Term
|
Definition
| Using natural resources in a way which also conserves them for future use. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
All living things have adaptations which help them to survive in teh conditions where they live.
Animals which are adapted for cold environments are often large, with a small surface area:volume (SA/V) ration. They have thick insulating layers of fat and fur.
Changing coat colour in the different seasons gives animals year-round camouflage.
Adaptations for hot, dry environments include a large SA/V ratio, thin fur, little body fat and behaviour patterns that avoid the heat of the day. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Plants lose water all the time by evaporation from their leaves.
Plants which live in dry places have adaptations which help to reduce water loss. These adaptations may often include reduced surface area of their leaves and/or water-storage tissues. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Animals often compete with each other for food and territories.
Animals compete for mates
Animals have adaptations which make them good competitors. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Plants often compete with each other for light, for water and for nutrients (minerals) from the soil.
Plants have many adaptations, which make them good competitors.[image] |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Young animals and plants have similar characteristics to their parents. That's because of genetic information passed on to them in the sex cells from which they developed. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
In asexual reproduction there is no joining of gametes and only one parent. There is no genetic variety in the offspring.
In sexual reproduction male and female gametes join. The mixture of genetic information from two parents leads to genetic variety. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
The genetically identical offspring produced by asexual reproduction are known as CLONES.
New plants can be produced quickly and cheaply by taking cuttings from older plants. The new plants are genetically identical to the older ones.
There are a number of more modern cloning techniques. These include tissue culture of plants and embryo cloning and transfers in animals. |
|
|
Term
| New ways of cloning animals |
|
Definition
| Fusion cell cloning is a form of asexual reproduction.
In adult cell cloning a whole cloned animal can result. The nucleus from a cell from an adult animal is transferred to an empty egg cell from another animal. A small electric shock fuses the cell and starts embryo development. The embryo is placed in a third animal to develop.[image] |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
In genetic engineering, genes from the chromosomes of humans and other organisms can be 'cut out' using enzymes and transferred to the cells of bacteria.
Genes can also be transferred to the cells of animals and plants at an early stage of their development.
There are many potential advantages and disadvantages to the use of genetic engineering. |
|
|
Term
| The origins of life on Earth |
|
Definition
Fossils provide us with evidence of how much-or how little -different organisms have changed since life developed on Earth.
It is very difficult for scientists to know exactly how life on Earth began because there is no direct evidence. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
The THEORY OF EVOLOUTION states that all the species which are alive today- and many more which are now extinct- evolved from simple life forms which first developed more than three billion years ago.
Darwin's theory is that evolution takes place through NATURAL SELECTION.
Studying the similarities and differences between species helps us to understand how they have evolved and how closely related they are to each other. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
New forms of genes result from changes (mutations) in exisitng genes.
Different organisms in a species show a wide range of variation because of differences in their genes.
The individuals with the characteristics most suited to their environment are most likely to survive and breed successfully.
The genes which have produced these successful characteristics are then passed on to the next generation. |
|
|
