Protein & Chemical Reaction In Organism – Biology
This biology chapter covers protein and chemical reaction in organism.
Metabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which convert energy and matter from outside sources and use that energy and matter to sustain the organism’s life functions.
Anabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which use energy and simple chemical building blocks to produce large chemicals and structures necessary for life.
Catabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which break down chemicals to produce energy and simple chemical building blocks.
Photosynthesis
The process by which green plants and some other organisms use the energy of sunlight and simple chemicals to produce their own food.
Herbivores
Organisms that eat only plants.
Carnivores
Organisms that eat only organisms other than plants.
Omnivores
Organisms that eat both plants and other organisms.
Producers
Organisms that produce their own food.
Organisms that eat living producers and/or other consumers for food.
Decomposers
Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms.
Autotrophs
Organisms that are able to make their own food.
Heterotrophs
Organisms that depend on other organisms for their food.
Receptors
Special structures that allow living organisms to sense the conditions of their internal or external environment.
Asexual reproduction
Reproduction accomplished by a single organism.
Sexual reproduction
Reproduction that requires two organisms
Inheritance
The process by which physical and biological characteristics are transmitted from the parent (or parents) to the offspring.
Mutation
An abrupt and marked change in the DNA of an organism compared to that of its parents
Hypothesis
An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question.
Theory
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data.
Scientific law
A theory that has been tested by and is consistent with generations of data.
Microorganisms
Living creatures that are too small to see with the naked eye.
Abiogenesis
The idea that long ago, very simple life forms spontaneously appeared through chemical reactions.
Prokaryotic cell
A cell that has no distinct, membrane-bounded organelles.
Eukaryotic cell
A cell with distinct, membrane-bounded organelles.
Species
A unit of one or more populations of individuals that can reproduce under normal conditions, produce fertile offspring, and are reproductively isolated from other such units.
Taxonomy
The science of classifying organisms.
Binomial nomenclature
Naming an organism with its genus and species name.
Pathogen
An organism that causes disease.
Saprophyte
An organism that feeds of dead matter.
Parasite
An organism that feeds on a living host.
Aerobic organism
An organism that requires oxygen.
Anaerobic organism
An organism that does not require oxygen.
Steady state
A state in which members of a population die as quickly as new members are born.
Exponential growth
Population growth that is unhindered because of the abundance of resources for an ever-increasing population.
Logistic growth
Population growth that is controlled by limited resources.
Conjugation
A temporary union of two organisms for the purpose of DNA transfer.
Plasmid
A small, circular section of extra DNA that confers one or more traits to a bacterium and can be reproduced separately from the main bacterial genetic code.
Transformation
The transfer of a DNA segment from a nonfunctional donor cell to that of a functional recipient cell.
Transduction
The process in which infection by a virus results in DNA being transferred from one bacterium to another.
Endospore
The DNA and other essential parts of a bacterium coated with several hard layers.
Strains
Organisms from the same species that have markedly different traits.
Pseudopod
A temporary, foot-like extension of a cell, used for locomotion or engulfing food.
Nucleus
The region of a eukaryotic cell that contains the cell’s main DNA.
Vacuole
A membrane-bounded “sac” within a cell.
Ectoplasm
The thin, watery cytoplasm near the plasma membrane of some cells.
Endoplasm
The dense cytoplasm found in the interior of many cells.
Flagellate
A protozoan that propels itself with a flagellum.
Pellicle
A firm, flexible coating outside the plasma membrane.
Chloroplast
An organelle containing chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll
A pigment necessary for photosynthesis.
Eyespot
A light-sensitive region in certain protozoa
Symbiosis
A close relationship between two or more species where at least one benefits.
Mutualism
A relationship between two or more organisms of different species where all benefit from the association.
Commonesalism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited.
Parasitism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed.
Cilia
Hairlike projections that extend from the plasma membrane and are used for locomotion.
Spore
A reproductive cell with a hard, protective coating.
Plankton
Tiny organisms that float in the water.
Zooplankton
Tiny floating organisms that are either small animals or protozoa.
Phytoplankton
Tiny floating photosynthetic organisms, primarily algae.
Thallus
The body of a plant-like organism that is not divided into leaves, roots, or stems.
Cellulose
A substance (made of sugars) that is common in the cell walls of many organisms.
Holdfast
A special structure used by an organism to anchor itself.
Sessile colony
A colony that uses holdfasts to anchor itself to an object.
Extracellular digestion
Digestion that takes place outside of the cell.
Mycelium
The part of the fungus responsible for extracellular digestion and absorption of the digested food.
Hypha
A filament of fungal cells.
Rhizoid hypha
A hypha that is imbedded in the material on which the fungus grows.
