Kerboodle biology key words part one

Question	Answer
Abundance	A measure of how common ore rare a particular type of organism is in a given environment.
Active site	The site on an enzyme where the reactants bind.
Active transport	The movement of substances from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution against a concentration gradient, requiring energy from respiration.
Adaptation	Special features that make an organism particularly well suited to the environment where it lives.
ADH	Anti-diuretic hormone helps control the water balance of the body and affects the amount of urine produced by the body.
Adrenaline	Hormone that prepares the body for fight or flight.
Adult stem cells	Stem cells that are found in adults that can differentiate and for a limited number of cells.
Aerobic respiration	An exothermic reaction in which glucose is broken down using oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water and release energy for the cells.
Agar gel	Widely used solid (gel) culture medium used for growing microorganisms.
Algae	Simple aquatic organisms (Protista) that make their own food by photosynthesis.
Alleles	Different forms of the same gene sometimes referred to as variants.
Alveoli	Tiny air sacs in the lungs that increase the surface area for gaseous exchange.
Amino acids	Molecules made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen that are the building blocks of proteins.
Amylase	Enzyme that speeds up the digestion of starch into sugars.
Anaerobic respiration	An exothermic reaction in which glucose is broken down in the absence of oxygen to produce lactic acid in animals and ethanol and carbon dioxide in plants and yeast. A small amount of energy is transferred for the cells.
Aorta	The artery that leaves the heart from the left ventricle and carries oxygenated blood to the body.
Aphids	Insects that penetrate the plant phloem and feed on the dissolved food. They act as plant pathogens and are also vectors that carry pathogen viruses, bacteria, and fungi into healthy plant tissue.
Archaea	One of the three domains, containing primitive forms of bacteria that can live in many of the extreme environments of the world.
Arteries	Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. They usually carry oxygenated blood and have a pulse.
Asexual reproduction	Involves only one individual and the offspring is identical to the parent. There is no fusion of gametes or mixing of genetic information.
Atria	The upper chambers of the heart.
Auxin	A plant hormone that controls the responses of plants to light (phototropism) and gravity (gravitropism).
Bacteria	Single-celled prokaryotic organisms.
Bases (DNA)	Nitrogenous compounds that make up part of the structure of DNA and RNA. They are represented by the letters A, T, C, and G.
Benign Tumours	Growths of abnormal cells that are contained in one area, usually within a membrane, and do not invade other tissues.
Bile	Neutralises stomach acid to give a high pH for the enzymes from the pancreas and small intestine to work well. It is not an enzyme.
Biodiversity	A measure of the variety of all the different species of organisms on earth.
Binary fission	Reproduction by simple cell division, for example in bacteria.
Biomass	The amount of biological material in an organism.
Cancer	The common name for a malignant tumour, formed as a result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division.
Capillaries	The smallest blood vessels. They run between individual cells and have a wall that is only one cell thick.
Carbohydrases	Enzymes that speed up the breakdown of carbohydrates into simple sugars.
Carbohydrates	Molecules that contain only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They provide the energy for the metabolism and are found in foods such as rice, potatoes, and bread.
Carbon cycle	The cycling of carbon through the living and non-living world.
Carcinogens	Agents that cause cancer or significantly increase the risk of developing cancer.
Carriers	Individuals who are heterozygous for a recessive allele linked to a genetic disorder. Carriers have one healthy allele so are not affected themselves but they can pass on the affected allele to their offspring.
Catalyst	A substance that speeds up the rate of another reaction but is not used up or changed itself.
Causal mechanism	Something that explains how one factor influences another.
Cell cycle	The three stage process of cell division in a body cell that involves mitosis and results in the formation of two identical daughter cells.
Cell membrane	The membrane around the contents of a cell that controls what moves in and out of the cell.
Cell wall	The rigid structure around plant and algal cells. It is made of cellulose and strengthens the cell.
Cellulose	The complex carbohydrate that makes up plant and algal cell walls and gives them strength.
Central nervous system (CNS)	The part of the nervous system where information is processed. It is made up of the brain and spinal chord.
Cerebral cortex	Region of the brain associated with consciousness, memory, and language.
Cerebellum	Region of the brain concerned with coordinating muscular activity and balance.
Chlorophyll	The green pigment contained in the chloroplasts.
Chloroplasts	The organelles in which photosynthesis takes place.
Chlorosis	The yellowing seen on the leaves of plants when they cannot make chlorophyll due to a lack of magnesium ions.
Ciliary muscles	Muscles that contract and relax to change the shape of the lens of the eye.
Clinical trials	Test potential new drugs on healthy and patient volunteers.
Classification	The organisation of living organisms into groups according to their similarities.
Cloning	The production of identical offspring by asexual reproduction.
Communicable disease	Disease caused by pathogens that can be passes from one organism to another.
Community	Group of interdependent living organisms in an ecosystem.
Competition	The process by which living organisms compete with each other for limited resources such as food, light, or reproductive partners.
Contraception	Methods of preventing pregnancy which usually involve preventing the sperm and egg from meeting.
Coordination centres	Areas that receive and process information from receptors.
Coronary arteries	The blood vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscles.
Correlation	An apparent link or relationship between two factors.
Culture medium	A liquid or gel used to support the growth of microorganisms or other cultures, often containing specific nutrients.
Cystic fibrosis	An inherited disorder that affects the lungs, digestive, and reproductive systems and is inherited through a recessive allele.
Cytoplasm	The water-based gel in which the organelles of all living creatures are suspended and most of the chemical reactions of life take place.
Decomposers	Microorganisms that break down waste products and dead bodies.
Denatured	The breakdown of the molecular structure of a protein so it no longer functions.
Dialysis	The process of cleansing blood through a dialysis machine when the kidneys fail.
Differentiate	The process where cells become specialised for a particular function.
Diffusion	The spreading out of the particles of any substance in a solution, or particles in a gas, resulting in a net movement of particles from an area of higher concentration down a concentration gradient.
Digestive system	Organ system where food is digested and absorbed.
Distribution	Where particular types of organisms are found within an environment.
Domain	The highest level of classification. There are three domains - Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota.
Dominant allele	The phenotype will be apparent in the offspring even if only one of the alleles is inherited.
Double circulatory system	The circulatory of blood from the heart to the lungs is separate from the circulation of blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
Effectors	Areas (usually muscle or glands) that bring about responses in the body.
Embryonic stem cells	Stem cells from an early embryo that can differentiate to for the specialised cells of the body.
Endocrine system	The glands that produce the hormones that control many aspects of the development and metabolism of the body, and the hormones they produce.
Endothermic reaction	A reaction that requires a transfer of energy from the environment.
Enzymes	Biological catalysts, usually proteins.
Epidermal	The name given to cells that make up the epidermis or outer layer of an organism.
Eukaryotic cells	Cells from eukaryotes that have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and genetic material enclosed in a nucleus.
Evolutionary trees	models used to explain the evolutionary links between groups of organisms.
Exothermic reaction	A reaction that transfers energy to the environment.
Extinction	The permanent Loss of all members of a species from an area or from the world.
Extremophile	An organism that can survive and reproduce in extreme conditions.
Fatty acids	Part of the structure of a lipid molecule.
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)	Causes the egg to mature in the ovary.
Genetic engineering	The process by which scientists can manipulate and change the genotype of an organism.
Genotype	The genetic makeup of an individual for a particular characteristic, for example hair or eye colour.
Gibberellins	Plant hormones that are important in initiating seed germination.
Glucagon	Hormone involved in the control of blood sugar levels.
Glucose	A simple sugar.
Glycerol	Part of the structure of a lipid molecule.
Glycogen	Carbohydrate store in animals.
Gravitropism	The response of a plant to gravity.
Guard cells	Surrounding the stomata in the leaves of plants and control their opening and closing.
Haemoglobin	The red pigment that carries oxygen around the body in the red blood cells.
Heterozygote	Individual with different alleles for a characteristic.
Homeostasis	The regulation of the internal conditions of a cell or organism to maintain optimum conditions for function, in response to internal and external change.
Homozygote	Individual with two identical alleles for a characteristic.
Hormones	Chemicals produced in one are of the body of an organism that have an effect on the functioning of another area of the body. In animals hormones are produced in glands.
Hybridomas	Cells created during the production of monoclonal antibodies by the fusion of an antibody-specific lymphocyte.
Hyperopia	Long sightedness, where the rays of light from distant objects can be focused clearly on the retina but the rays of light from close objects are not focused and appear blurred.
Hypertonic (osmosis)	A solution that is more concentrated then the cell contents.
Hypotonic (osmosis)	A solution that is less concentrated then the cell contents.
Incident energy	Light from the sun arriving at the surface of the earth.
Inoculate	Introducing microorganisms to a culture medium, or introducing modified microorganisms into an individual to protect them against disease.
