Module 1 Flashcards
Define “Metabolism”.
The sum total of all processes in an organism which convert energy and matter from outside sources and use that energy and matter to sustain the organism’s life functions.
Define “Anabolism”.
The sum total of all processes in an organism which use energy and simple chemical building blocks to produce large chemicals and structures necessary for life.
Define “Catabolism”.
The sum total of all processes in an organism which break down chemicals to produce energy and simple chemical building blocks.
Define “photosynthesis”.
The process by which green plants and some other organisms use the energy of sunlight and simple chemicals to produce their own food.
Define “Herbivores”.
Organisms that eat only plants.
Define “Carnivores”.
Organisms that eat only organisms other than plants.
Define “Omnivores”.
Organisms that eat both plants and other organisms.
Define “Producers”.
Organisms that produce their own food.
Define “Consumers”.
Organisms that eat living producers and/or other consumers for food.
Define “Decomposers”.
Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms.
Define “Autotrophs”.
Organisms that can make their own food.
Define “Heterotrophs”.
Organisms that depend on other organisms for food.
Define “receptors”.
Special structures that allow living organisms to sense the conditions of their internal or external environment.
Define “Asexual reproduction”.
Reproduction accomplished by a single organism.
Define “Sexual reproduction”.
Reproduction that requires two organisms.
Define inheritance”.
The process by which physical and biological characteristics are transmitted from the parents to the offspring.
Define “Mutation”.
An abrupt and marked change in the DNA of an organism compared to that of its parents.
Define “Hypothesis”.
An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question.
Define “Theory”.
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data.
Define “Scientific Law”.
A theory that has been tested by and is consistent with generations of data.
Define “Microorganisms”.
Living creatures that are too small to see with the naked eye.
Define “Abiogenesis”.
The idea that long ago, very simple life forms spontaneously appeared through chemical reactions.
Define “prokaryotic cell”.
A cell that has no distinct, membrane-bounded organelles.
Define “eukaryotic cell”.
A cell with distinct, membrane-bounded organelles.
