 | Term | Definition |
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Ionic Bond |
A chemical bond formed by the attraction between oppositely charged ions |
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Nucleotide |
A subunit of DNA or RNA composed of a 5-carbon sugar, a nitrogen-containing base, and a phosphate group |
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Purines |
Have a double ring. Ex: Adenine and Guanine |
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Pyrimidines |
Have a single ring. Ex: Thymine, Cytosine, and Uracil |
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Bioenergetics |
Energy flow and change |
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Heterotroph |
An organism that obtains carbon compounds from other organisms |
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Autotroph |
An organism that forms its own food molecules (carbon compounds) from abiotic materials |
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Biosphere |
The outer portion of Earth-air, water, and soil- where life is found |
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Entropy |
A measure of the degree of disorganization of a system (How much energy in a system has become so dispersed that it is no longer available to do work |
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Catabolic |
A process in which large molecules are broken down into smaller ones |
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Anabolic |
A process in which large molecules are built from small molecules |
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ADP |
(Adenosine Diphosphate) The compound that remains when a phosphate group is removed from ATP, releasing energy |
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ATP |
(Adenosine Triphosphate) A compound that has three phosphate groups and is used by cells to store energy and to fuel many metabolic processes |
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Prokaryote |
An organism whose cells do not have membrane-enclosed nuclei or organelles |
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Big Bang |
When all of our universe’s condensed matter exploded, sending it into space where gravity pulled it into planets |
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Eukaryote |
An organism whose cells have a membrane-enclosed nucleus and organelles |
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Plastid |
Synthesize ATP from light in photosynthesis |
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Chemoautotrophs |
An organism that derives energy from the oxidation of inorganic compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide |
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Photoautotrophs |
An organism that derives energy from light and forms its own organic compounds (food) from abiotic carbon sources |
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Mitochondria |
The organelles in eukaryotic cells that carry on cell respiration |
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Methanogens |
Archaebacteria that live in anaerobic environments and produce methane as a by-product of their metabolic process |
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Virus |
A nonliving, infectious particle of nucleic acid, protein, and sometimes, lipid membrane that can replicate only inside a living cell |
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Anaerobic |
Occurring or living in conditions without free or dissolved oxygen |
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Species |
All individuals and populations of a particular type of organism that can interbreed with one another |
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Lichens |
Fungi and algae that live together in close association |
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Taxonomy |
The theories and techniques of describing, grouping, and naming living things |
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Spontaneous Generation |
The belief that a cell can be made from nonliving matter |
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Cell |
The basic living unit |
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Lysosome |
A cell vesicle that contains digestive enzymes (Animals Only) |
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Endoplasmic Reticulum |
Network system of tubes connecting organelles; Smooth (No Ribosomes) + Rough (Has Ribosomes) |
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Chromosomes |
Contain DNA for heredity |
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Cell Wall |
Nonliving, Rigid (Gives Support for Plants Only) |
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Ribosomes |
Small bodies in which proteins are made |
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Diffusion |
The movement of a substance down its concentration gradient from a more concentrated area to a less concentrated area. |
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Phagocyte |
Specialized cell that ingests and destroys foreign particles or microorganisms |
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Nucleus |
Control center for all activity |
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Nucleoli |
Synthesis of RNA |
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Nuclear Envelope |
Double Membrane; Semipermeable |
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Cytosol |
Semifluid material |
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Cytoplasm |
Cytosol + all organelles |
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Mitochondria |
Powerhouse for energy |
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Cell/Plasma Membrane |
Double semipermeable |
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Golgi Apparatus |
Flat sacs that package and secrete molecules for export |
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Vacuoles |
Vesicles for storage of salts, enzymes, food, pigments, H2O; Larger in plants |
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Contractile Vacuoles |
Pumps water in protists |
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Cytoskeleton |
Protein network for shape; Movement is made of microtubules |
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Extensions of Cytoskeleton |
Flagella (Whiplike) and Cilia (Short Hairs) |
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Chloroplasts |
Green plastids for photosynthesis (Plants Only) |
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Centrioles |
Tubelike; For cell reproduction in mitosis (Animals Only) |
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Abiotic Factors |
Referring to a physical or nonliving component of an ecosystem |
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Producers |
An autotroph; Any organism that produces its own food |
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Food Webs |
The overlapping food chains of an ecosystem |
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Decomposers |
An organism that lives on decaying organic material from which it obtains energy and nutrients |
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Heat Energy |
An unusable form of energy for organisms |
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Enzymes |
A protein or part-protein molecule made by an organism and used as a catalyst in a specific biochemical reaction |
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Free Energy |
Energy that is available to do work |
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Chemical Energy |
Energy stored in the structure of molecules |
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Chemical reactions |
The process of building chemical bonds that produces one or more new substances |
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Synthesis |
The process of building chemical compounds from smaller components by means of chemical reactions |
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Metabolism |
The sum of all the chemical changes taking place in an organism |
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Absorption |
When the large intestine reabsorbs water |
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Ecosystem |
A biological community and its abiotic environment |
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Cancer |
A group of disease that involves abnormal, uncontrolled growth and division of cells |
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Cell Cycle |
An ordered sequence of events in the life of a dividing eukaryotic cell, composed of mitosis and interphase growth and DNA synthesis phases |
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Cell-Cycle Arrest |
An abrupt halt in the cell cycle when proteins detect mistakes or damage in DNA that needs to be repaired |
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Centromere |
The specialized region of a chromosome that holds two replicated chromosomal strands together and that attached to the spindle in mitosis. |
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Chromosome Segregation |
Separation of the sister chromatids during mitosis in which each new nucleus receives one copy of each chromosome |
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Cyclins |
A group of proteins whose function is to regulate the progression of a cell through the cell cycle and whose concentrations rise and fall throughout the cell cycle |
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Cytokinesis |
The division of the cytoplasm of a cell after nucleus division |
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Chromatin |
In eukaryotes, the chromosomal material (DNA and associated proteins) as it ordinarily appears in a cell’s nucleus with individual chromosomes indistinct |
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