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bio- semester 2 final > vocab > Flashcards

vocab Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

abiotic factor

A

nonliving physical or chemical condition in an environment

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2
Q

acid rain

A

precipitation that contains nitric and/or sulfuric acids

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3
Q

adaptation

A

inherited characteristic that improves an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment

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4
Q

age structure

A

proportion of people in different age groups in a population

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5
Q

allele

A

alternative form of a gene

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6
Q

analogous structures

A

similarities among unrelated species that result from convergent evolution

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7
Q

antibiotic

A

medicine that kills or slows the growth of bacteria

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8
Q

artificial selection

A

selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with desired genetic traits

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9
Q

binomial

A

two-part Latin name of a species

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10
Q

biodiversity

A

variety of life on Earth

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11
Q

biological magnification

A

process by which pollutants become more concentrated in successive trophic levels of a food web

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12
Q

biome

A

major type of terrestrial ecosystem that covers a large region of Earth

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13
Q

biosphere

A

all the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of all Earth’s ecosystems

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14
Q

biotechnology

A

use of organisms to perform practical tasks

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15
Q

biotic factor

A

any living part of an environment

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16
Q

carrying capacity

A

number of organisms in a population that an environment can maintain

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17
Q

cellular differentiation

A

increasing specialization in structure and function of cells during development of a multicellular organism

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18
Q

chromosome theory of inheritance

A

generalization that genes are located on chromosomes and that the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis and fertilization accounts for inheritance pattern

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19
Q

cladogram

A

phylogenetic tree constructed from a series of two-way branch points, suggesting ancestral relationships among species

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20
Q

codominance

A

inheritance pattern in which a heterozygote expresses the distinct traits of both alleles

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21
Q

codon

A

in RNA, a three-base “word” that codes for one amino acid

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22
Q

commensalism

A

symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits, while the other organism is neither harmed nor helped

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23
Q

community

A

all the organisms living in an area

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24
Q

conservation biology:

A

application of biology to counter the loss of biodiversity

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25
Q

continental drift

A

motion of continents about Earth’s surface on plates of crust floating on the hot mantle

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26
Q

convergent evolution:

A

process in which unrelated species from similar environments have adaptations that seem very similar

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27
Q

cross-fertilization

A

process by which sperm from one flower’s pollen fertilizes the eggs in a flower of a different plant

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28
Q

deforestation

A

clearing of forests for agriculture, lumber, or other uses

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29
Q

deletion

A

change to a chromosome in which a fragment of the chromosome is removed

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30
Q

density-dependent factor

A

factor that limits a population more as population density increases

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31
Q

density-independent factor

A

factor unrelated to population density that limits a population

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32
Q

derived character

A

homologous characteristic that unites organisms as a group

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33
Q

descent with modification

A

process by which descendants of ancestral organisms spread into various habitats and accumulate adaptations to diverse ways of life

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34
Q

dihybrid cross

A

mating of two organisms that differ in two characters

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35
Q

DNA fingerprint

A

an individual’s unique banding pattern on an electrophoresis gel, determined by restriction fragments of the person’s DNA

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36
Q

dominant

A

descriptive of an allele in a heterozygous individual that appears to be the only one affecting a trait

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37
Q

Down syndrome

A

general set of symptoms in people with trisomy 21

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38
Q

duplication

A

change to a chromosome in which part of the chromosome is repeated

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39
Q

ecology

A

scientific study of the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

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40
Q

ecosystem

A

community of living things plus the nonliving features of the environment that support them

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41
Q

embryo

A

stage in human development from the first division of the zygote until about nine weeks after fertilization

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42
Q

endosymbiosis

A

process by which eukaryotic cells may have evolved from small symbiotic prokaryotes that lived within other, larger host cells

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43
Q

eutrophication

A

rapid growth of algae in bodies of water, due to high levels of nitrogen and often phosphate

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44
Q

evolution

A

generation-to-generation change in the proportion of different inherited genes in a population that account for all of the changes that have transformed life over an immense time

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45
Q

exponential growth

A

growth of a population that multiplies by a constant factor at constant time intervals

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46
Q

extinct

A

no longer existing as a living species on Earth

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47
Q

fitness

A

contribution that an individual makes to the gene pool of the next generation compared to the contributions of other individuals

48
Q

fossil

A

preserved remains or marking left by an organism that lived in the past

49
Q

fossil record

A

chronological collection of life’s remains in sedimentary rock layers

50
Q

gel electrophoresis

A

technique for sorting molecules or fragments of molecules by length

51
Q

gene flow

A

exchange of genes between populations

52
Q

gene locus

A

specific location of a gene on a chromosome

53
Q

gene pool

A

all of the alleles in all the individuals that make up a population

54
Q

genetic counselor

A

person trained to collect, analyze, and explain data about human inheritance patterns

55
Q

genetic drift

A

change in the gene pool of a population due to chance

56
Q

genetic linkage

A

tendency for alleles of genes on the same chromosome to be inherited together

57
Q

genetic marker

A

specific portion of DNA that varies among individuals

58
Q

genetics

A

study of heredity

59
Q

genome

A

complete set of an organism’s genetic material

60
Q

geographic isolation

A

separation of populations as a result of geographic change or migration to geographically isolated places

