vocab 1 Flashcards
cell
The smallest biological unit capable of carrying out all of the fundamental activities of life. The basic unit of struc-
ture and function of any living thing.
Cell Membrane
The thin, flexible layer that surrounds a cell and which controls all that enters and leaves the cell.
Cell Wall
In plant and bacterial cells, the outermost non-living cellulose layer that surrounds the entire cell, including the cell membrane.
Centriole
In animal cells, a structure outside the nucleus that organizes the spindle fibers during cell reproduction.
Centrosome
Another name for the centriole.
Chlorophyll
A green pigment found in the chloroplasts of plant cells that is essential for photosynthesis.
Chloroplasts
The chlorophyll-containing organelles found in the cytoplasm of plant and algae cells.
Chromatin
The coils of DNA and protein that condense to form chromosomes. Chromatin can be thought of as chromo-
somes with no distinct shape.
Chromosomes
Distinct wormlike cell structures formed from chromatin during cell reproduction.
Contractile Vacuoles
Large sacs found in the cells of certain protozoans that remove the water that has accumulated inside the cell by pumping it to the outside of the cell.
Cilia
Hairlike structures found on the outside of certain cells. The protozoans called ciliates use cilia to propel them-
selves through the water in which they live.
Cytoplasm
That part of a cell’s protoplasm that lies outside of its nucleus.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
A large and very complex biochemical that stores the information needed to construct proteins and that carries the genetic information about an organism.
DNA
The abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid.
Endoplasmic Reticulum
The intricate system of tubes leading from the nuclear membrane into the cytoplasm that is involved in transporting proteins.