Insulin	Hormone involved in the control of blood sugar levels.
Interdependence	The network of relationships between different organisms within a community, for example each species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal, etc.
Ionising radiation	Has enough energy to cause ionisation in the materials it passes through, which in turn can make them biologically active and may result in mutation and cancer.
Isotonic (osmosis)	A solution which is the same concentration as the cell contents.
Lactic acid	The end product of anaerobic respiration in animal cells.
Limiting factors	Limit the rate of reaction, for example photosynthesis.
Lipase	Enzymes that speed up the breakdown of lipids into fatty acids and glycerol.
Lipids	Include fats and oils and are found in foods such as butter, olive oil, and crisps. they are made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Malignant tumours	Invade neighbouring tissues and spread to different parts of the body in the blood where they form secondary tumours. They are also known as cancers.
Mean	The arithmetical average of a series of numbers.
Median	T
Medulla	Region of the brain concerned with unconscious activities such as controlling the heart rate and breathing rate.
Meiosis	Two stage process of cell division that reduces the chromosome number of daughter cells. It is involved in making gametes for sexual reproduction.
Metabolism	The sum of all the reactions taking place in a cell or the body of an organism.
mitochondria	The site of aerobic cellular respiration in a cell.
Mitosis	Part of the cell cycle where one set of new chromosomes is pulled to each end of the cell forming two identical nuclei during cell division.
Mode	The number which occurs most often in a set of data.
Motor neurones	Carry impulses from the central nervous system to the effector organs.
Mutation	A change in the genetic material of an organism.
Myopia	Short sightedness, where the rays of light from close objects are brought into focus on the retina but distant objects appear blurred as the light is focused in front of the retina.
Natural selection	The process by which evolution takes place. Organisms produce more offspring than the environment can support. Only those that are most suited to their environment will survive to breed and pass on their useful characteristics to their offspring.
Nerve	Bundle of hundreds or even thousands of neurones.
Neurones	Basic cells of the nervous system that carry minute electrical impulses around the body.
Non-communicable diseases	Are not infectious and cannot be passed from one organism to another.
Nucleotide	A molecule made up of a sugar, a phosphate group, and one of four different bases. They are key units in the structure of DNA and RNA.
Nucleus	Organelle found in many living cells containing the genetic information surrounded by the nuclear membrane.
Oestrogen	Female sex hormone that controls the development of secondary sexual characteristics in girls at puberty, and the build-up and maintenance of the uterus lining during the menstrual cycle.
Organ	An aggregation (collection) of different tissues working together to carry out specific functions and form organisms.
Organ system	A group of organs that work together to carry out specific functions and form organisms.
Osmosis	The diffusion of water through a partially permeable membrane from a dilute solution (which has a high concentration of water) to a concentrated solution (with a low concentration of water) down a concentration gradient.
Ovaries	Female sex organs that produce eggs and sex hormones.
Ovulation	The release of a mature egg (ovum) from the ovary.
Oxygen debt	The extra oxygen that must be taken into the body after exercise has stopped to complete the aerobic respiration of lactic acid.
Palisade mesophyll	The upper layer of the mesophyll tissue in plant leaves made up of closely packed cells that contain many chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
Partially permeable membrane	A membrane that allows only certain substances to pass through.
Pathogens	Microorganisms that cause disease.
Penicillium	The mould from which the antibiotic penicillin is extracted.
Permanent vacuole	Space in the cytoplasm filled with cell sap.
Phenotype	The physical appearance/biochemistry of an individual for a particular characteristic.
Phloem	The living transport tissue in plants that carries dissolved food (sugars) around the plant.
Photosynthesis	The process by which plants make food using carbon dioxide, water and light.
Phototropism	The response of a plant to light, controlled by Auxin.
Pituitary gland	Endocrine 'master gland' found in the brain that secretes a number of different hormones into the blood in response to different conditions to control other endocrine glands in the body.
Placebo	A medicine that does not contain the active drug being tested, used in clinical trials of new medicines.
Plasma	The clear yellow-liquid part of the blood that carries dissolved substances and blood cells around the body.
Plasmolysis	The state of plant cells when so much water is lost from the cell by osmosis that the vacuole and cytoplasm shrink and the cell membrane pulls away from the cell wall.
Platelets	Fragments of cells in the blood that play a vital role in the clotting mechanism of the blood.
Polydactyly	A dominant inherited disorder that results in babies born with extra fingers and/or extra toes.
Pulmonary artery	The large blood vessel that takes deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs.