61
Q

geologic time scale

A

Earth’s history organized into four eras: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic

62
Q

global warming

A

rise in Earth’s average temperature

63
Q

genetically modified organism (GMO)

A

organism that has acquired genetic material by artificial means

64
Q

greenhouse effect

A

process by which atmospheric gases trap heat close to Earth’s surface and prevent it from escaping into space

65
Q

habitat

A

an organism’s specific environment, with characteristic abiotic and biotic factors

66
Q

half-life

A

time it takes for 50 percent of a radioactive isotope sample to decay

67
Q

heterozygous

A

having different alleles for a gene

68
Q

homozygous

A

having identical alleles for a gene

69
Q

hybrid

A

offspring of two different true-breeding varieties

70
Q

intermediate inheritance

A

inheritance in which heterozygotes have a phenotype intermediate between the phenotypes of the two homozygotes

71
Q

interspecific competition

A

competition between species that depend on the same limited resource

72
Q

introduced species

A

species moved by humans to new geographic areas, either intentionally or accidentally

73
Q

inversion

A

change to a chromosome in which a fragment of the original chromosome is reversed

74
Q

limiting factor

A

condition that restricts a population’s growth, such as space, disease, and food availability

75
Q

macroevolution

A

major biological changes evident in the fossil record

76
Q

mass extinction

A

episode of great species loss

77
Q

microclimate

A

climate in a specific area that varies from the surrounding climate region

78
Q

microevolution

A

evolution on the smallest scale—a generation-to-generation change in the frequencies of alleles within a population

79
Q

monohybrid cross

A

mating of two organisms that differ in only one character

80
Q

messenger RNA (mRNA)

A

RNA molecule transcribed from a DNA template

81
Q

mutagen

A

physical or chemical agent that causes mutations

82
Q

mutation

A

any change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA

83
Q

mutualism

A

type of symbiotic relationship in which both organisms involved benefit

84
Q

natural selection

A

process by which individuals with inherited characteristics well-suited to the environment leave more offspring than do other individuals

85
Q

niche

A

unique living arrangement of an organism defined by its habitat, food sources, time of day it is most active, and other factors

86
Q

nondisjunction

A

event during meiosis in which homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids fail to separate

87
Q

ozone

A

atmospheric gas (O3) that absorbs ultraviolet radiation, shielding organisms from its damaging effects

88
Q

parasitism

A

relationship in which a parasitic organism obtains its food at the expense of a host organism

89
Q

polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

A

technique that makes many copies of a certain segment of DNA without using living cells

90
Q

pedigree

A

family tree that records and traces the occurrence of a trait in a family

91
Q

phenotype

A

observable traits of an organism

92
Q

phylogenetic tree

A

branching diagram, suggesting evolutionary relationships, that classifies species into groups within groups

93
Q

population

A

group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area at the same time

94
Q

population density

A

number of individuals of a particular species per unit area or volume

95
Q

predation

A

interaction in which one organism consumes another

96
Q

primary succession

A

rocess by which a community arises in a virtually lifeless area with no soil

97
Q

Punnett square

A

diagram showing the probabilities of the possible outcomes of a genetic cross

98
Q

recessive

A

descriptive of an allele in a heterozygous individual that does not appear to affect a trait

99
Q

recombinant DNA technology

A

technology that combines genes from different sources into a single DNA molecule

100
Q

reproductive isolation

A

condition in which a reproductive barrier keeps two species from interbreeding

101
Q

secondary succession:

A

change following a disturbance that damages an existing community but leaves the soil intact

102
Q

sex-linked gene

A

gene located on a sex chromosome

103
Q

speciation

A

Formation of new species

104
Q

stem cell

A

cell with the potential to develop into one of several types of differentiated cells

105
Q

sustainable development

A

use of natural resources in a way that allows them to renew themselves and be available for the future

106
Q

symbiotic relationship

A

close interaction between species in which one species lives in or on the other

107
Q

taxonomy

A

identification, naming, and classification of species

108
Q

testcross

A

mating of an individual of unknown genotype but dominant phenotype with a homozygous recessive individual

109
Q

trait

A

variation of a particular inherited character

110
Q

transcription

A

process by which a DNA template is used to produce a single-stranded RNA molecule

111
Q

transgenic

A

genetically modified organism whose source of new genetic material is a different species

112
Q

translation

A

process by which a sequence of nucleic acids in RNA is used to direct the production of a chain of specific amino acids

113
Q

translocation

A

change to a chromosome in which a fragment of one chromosome attaches to a nonhomologous chromosome

114
Q

transposon

A

genetic element that moves from one location to another in a genome

115
Q

tropics

A

regions between 23.5° N latitude and 23.5° S latitude; warmest temperature zones on Earth

116
Q

variation

A

difference among members of a species

117
Q

vestigial structure

A

remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a species’ ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species

bio- semester 2 final (6 decks)

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