Term Test 1

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

variation of life at all levels of biological organization

Question 2

Chlorophyll

Answer 2

a pigment molecule that is produced by green plants that absorbs light energy, aiding in its conversion to chemical energy

Question 3

Chloroplast

Answer 3

the cell organelle that conducts photosynthesis

Question 4

Ecosystem

Answer 4

a community of living organisms, their physical environment and their interactions

Question 5

Heterotroph

Answer 5

organisms that cannot produce their own food and meet their nutritional needs by consuming other organisms in the food chain

Question 6

Photoautotroph

Answer 6

organisms that use light energy to synthesis their own food

Question 7

Photosynthesis

Answer 7

the process by which light energy is converted to chemical energy

Question 8

Plant blindness

Answer 8

the inability to see or notice plants in one’s environment

Question 9

Archaeology

Answer 9

the scientific study of material remains and artifacts from historic and prehistoric peoples

Question 10

Abscission

Answer 10

the natural process of shedding or detaching plant parts such as leaves, flowers or seeds

Question 11

Domestication traits

Answer 11

a suite of physical and genomic characteristics that mark a domesticated plant’s divergence from its wild ancestor(s) and that are desirable to farmers or consumers

Question 12

Evolution

Answer 12

a process that results in heritable genetic and physical changes in a population over successive generations.

Question 13

Genetic bottleneck

Answer 13

a reduction in the genetic diversity of a population due to a sharp decrease in population size

Question 14

Proxies

Answer 14

indirect evidence used by scientists to infer something about a place/object/process from the past that they cannot measure directly

Question 15

Wild crop relatives

Answer 15

wild plants that are closely related to or direct ancestors of crop plants

Question 16

Crops

Answer 16

Cultivated plants that are grown to produce a large amount of food

Question 17

Cereal crops

Answer 17

Grain-producing plants such as maize, rice and wheat

Question 18

Staple crops

Answer 18

The main part of the food that makes up a large portion of the daily diet for many people

Question 19

Carbohydrates

Answer 19

The sugars made during photosynthesis that supply and store energy

Question 20

Tubers

Answer 20

A fleshy underground stem such as potato composed of many starch-filled cells

Question 21

Lignin

Answer 21

a polymer that strengthens the secondary cell walls of vascular plants. It is the second most abundant polymer after cellulose

Question 22

Fibres

Answer 22

A long slender plant cell with thick secondary cell walls that are heavily reinforced with lignin

Question 23

Fossil fuels

Answer 23

Fuels that derived from remains of ancient plants and animals

Question 24

Biofuels

Answer 24

Fuels made from plants or plant parts that were recently alive

Question 25

Bioactive compound

Answer 25

a substance produced by food plants in small amounts that can have human health benefits

Question 26

Metabolism

Answer 26

the chemical reactions or processes that occur within a living organism and are required to sustain life

Question 27

Metabolite

Answer 27

substance or compound that is a product of metabolism

Question 28

Natural health product

Answer 28

natural products, often plant-based, considered dietary supplements that may or may not have medicinal properties and/or health benefits

Question 29

Pesticide

Answer 29

any substance used to repel or kill unwanted plants or animals that are considered pests

Question 30

Pharmacologically active

Answer 30

a substance or compound that alters normal body chemistry

Question 31

Psychoactive compound

Answer 31

a substance that acts primarily on the central nervous system and can alter brain function, changing our perceptions of and/or interactions with our surroundings