Biology Vocab Flash Cards
Terms
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- Ecology
- the study of interactions between and among organisms and their environment
- Biosphere
- the area of the planet that contains all life
- Species
- a group of organisms so similar they can breed and produce offspring
- Population
- a group of individuals the the same species that live in the same area
- Community
- different populations living together in the same area
- Ecosystem
- all of the biotic and abiotic factors existing in one environment
- Biome
- a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities
- Autotroph
- an organisms that produces it's own food (producer)
- Producer
- an organism that produces it's own food (autotroph)
- Photosynthesis
- the process of changing light energy, water, and oxygen into carbohydrates
- Chemosynthesis
- the process of making carbohydrates using chemical energy
- Heterotroph
- an organism that relies on other organism for obtaining energy (consumer)
- Consumer
- an organism that relies on other organism for obtaining energy (heterotroph)
- Herbivore
- an organism that obtains energy by eating plants only
- Carnivore
- an organism that obtains energy by eating animals
- Omnivore
- an organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals
- Detritivore
- an organism that feeds on detritus
- Decomposer
- organisms that breaks down organic matter
- Food Chain
- a series of steps organisms use to transfer energy by eating or being eaten
- Food Web
- a network of complex feeding relationship in an ecosystem
- Trophic Level
- each step in the process of organisms transferring energy from one level to another
- Ecological Pyramid
- a diagram that shows relative amounts of matter or energy in the trophic levels
- Biomass
- the amount of organic matter per unit area
- Cell
- the basic unit of all forms of life
- Cell Theory
-
states:
-all living things made of cells
-cells are basic unit of structure and function
-new cells are produced by existing cells - Cell Membrane
- a thin flexible membrane around the cell
- Cell Wall
- a strong layer around the cell (only plants)
- Nucleus
- a structure within the cell that contains the genetic material and controls the cell's activities
- Cytoplasm
- the material inside the cell membrane (excluding the nucleus)
- Prokaryote
- a single-celled organism that contains a cell membranes, cytoplasm, but with no defined nucleus
- Eukaryote
- a cell that contains a defined nucleus, cytoplasm, organelles, and a cell membrane
- Organelle
- specialized structures in a cell that perform certain cellular functions
- Lipid Bi-layer
- a double layered sheet that makes up the cell membrane
- Concentration
- the mass of a solute in a given solution
- Diffusion
- the process of molecules moving from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
- Selective Permeability
- a membrane that allows some materials to pass through, but not allowing others
- Osmosis
- the diffusion of water
- Facilitated Diffusion
- the movement of a molecule throught a membranes through protein channels
- Active Transport
- the process of molecules moving from an area of low concentration to a area of high concentration
- Endocytosis
- the process of takinf materials into a cell using pockets of infolding
- Phagocytosis
- the process of engulfing large particles and taking them into the cell
- Exocytosis
- the process of removing large amounts of material from a cell
- Cell Specialization
- cell with separtate rolls in a multi-cellular organism
- Tissue
- a group of similar cells preforming the same function
- Organ
- many groups of tissues working together
- Organ System
- groups of organs working together to perform a specific function
- ATP
- a chemical compound used by living organisms to store energy
- Pigment
- light absorbing molecules used by plants to gather energy from the sun
- Chlorophyll
- the main pigment found in plants
- Thylakoid
- sac-like photosynthetic membranes found in chloroplasts where photosynthesis takes place
- Stroma
- a region in the chloroplast outside the thylakoids
- NADP+
- a carrier molecule that transfers high-energy electrons
- Light Dependent Reaction
- reactions that use light and oxygen to produce ATP and NADPH which take place in the thylakiod membrane
- ATP Synthase
- a protein channel in the thylakoid membrane which uses the diffusion of H+ to create ATP
- Calvin Cycle
- the reaction in which NADPH and ATP is used to make sugars which takes place in the stroma
- Biogeochemical Cycle
- the processes in which compounds and elements are passed from organism to organism and from one part of the biosphere to another
- climate
- the average year-to-year conditions of temperature and precipitation
- weather
- the day-to-day condition of Earth's atmosphere at a specific time and place
- greenhouse effect
- the process in which methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor traps heat to maintain Earth's atmosphere
- temperate zone
- the area between the polar and tropical zones that's climate changes from hot to cold depending on the season
- tropical zone
- the area nearest the equator that receives the most direct sunlight making the climate always warm
- polar zone
- the area around the poles that receives the least direct sunlight and therefore is almost always cold
- biotic factor
- the biological influences on an organism in an ecosystem
- abiotic factor
- the physical or nonliving factors that affect an organism in an ecosystem
- habitat
- the area where an organism lives including both biotic and abiotic factors
- niche
- all the physical and biological conditions and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
- competitive exclusion principle
- a rule stating that no two species can occupy the same habitat and niche at the same time
- predation
- an interaction between organisms in which one organism eats another
- symbiosis
- any relationship in which two organisms live closely together
- mutualism
- an interaction between organisms in which both benefit
- commensalism
- an interaction between organisms in which one benefits and the other is unaffected
- parasitism
- an interaction between organisms in which one is harmed and the other benefits
- ecological succession
- the predictable change in a community over time
- primary succession
- succession that occurs on a surface on which there is no soil
- secondary succession
- succession that occurs on a surface on which there is soil
- pioneer species
- the first species to populate an area where there is no soil
- canopy
- a dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall trees
- understory
- the area below the canopy containing shorter trees and vines
- decidous
- a type of tree that sheds it leaves every year
- coniferous
- a type of tree that produces seed-bearing cones and have needle shaped leaves
- permafrost
- a layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the arctic
- Tropical Rain Forest
- a biome characterized by high temperatures and precipitation
- Tropical Dry Forest
- a biome characterized by high temperature and alternating wet and dry seasons
- Tropical Sacanna
- a biome characterized by high temperatures and seasonal perciptaion
- Desert
- a biome characterized by low precipitation and high temperature
- Temperate Grassland
- a biome characterized by seasonal precipitation and warm summers and cold winters
- Temperate Woodland and Shrubland
- a biome characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters
- Temperate Forest
- a biome characterized by cold winters, warm summers, and year-round precipitation
- Northwestern Coniferous Forest
- a biome characterized by mild temperatures and wet fall, winters, and springs and dry summers
- Boreal Forest
- a biome characterized by long cold winters, mild summers, and moderate precipitation
- Tundra
- a biome characterized by low precipitation, short summers, long cold winters, and permafrost
- plankton
- tiny, free-floating organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments
- phytoplankton
- single-celled algae that form the base of many aquatic food chains
- zooplankton
- tiny animals that eat phytoplankton
- bog
- a wetland formed by a depression that contains thick mats of moss
- marsh
- shallow wetlands along rivers that are underwater most or all of the year and contain short grasses and shrubs
- swamp
- shallow wetland that are underwater part of all of the year that contain trees
- photic zone
- the area of the ocean which light penetrates and where photosynthesis takes place
- aphotic zone
- the area or the ocean which is too deep for light to penitrate
- Robert Hooke
- first saw cells through a microscope
- Matthias Schleiden
- concluded that all plants are made of cells
- Theodor Schwann
- concluded that all animals are made of cells
- Rudolph Virchow
- proposes that all cells come from existing cells
- Jan van Helmont
- concluded that plants gain most of their mass from water
- Joseph Priestly
- concluded that plants produce oxygen by putting a plant and a candle under a bell jar
- Jan Ingehhousz
- concludes plants need light to do photosynthesis