Unit 1 - Characteristics of Life Flashcards
Metabolism
The chemical processes that break down or build up materials.
Homeostasis
The maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism.
Adaptation
An inherited trait that gives an advantage to an individual organisms and is passed on to future generations.
Independent Variable
A condition that is manipulated, or changed, by a scientist.
Dependent Variable
The experimental data.
Quantitative Data
Numeric measurements.
Qualitative Data
Descriptions in words of what is being observed.
Prokaryotic cell
No nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles.
Eukaryotic cell
Have nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
aids in the production of proteins and lipids.
Golgi Apparatus
The Golgi apparatus modifies, packages, and transports proteins.
Mitochondria
Bean shaped and have two membranes. The inner membrane has many folds that greatly increase its surface area.
Chloroplast
Chloroplasts are organelles that help a plant convert solar energy to chemical energy.
Ionic Bond
An ionic bond forms through the electrical force between oppositely charged ions.
Covalent Bond
A chemical bond formed when electrons are shared between two atoms.
Monomer
Small molecules or subunits of an entire molecule.
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule, or macromolecule, made of many monomers bonded together.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and they include sugars and starches.
Lipid
Lipids are nonpolar molecules that include fats, oils, and cholesterol.
Protein
Proteins are the most varied of the carbon-based molecules in organisms.
Nucleic Acid
Polymers that are made up of monomers called nucleotides.
Catalyst
A catalyst is a substance that decreases the activation energy needed to start a chemical reaction and, as a result, also increases the rate of the chemical reaction.
Enzyme
Enzymes are catalysts for chemical reactions in living things.
Levels of Organization
How complex organisms are organized, from least to most complex. Atom, molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism
