Biology Vocabulary for the AHSGE Fall, 2007
1) Abiotic factor- nonliving factor of the environment.
2) Acid- pH below 7; releases H+ ions in solution.
3) Acid precipitation- rain or snow more acidic than normal rain water.
4) Active transport- movement across the cell membrane requiring cellular energy (ATP’s).
5) Adaptation- anything that aids in survival of an organism.
6) Allele- gene form for a trait variation.
7) Amino acid- building block (monomer) of proteins.
8) Ammonification- the release of ammonium ions (NH4+) into the soil by some bacteria which are decomposing plant and animal bodies
9) Angiosperm- a vascular plant that produces seeds in flower parts.
10) Anther- male structure of flower that produces pollen
11) Asexual reproduction- does not involve the fusion of two gametes; offspring genetically identical.
12) Atom- building block of matter composed of subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons, & electrons.
13) ATP- molecule which stores energy in cells; produced by mitochondria in cellular respiration
14) Autotroph- produce their own food internally as in plant photosynthesis.
15) Base- solution with a pH above 7; releases OH- in solution.
16) Binomial nomenclature- two name naming system; genus and species
17) Biodegradable- any waste that will break down by natural processes.
18) Biology- study of living things or once living things.
19) Biome- areas with similar climate, precipitation and climax community (six major land biomes).
20) Biosphere- air, land, water of Earth that supports life.
21) Biotic factor- living factors of the environment.
22) Camouflage- animal adaptation for blending with environment.
23) Cancer- uncontrolled cell division and death.
24) Carbohydrate- energy storing and releasing sugar molecules; sugars and starches.
25) Carrier- heterozygous individual that has the recessive allele for an undesired trait.
26) Carrying capacity- the maximum number of individuals an environment can support.
27) Cell- building block of living things; named by Robert Hooke.
28) Cell cycle- growth and division sequence of cells (interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, cytokinesis)
29) Cellulose-complex carbohydrate that composes the cell walls of plants; woody substance
30) Cell wall- firm structure that provides support and protection for organisms such as plants, bacteria, & fungi.
31) Centriole- produces the microtubules for cell division found in animal cells.
32) Centromere- structure that holds twin chromosomes together.
33) Chitin-complex carbohydrate that composes cell walls of fungi and exoskeletons of insects.
34) Chlorophyll- green pigment used in photosynthesis.
35) Chloroplasts- where photosynthesis occurs; contains chlorophyll; contain grana and stroma
36) Chromatin- long tangled strands of DNA in non-dividing cell nucleus.
37) Chromosomal mutation- occurs in meiosis when a portion is added, deleted, or re-arranged.
38) Chromosome- compact form of DNA seen in cell division; directs protein production.
39) Cilia- small, hair-like projections used for locomotion in cells.
40) Classification- systematic ordering of organisms.
41) Climax community- stable mature community with little or no population growth.
42) Codon- three sequential nitrogen bases in a nucleic acid that codes for an amino acid in protein synthesis
43) Commensalism- relationship where one species benefits and there is no effect on the other.
44) Community- several interacting populations in the same environment.
45) Compound- chemically combined substances
46) Conifers- group of gymnosperms that includes pine and fir trees; most are evergreen.
47) Conservation- management of areas to prevent destruction.
48) Control- part of experiment used for comparison where all things are kept constant.
49) Cotyledon- food storage of a plant embryo within a seed
50) Covalent bond- bond formed from shared electrons; stronger bonding than ionic.
51) Crossing over- exchange in areas of chromosomes resulting in new allele combinations; increases genetic diversity during meiosis.
52) Cuticle- waxy protective coating on a plant leaf secreted by the epidermis.
53) Cytokinesis- division of the cytoplasm during cell cycle immediately following telophase.
54) Cytoplasm- jellylike fluid around cell structures where chemical reactions occur.
55) Cytoskeleton- support for the cell and its structures; microtubules and microfilaments.
56) Decomposer- Bacteria and fungi that absorb nutrients from decaying material.
57) Denitrification- the release of nitrogen gas (N2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere from the
conversion of nitrates in soil by some bacteria.
58) Density-dependent factor- will have a greater affect as the population increases; i.e. food, parasites
59) Density-independent factor- will affect the population no matter what the population size, typically natural disasters such as floods.
60) Dependent variable- result of the change in an experiment; displayed on y-axis in graphs.
61) Dicot- Seed plant with 2 cotyledons; leaves with branching veins, flower parts in multiples of four or five.
62) Diffusion- passive transport movement of particles from an area of high concentration to low concentration.
63) Dihybrid cross- mating of two organisms looking at two traits.
64) Diploid- cell with two copies of each chromosome as in body cells; designated by 2n.
65) Disaccharide- two sugar carbohydrate linked with covalent bond (i.e. sucrose, lactose).
66) DNA- genetic information used to build an organism; identical in every cell of an organism; chemical makeup of chromatin/chromosomes
67) Dominant- visible trait that will mask or hide the recessive form of the trait.
68) Double helix- two twisted ladder shapes discovered by Watson & Crick to describe DNA structure
69) Dynamic equilibrium- continuous movement of particles with no change in concentration.
70) Ecology- study of organisms and their environment.
71) Ecosystem- populations in a community and their environment.
72) Endocytosis- active transport where large particles enter a cell through bulk transport mechanisms.
73) Endoplasmic reticulum- folded membrane network used for delivery in a cell and lipid synthesis; transport system in the cell; rough ER has attached ribosomes.
74) Enzyme- Protein that can speed up chemical reactions but will not remain changed itself
75) Eukaryote- cell with internal membrane-bound structures and a true nucleus.
76) Evolution- change that occurs over long periods of time within a species.
77) Exocytosis- active transport where particles exit the cell in bulk transport
78) Extinction- all members of a species are dead.
79) Facilitated diffusion- transport of materials across the cell membrane using carrier proteins & no cellular energy; a form of passive transport.
80) Flagella- whip like structure that aids in locomotion of cells; common in many unicellular protists.
81) Food chain- a simple straight line indication of the flow of energy between organisms.
82) Food web- complex display of all the possible feeding relationships within an ecosystem.
83) Fossil fuel- coal, oil, or gas formed from decay of organisms over long periods of time.
84) Frameshift mutation- error where a single nitrogen base is deleted causing all amino acids to be changed after the error.
85) Fungi- Kingdom of organisms that absorb nutrients from decaying wastes; kingdom of mushroom and molds.
86) Gamete- sex cells; produced by meiotic division
87) Gene- small segment of a chromosome; codes for protein production, thus trait expression.
88) Genetics- the study of the passing of traits to offspring.
89) Genotype- the combination of alleles an organism possesses.
90) Germination- process where a seed begins to grow; “to sprout”
91) Golgi apparatus- organelle that stores, sends, and receives lipids and proteins; packaging centers of the cell
92) Greenhouse effect- process where atmospheric gases prevent heat from escaping Earth.
93) Groundwater- reservoir of water found underground
94) Gymnosperm- plant that produces seeds in cones; a non-flowering seed making plant.
95) Habitat- where an organism lives.
96) Haploid- half the number of chromosomes of a body cell; found in mature gametes; designated by n.
97) Heredity- passing of characteristics from parent to offspring.
98) Heterotroph- organism that must get food from other sources.
99) Heterozygous- Having a dominant and a recessive allele for a trait.
100) Homeostasis- maintaining internal equilibrium suitable for life.
101) Homologous chromosomes- have genes for the same trait in the same order.
102) Homozygous- having 2 dominant alleles or two recessive alleles for a trait.
103) Hydrogen bond- weak bond between hydrogen and other atoms.
104) Hypertonic solution- more dissolved particles outside than inside the cell; more water inside than
outside the cell; causes shrinkage of cells.
105) Hypothesis- educated guess at the answer to a problem; basis for development of an experiment
106) Hypotonic solution- more dissolved particles inside than outside the cell; more water outside than inside
the cell; causes cells to swell and burst in the absence of a cell wall.
107) Independent variable- the one thing being tested in an experiment; displayed on x-axis of graph.
108) Ion- an atom with a charge due to loss or gain of electrons.
109) Ionic bond- bond formed between two ions, typically weaker bonding than covalent bonding.
110) Isomer- compounds with the same formula but different structural arrangement of atoms.
111) Isotonic solution- comparison between solutions where concentrations inside the cell and outside are
equal, thus producing no concentration gradient and no net movement of water
112) Isotope- atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.
113) Karyotype- charted arrangement of chromosomes used to detect chromosome abnormalities.
114) Limiting factor- anything that limits population growth (i.e. food, space, temperature).
115) Lipid- fats, oils, and waxes; water insoluble organic compounds
116) Lysosome- contains digestive enzymes to digest materials; produced by Golgi apparatus.
117) Meiosis- cell division that produces haploid sex cells; occurs in ovary and testis.
118) Messenger RNA- carries information to make proteins from DNA to ribosomes.
119) Metabolism- all the chemical reactions that occur in an organism.
120) Mimicry- adaptation that allows animals to look like another organism to avoid predators.
121) Mitochondria- cell organelle that produces energy (ATP) for the cell from cellular respiration.
122) Mitosis- cell division that produces diploid body cells for growth, repair, and replacement of cells..
123) Mixture- physical combination of substances that retain most of their individual characteristics.
124) Molecule- atoms held together by covalent bonds.
125) Monera- kingdom of bacteria, subdivided into Archaebacteria and Eubacteria kingdoms.
126) Monocot- Seed plant containing one seed cotyledon; flower parts in multiples of three and parallel
veins in leaves.
127) Monosaccharides- single simple sugar carbohydrate (i.e. glucose, galactose, fructose).
128) Mutation- error in the DNA sequence.
129) Mutualism- Feeding relationship beneficial to both species.
130) Natural selection- change in a population when organisms with more favorable adaptations survive,
reproduce, and pass on traits to their offspring; theory developed by Charles Darwin.
131) Niche- an organisms’ role within the ecosystem
132) Nitrogen base- component of RNA or DNA.
133) Nitrification- the ability of some bacteria to convert or “fix” free atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into nitrites and
nitrates in the soil
134) Non-biodegradable- wastes that are not easily broken down by natural processes.
135) Nonrenewable resource- available in limited amounts cannot be replaced naturally; ex metal.
136) Nonvascular plant- lacks tissues to transport materials; must live near water, small size.
137) Nucleic acid- DNA or RNA; stores coded genetic information.
138) Nucleolus- found in nucleus; produces ribosomal subunits.
139) Nucleotide- building block of a nucleic acid composed of phosphate group, pentose sugar, and a
nitrogenous base.
140) Nucleus- Centrally located structure of cell which manages cell functions in eukaryotes
141) Organ- group of tissues performing a function (i.e. liver, brain)
142) Organ system- groups of organs working together (i.e. digestive, reproductive)
143) Organelle- membrane-bound structures inside eukaryotic cells; “little organs”.
144) Organism- A living thing that must exhibit the characteristics of life.
145) Osmosis- the passive movement of water from an area of high concentration to low concentration
146) Ovum- egg; female gamete; oocyte.
147) Ozone layer- layer of atmosphere that protects earth from sun’s harmful radiation.
148) Parasitism- Feeding relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed.
149) Particulate- solid particles released from burned fossil fuels; found in smog.
150) Passive transport- movement of materials across the cell membrane using no cellular energy.
151) Pedigree- graph of family history of genetic trait passing through the generations.
152) Peptide bond- links amino acids together to produce proteins.
153) pH- symbol used to describe level of acid or hydrogen ion concentration of a solution.
154) Phenotype- the way an organism looks resulting from gene alleles within a pair.
155) Phloem- vascular tissue that transports food from leaves down through a plant.
156) Photosynthesis- produces sugar and O2 from light energy, water, CO2 and chlorophyll.
157) Pistil- female reproductive structure of a flower; produces eggs and forms embryo within seed.
158) Plasma membrane- boundary between the cell contents and cytoplasm; cell membrane.
159) Plasmolysis- a drop in turgor pressure due to water loss.
160) Plastid- storage organelle inside a plant cell; may store lipids, starch, or pigments.
161) Point mutation- error in DNA where only one amino acid is affected.
162) Polar molecule- molecule with a positive end and a negative end (i.e. water).
163) Pollen- grain from anther containing the male gamete of the flower; sperm and nutrient in a
capsule.
164) Pollution- waste buildup that will not naturally recycle.
165) Polymer- large chain molecule made of many monomers
166) Polysaccharide- many sugar carbohydrates, i.e. starch, cellulose
167) Preservation- keeping something from destruction by establishment of parks, ranges etc.
168) Primary succession- creation of soil and communities at new sites over time by pioneer species.
169) Prokaryote- cell that does not have a true nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles.
170) Protein- large polymer made from amino acids.
171) Protista- kingdom of protists that live in moist environments and lack complexity in structure.
172) Recessive- the trait that is hidden by the dominant trait.
173) Renewable resource- can be replaced or recycled naturally; ex. oxygen.