)
Plant eaters. Can range in size
Secondary consumers
Carnivores. Feed on primary consumers. Meat eaters
Tertiary consumers
Organisms that feed on smaller primary and secondary consumers.
Decomposers
Organisms that consume dead organisms. Heterotrophic, they use organic substrates to get their energy, carbon, and nutrients for growth and development. Primary decomposers: bacteria and fungi
Meiosis
A process of reductional division in which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half. Always results in the formation of gametes. Needed for sexual reproduction.
Mitosis
Cell division is the division of the parent cell’s genome into two daughter cells.
Genome
Is composed of a number of chromosomes that contain genetic information vital for proper cell function.
Stages of mitosis
Interphase Prophase Metaphase Anaphase Telophase
