Biology Exam Vocab
Terms
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- Heterotroph
- organism that obtains energy from the food it consumers; also called a consumer
- Aerobic
- Process that requires oxygen
- Transcription
- Process in which part of the nucleotide sequence of DNA is copied into a complementary sequence in RNA
- Territory
- Specific area occupied and protected by an animal or group of animals
- Krebs Cycle
- Second stage of cellular respiration, in which pyruvic acid is broken down into carbon dioxide in a series of energy-extracting reactions
- Anticodon
- Group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon
- Consumer
- Organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph
- Punnett Square
- Diagram showing the gene combinations that might result from a genetic cross
- Enzyme
- Protein that acts as a biological catalyst
- Homologous Structures
- Structures that have different mature forms in different organisms but develop from the same embryonic tissues
- Decomposer
- Organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
- Messenger RNA (mRNA)
- RNA molecule that carries copies of instructions for the assembly of amino acids into proteins from DNA to the rest of the cell
- Lipid/fat
- macromolecule amde mainly from carbon and hydrogen atoms; includes fats, oils, and waxes
- Genotype
- Genetic makeup of an organism
- Detritivore
- Organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead material
- Allele
- one of a number of different forms of a gene
- Organelle
- Specialized structure that performs important cellular functions within a eukaryotic cell
- Habitat
- The area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it
- Genetics
- Scientific study of heredity
- Eukaryote
- Organism whose cells contain nuclei
- Calvin Cycle
- Reactions of photosynthesis in which energy from ATP and NADPH is used to build high-energy compounds such as sugars
- Transfer RNA (tRNA)
- Type of RNA molecule that transfers amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis
- Competition
- Population dependent
- Heterozygous
- Term used to refer to an organism that has two different alleles for the same trait
- Codominance
- situation in which both alleles of a gene contribute to the phenotype of the organism
- Convergent Evolution
- Process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments
- Fermentation
- Process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen
- Genes
- sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait
- Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
- single-stranded nucleic acid that contains the sugar ribose
- RNA Polymerase
- enzyme similar to DNA polymerase that binds to DNA and separates the DNA strands during transcription
- Natural Selection
- Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest
- Commensalism
- Symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
- Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
- type of RNA that makes up the major part of ribosomes
- Symbiosis
- Relationship in which two species live closely together
- Evolution
- change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms
- Prey
- Predator's food
- Glycolysis
- First step in releasing the energy of glucose, in which a molecule of glucose is broken into two molecules of pyruvic acid
- Cell Membrane
- thin, flexible barrier around a cell; regulates what enters and leaves the cell
- Protein
- macromolecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; needed by the body for growth and repair and to make up enzymes
- Multiple Alleles
- three or more alleles of the same gene
- Carbohydrate
- Compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body
- Hybrid
- Offspring of crosses between parents with different traits
- Incomplete Dominance
- Situation in which one allele is not completely dominant over another
- Animalia
- kingdom of multicellular eukaryotic heterotrophs whose cells do not have cell walls
- Translation
- Decoding of a mRNA message into a polypeptide chain
- Producer
- Organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds; also called an autotroph
- Protista
- Kingdom composed of eukaryotes that are not classified a plants, animals, or fungi
- Adaptation
- Inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival
- Archaebacteria
- Kingdon of unicellular prokaryotes whose cell walls do no contain peptidoglycan
- Point Mutation
- Mutaton that affects a single nucleotide, usually by substituting one nucleotide for another
- Prokaryotes
- single-celled organism lacking a nucleus
- Anaerobic
- Process that does not require oxygen
- Frameshift Mutation
- mutatjion that shifts that "reading" frame of the genetic message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide
- Phenotype
- Physical characteristics of an organism
- Probability
- Likelihood that a particular event will occur
- Prokaryote
- single-celled organism lacking a nucleus
- Mutation
- Change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information
- Vestigial Structures
- Organ that serves no useful function in an organism
- Cell Wall
- strong supporting layer around the cell membrane in plants, algae, and some bacteria
- Niche
- Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism uses those conditions
- Carrying Capacity
- Largest number of individuals of a population that a given environment can support
- Ecological Succession
- A series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time
- Heterotroph
- Organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer
- Eubacteria
- Kingdon of unicellular prokaryotes whose cell walls are made up of peptidoglycan
- Predation
- Interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism
- Alveoli
- Tiny air sac at the end of a bronchiole in the lungs that provides surface area for gas exchange to occur
- Trophic Level
- Step in a food chain or food web
- Pioneer Species
- First species to populate an area during primary succession
- Population
- group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area
- Enzyme
- Protein that acts as a biological catalyst
- Food Chain
- Series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
- Electron Transport Chain
- A series of proteins in which the high-energy electrons from the Krebs cycle are used to convert ADP into ATP
- Adenosine Triphosphate
- One of the principal chemical compounds that living things use to store and release energy
- Pedigree
- Chart that shows the relationships within a family
- Autotroph
- organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer
- Mutualism
- Symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship
- Speciation
- formation of a new species
- Eukaryotes
- Organism whose cells contain nuclei
- Fungi
- Kingdom composed of heterotrophs; many obtain energy and nutrients from dead organic matter
- Plantae
- kingdom of multicellular photosynthetic autotrophs that have cell walls containing cellulose
- Cellular Respiration
- Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen
- Parasitism
- Symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) and consequently harms it.
- Fossils
- preserved remains or evidence of an ancient organism
- Amino Acid
- Compound with an amino group on on end, and a carboxyl group o the other end
- Food Web
- Network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem
- Chloroplast
- Organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms that captures the energy from sunlight and converts it into chemical energy
- DNA Polymerase
- enzyme that proofreads new DNA strands, helping to ensure that each molecule is a nearly perfect copy of the original DNA
- Autotroph
- Organism that can capture enrgy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer
- Nucleotide
- monomer of nucleic acids amde up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
- Codon
- three-nucleotide sequence of messenger RNA that codes for a single amino acid
- Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
- nucleic acid that contains the sugar deoxyribose
- Gamete
- Specialized cell involved in sexual reproduction
- Photosynthesis
- Process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
- Polygenic trait
- Trait controlled by two or more genes
- Light-dependent reactions
- Reactions of photosynthesis that use energy from light to produce ATP and NADPH
- Homozygous
- Term used to refer to an organism that has two identical alleles for a particular trait
- Ecosystem
- Collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment
- Biotic Factor
- Biological influence on organisms within an ecosystem
- Mitochondrion
- Cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use
- Abiotic
- Physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem
- Biosphere
- Part of earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere.