Biology Midterm Vocabulary

An organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world

Process of gathering information about events or processes in a carefully, orderly way

Evidence and information gathered from observations and include quantitative data (Obtained by counting or measuring and is expressed as numbers) and qualitative data( Descriptive and involve characteristics that usually be counted)

a clear description of the issue, which includes a vision, issue statement and a method that can be used to solve the problem

A proposed scientific explanation for a set of observations

A factor that can be varied or manipulated in an experiment (ex. Time, temperature, concentration, etc.) and is usually what will affect the dependent variable (X-axis)

What you measure in the experiment and what is affected during the experiment and it responds to the independent variable (Y-axis)

A variable that remains unchanged or held constant to prevent its effects on the outcome and therefore may verify the behavior of and the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. They are important because they keep the outcome of the experiment valid.

A table is both a mode of visual communication and also a means of arranging data which helps analyze the data

• Made up of cells
• Reproduce
• Based on a universal genetic code
• Grow and develop
• Obtain and use materials and energy
• Respond to their environment
• Maintain a stable internal environment
• Taken as a group, living things change over time

• ·A force of attraction that holds atoms or ions together in a molecule or crystal and are usually created by a transfer or sharing of electrons. They can be single, double, and triple bonded and other types of bonds include covalent and ionic bonds
• ·Ionic bond: Formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another
• Covalent bond: Forms when electrons are shared between atoms

• Single most abundant compound in most living things
• Liquid at the temperatures found over much of Earth's surface
• Expands as it freezes
• Ice is less dense than liquid water
• Molecule is neutral
• Polar because there is an uneven distribution of electrons between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms
• Positive pole: Between hydrogen atoms
• Negative pole: Near the oxygen atom

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of solution. <7 (acid), 7 (neutral), >7 (base)

A molecule that can be bonded to other identical molecules to form a polymer

A molecular structure that is built up of numerous monomers bonded together

Chemical reaction that involves the loss of water from the reacting molecule and it is when two monosaccharides join together to form a disaccharide

Water is recombined with the two hydroxyl groups and the disaccharide goes back to two monosaccharides and is the reverse reaction of dehydration synthesis

The compounds containing carbon that are typically found in living systems

A very large molecule, such as a polymer or protein, consisting of many atoms together

Compound made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms and is the major source of energy for the human body

Macromolecule made mainly from carbon and hydrogen atoms: includes fats, oils, and waxes

Macromolecule containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus

Macromolecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen and is needed by the body for growth and repair and to make up enzymes

Protein that acts as a biological catalyst

Substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction

Unicellular organism lacking a nucleus

Organism whose cells contain nuclei

The center of the atom which contains the protons and neutrons; in cells, structure that contains the cell’s DNA and controls the cell’s activities

The center of the atom which contains the protons and neutrons; in cells, structure that contains the cell’s DNA and controls the cell’s activities

Strong supporting layer around the cell membrane in plants, algae and some bacteria

Organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms that captures the energy from sunlight and converts it into chemical energy

Cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use

Internal membrane system in cells in which lipid components of the cell membrane are assembled and some proteins are modified

Small particle in the cell on which proteins are assembled and are made up of RNA and protein

Cell organelle that stores materials such as water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates

Stack of membranes in the cell that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum

Cell organelle filled with enzymes needed to break down certain materials in the cell

Eukaryotic cells that differ in several key respects from the cells of other eukaryotic organisms because it has a vacuole and a cell wall

Form of eukaryotic cell that makes up many tissues in animals and it lacks cell walls and chloroplasts and has smaller vacuoles

A member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms lacking organelles and an organized nucleus, including some that can cause disease

Composition of nearly all cell membranes is a double-layered sheet called a lipid bilayer (along with proteins) which gives the cell membrane a flexible structure that forms a strong barrier between the cell and its surroundings

Process by which molecules tend to move from an area where they are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated

Diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane

Energy-requiring process that moves material across a cell membrane against a concentration difference

Process by which a cell takes material into the cell by infolding of the cell membrane

Process by which a cell releases large amounts of material

Domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycan

Particle made up of nucleic acid, protein, and in some cases lipids that can replicate only by infecting living cells

Compound that blocks the growth and reproduction of bacteria

• 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
• 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy tooo C6H12O6 + 6O2

• Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen
• C6H12O6 + 6O2 too 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy

Process by which a cell divides into two new daughter cells

Division of the cell nucleus. Includes Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase

Period of the cell cycle between cell divisions

Division of the cytoplasm during cell division

Process by which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half through the separation of homologous chromosomes in a diploid cell

Specialized cell involved in sexual reproduction

Fertilized egg

Any biological cell forming the body of an organism in a multi-cellular organism and fuse during sexual reproduction

Organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells and is a single piece of coiled DNA and also contain DNA-bound proteins which serve to package the DNA and control its functions

Sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait

One of a number of different forms of a gene

Term used to refer to an organism that has two identical alleles for a particular trait

Term used to refer to an organism that has two different alleles for the same trait

Genetic makeup of an organism

Physical characteristics of an organism

Diagram showing the gene combination that might result from a genetic cross

One gene is masking the other gene and is the main trait

Is masked by the dominant gene and isn’t seen as often

Situation in which both alleles of a gene contribute to the phenotype of the organism

Situation in which one allele is not completely dominant over another

Three or more alleles of the same gene

Trait controlled by two or more genes

X and Y chromosome are the deciding factor. XX-Female XY-Male

Gene located on the X or Y chromosome

Climate, soil conditions, and availability of water are examples of how interaction between genes and the environment can change characteristics

Also known as deoxyribonucleic acid and it is a nucleic acid that contains the sugar deoxyribose

Monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base

Principle that bonds in DNA can form only between adenine and thymine and between guanine and cytosine

Copying process by which a cell duplicates its DNA

Process in which part of the nucleotide sequence of DNA is copied into a complementary sequence in RNA

Decoding of a mRNA message into a poly-peptide chain

The process by which amino acids are linearly arranged into proteins through the involvement of ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, messenger RNA, and various enzymes