Pulmonary vein	The large blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the left atrium of the heart.
Punnett square diagram	A way of modelling a genetic cross and predicting the outcome using probability.
Preclinical testing	Is carried out on a potential new medicine in a laboratory using cells, tissues, and live animals.
Primary consumer	Animals that eat producers.
Producers	Organisms such as plants and algae that can make food from raw materials such as carbon dioxide and water.
Prokaryotic cells	From prokaryotic organisms have a cytoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, and a cell wall that does not contain cellulose. The genetic material is a DNA loop that is free in the cytoplasm and not enclosed by a nucleus. sometimes there are one or more small rings of DNA called plasmids.
Proteases	Enzymes that speed up the breakdown of proteins into amino acids.
Proteins	Molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen and are made of long chains of amino acids. They are used for building the cells and tissues of the body and to form enzymes.
Quadrat	A sample area used for measuring the abundance and distribution of organisms in the field.
Quantitative sampling	Records the numbers of organisms rather than just the type.
Range	The maximum and minimum values for the independent or dependant variables - important in ensuring that patterns are detected.
Recessive	A phenotype that will only show offspring if both of the alleles coding for that characteristic are inherited.
Receptors	Cells that detect stimuli; changes in the internal environment.
Red blood cells	Biconcave cells that contain the red pigment haemoglobin and carry oxygen around the body in the blood.
Reflex arcs	Bring about a reflex action. They involve the sense organ, sensory neurone, relay neurone and motor neurone.
Reflexes	Rapid automatic responses of the nervous system that do not involve conscious thought.
Resolving power	A measure of the ability to distinguish between two separate points that are very close together.
Ribosomes	The site of protein synthesis in a cell.
Sample size	The size of a sample in an investigation.
Secondary consumer	Animal that eat the primary consumers.
Selective breeding	Speeds up natural selection by selecting animals or plants for breeding that have a required characteristic.
Selective reabsorption	The process in the kidney where the materials needed in the body such as glucose, some mineral ions, and water are reabsorbed back into the blood from the filtrate.
Sensory neurone	Neurone that carries impulses from the sensory organs to the central nervous system.
Sex chromosome	Carry the information that determines the sex of an individual.
Sexual reproduction	involves the joining (fusion) of male and female gametes producing genetic variation in the offspring.
Sexually transmitted disease (STD)	Transmitted from and infected person to an uninfected person by unprotected sexual contact.
Simple sugars	Small carbohydrate units, for example glucose.
Speciation	The process by which two species evolve from a single original species by natural selection.
Species	The smallest group of clearly identified organisms in Linnaeus's classification system, often described as a group of organisms that can breed together and produce fertile offspring.
Sperm	The male sex cell or gametes that carry the genetic material from the male parent.
Spongy mesophyll	The lower layer of mesophyll tissue in plant leaves that contains some chloroplast and many large air spaces to give a big surface area for the exchange of gases.
Statins	Drugs used to lower blood cholesterol levels and improve the balance of HDLs to LDLs in the blood
Stem cells	Undifferentiated cells with the potential to form a wide variety of different cell types.
Stent	A metal mesh placed in a blocked or partially blocked artery. They are used to open up the blood vessel by the inflation of a tiny balloon.
Stimuli	Changes in the external or internal environment that can be detected by receptors.
Stomata	Openings in the leaves of plants, particularly on the underside and opened and closed by guard cells, allowing gases to enter and leave the leaf.
Suspensory ligament	The ligaments that connect the lens of the eye to the Ciliary muscles.
Testosterone	The main male sex hormone that controls the male secondary sexual characteristics at puberty and the production of sperm.
Therapeutic cloning	A process where an embryo is produced that is genetically identical to the patient so the cells can then be used in medical treatments.
Thermoregulatory centre	The area of the brain that is sensitive to the temperature of the blood.
Tissue	A group of specialised cells with a similar structure and function.
Tissue culture	A modern way of cloning plants that allows thousands of new plants to be created from one piece of plant tissue.
Transect	A measured line or area along which ecological measures are made.
Translocation	The movement of sugars from the leaves to the rest of the plant through the phloem.
Transpiration	The loss of water vapour from the leaves of plants through the stomata when they are opened to allow gas exchange for photosynthesis. It involves evaporation from the surface of the cells and diffusion through the stomata.
Trophic level	Feeding levels in an ecosystem

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Kerboodle biology key words part one

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	Created by joshua devonshire about 6 years ago