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Biology Final Review
Final Exam 1st Semester
38
Biology
9th Grade
12/16/2011

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Term
DNA
Definition
deoxyribonucleic acid: an extremely long macromolecule that is the main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics in all life forms, constructed of two nucleotide strands coiled around each other in a ladderlike arrangement with the sidepieces composed of alternating phosphate and deoxyribose units and the rungs composed of the purine and pyrimidine bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine: the genetic information of DNA is encoded in the sequence of the bases and is transcribed as the strands unwind and replicate.
Term
H.I.V
Definition
a variable retrovirus that invades and inactivates helper T cells of the immune system and is a cause of AIDS
Term
Helper T Cells
Definition
a T cell that participates in an immune response by recognizing a foreign antigen and secreting lymphokines to activate T cell and B cell proliferation
Term
eukaryotic cell
Definition
a cell with a true nucleus; a cell with a nuclear membrane and organelles; cf. prokaryotic cell
Term
Prokaryotic Cell
Definition
a cell lacking a true membrane-bound nucleus; cf. {eukaryotic cell}
Example: Bacteria
Term
Food Chain
Definition
the chain from a food source to the ultimate consumer.
Term
Food Web
Definition
a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.
Term
Biome
Definition
a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, especially such a community that has developed to climax.
Term
Greenhouse Effect
Definition
an atmospheric heating phenomenon, caused by short-wave solar radiation being readily transmitted inward through the earth's atmosphere but longer-wavelength heat radiation less readily transmitted outward, owing to its absorption by atmospheric carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and other gases; thus, the rising level of carbon dioxide is viewed with concern.
Term
Decomposers
Definition
an organism, usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances.
Term
Commensalism
Definition
a type of relationship between two species of a plant, animal, fungus, etc., in which one lives with, on, or in another without damage to either.
Term
Mutualism
Definition
a relationship between two species of organisms in which both benefit from the association.
Term
parasitism
Definition
a relation between organisms in which one lives as a parasite on another.
Term
biodiversity
Definition
diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment.
Term
photosynthesis
Definition
(especially in plants) the synthesis of complex organic materials, especially carbohydrates, from carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic salts, using sunlight as the source of energy and with the aid of chlorophyll and associated pigments.
Term
autotrophs
Definition
any organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists.
Term
heterotrophs
Definition
an organism requiring organic compounds for its principal source of food.
Term
producer
Definition
a person who produces.
Term
consumer
Definition
a person or thing that consumes.
Term
evolution
Definition
any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane.
Term
homologous structure
Definition
Homologous structures are body parts that are alike because the species in question share a common ancestor. These structures may serve the same or different functions.
Term
VESTIGIAL STRUCTURE
Definition
A structure in an organism that has lost all or most of its original function in the course of evolution, such as human appendixes.
Term
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Definition
a system of glands, each of which secretes a type of hormone directly into the bloodstream to regulate the body.
Term
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
Definition
the organ system that protects the body from damage, comprising the skin and its appendages(including hair, scales, feathers, and nails).
Term
MITOSIS
Definition
the usual method of cell division, characterized typically by the resolving of the chromatin of the nucleus into a threadlike form, which condenses into chromosomes, each of which separates longitudinally into two parts, one part of each chromosome being retained in each of two new cells resulting from the original cell.
Term
MEIOSIS
Definition
part of the process of gamete formation, consisting of chromosome conjugation and two cell divisions, in the course of which the diploid chromosome number becomes reduced to the haploid. Compare mitosis
Term
CANCER
Definition
a malignant and invasive growth or tumor, especially one originating in epithelium, tending to recur after excision and to metastasize to other sites
Term
HYBRID
Definition
the offspring of two animals or plants of different breeds, varieties, species, or genera, especially as produced through human manipulation for specific genetic characteristics.
Term
GAMETES
Definition
a mature sexual reproductive cell, as a sperm or egg, that unites with another cell to form a new organism.
Term
4 NITROGEN BASES IN DNA
Definition
Adenine and guanine are also known as purine bases; cytosine and thymine are also called pyrimidine bases. Each deoxyribonucleotide will contain one of these four bases.
Term
CODON
Definition
a triplet of adjacent nucleotides in the messenger RNA chain that codes for a specific amino acid in the synthesis of a protein molecule.
Term
AMINO ACID
Definition
any of a class of organic compounds that contains at least one amino group, –NH 2 , and one carboxyl group, –COOH: the alpha-amino acids, RCH(NH 2 )COOH, are the building blocks from which proteins are constructed.
Term
PROTEIN
Definition
the final shape and other properties of each protein being determined by the side chains of the amino acids and their chemical attachments
Term
MUTATION
Definition
a sudden departure from the parent type in one or more heritable characteristics, caused by a change in a gene or a chromosome
Term
ARTIFICIAL SELECTION
Definition
Human intervention in animal or plant reproduction to ensure certain characteristics are represented in successive generations.
Term
NATURAL SELECTION
Definition
the process by which forms of life having traits that better enable them to adapt to specific environmental pressures, as predators, changes in climate, or competition for food or mates, will tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than others of their kind, thus ensuring the perpetuation of those favorable traits in succeeding generations.
Term
DARWIN
Definition
English naturalist who formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection, expounded in On the Origin of Species
Term
BIOLOGY
Definition
THE SCIENCE OF LIFE
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