Aerial hypha
A hypha that is not imbedded in the material upon which the fungus grows.
Sporophore
Specialized aerial hypha that produces spores.
Stolon
An aerial hypha that asexually reproduces to make more filaments.
Haustorium
A hypha of a parasitic fungus that enters the host’s cells, absorbing nutrition directly from the cytoplasm.
Chitin
A chemical that provides both toughness and flexibility.
Membrane
A thin covering of tissue.
Fermentation
The anaerobic breakdown of sugars into smaller molecules.
Zygospore
A zygote surrounded by a hard, protective covering.
Zygote
The result of sexual reproduction when each parent contributes half of the DNA necessary for the offspring.
Antibiotic
A chemical secreted by a living organism that kills or reduces the reproduction rate of other organisms.
Atoms
The basic building blocks of matter.
Matter
Anything that has mass and takes up space.
Model
An explanation or representation of something that cannot be seen.
Element
A collection of atoms that all have the same number of protons.
Molecules
Chemicals that result from atoms linking together.
Physical change
A change that affects the appearance but not the chemical makeup of a substance.
Chemical change
A change that alters the makeup of the elements or molecules of a substance.
Phase
One of the three forms–solid, liquid, or gas–which every substance is capable of attaining.
Diffusion
The random motion of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
Concentration
A measurement of how much solute exists within a certain volume of solvent.
Semipermeable membrane
A membrane that allows some molecules to pass through but does not allow other molecules to pass through.
Osmosis
The tendency of a solvent to travel across a semipermeable membrane into areas of higher solute concentration.
Catalyst
A substance that alters the speed of a chemical reaction but is not used up in the process.
Organic Molecule
A molecule that contains only carbon and any of the following: hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and/or phosphorous.
Biosynthesis
The process by which living organisms produce larger molecules from smaller ones.
Isomers
Two different molecules that have the same chemical formula.
Monosaccharides
Simple carbohydrates that contain 3 to 10 carbon atoms.
Disaccharides
Carbohydrates that are made up of two monosaccharides.
Polysaccharides
Carbohydrates that are made up of more than two monosaccharides.
Dehydration reaction
A chemical reaction in which molecules combine by removing water.
Hydrolysis
Breaking down complex molecules by the chemical addition of water.
Hydrophobic
Lacking any affinity to water.
Saturated fat
A lipid made from fatty acids that have no double bonds between carbon atoms.
Unsaturated fat
A lipid made from fatty acids that have at least one double bond between carbon atoms.
Peptide bond
A bond that links amino acids together in a protein.
Hydrogen bond
A strong attraction between hydrogen atoms and certain other atoms (usually oxygen or nitrogen) in specific molecules.
Absorption
The transport of dissolved substances into cells.
Digestion
The breakdown of absorbed substances.
REspiration
The breakdown of food molecules with a release of energy.
Excretion
The removal of soluble waste materials.
Egestion
The removal of nonsoluble waste materials.
Secretion
The release of biosynthesized substances.
Homeostasis
Maintaining the status quo.
Reproduction
Producing more cells.
Cytology
The study of cells.
Middle lamella
The thin film between the cell walls of adjacent plant cells.
Cell Wall
A rigid structure on the outside of certain cells, usually plant and bacteria cells.
Plasma membrane
The semipermeable membrane between the contents and either the cell wall or the cell’s surroundings.
Cytoplasm
A jellylike fluid inside the cell in which the organelles are suspended.
Ions
Substances in which at least one atom has an imbalance of protons and electrons.
Cytoplasmic streaming
The motion of cytoplasm in a cell that results in a coordinated movement of the cell’s contents.
Mitochondria
The organelles in which nutrients are converted to energy.
Lysosome
The organelle in animal cells responsible for hydrolysis reactions that break down proteins, polysaccharides, disaccharides, and some lipids.
Ribosomes
Non-membrane-bounded organelles responsible fore protein synthesis.
Endoplasmic reticulum
An organelle composed of an extensive network of folded membranes that performs several tasks within a cell.
Rough ER
ER that is dotted with ribosomes.
Smooth ER
ER that has no ribosomes.
Leucoplasts
Organelles that store starches or oils.
Chromoplasts
Organelles that contain pigments used in photosynthesis.
Central vacuole
A large vacuole that rests at the center of most plant cells and is filled with a solution that contains a high concentration of solutes.
Waste vacuoles
Vacuoles that contain the wast products of digestion.
Phagocytosis
The process by which a cell engulfs foreign substances or other cells.
Phagocytic vacuole
A vacuole that holds the matter which a cell engulfs.
Pinocytic vesicle
Vesicle formed at the plasma membrane to allow the absorption of large molecules.
Secretion vesicle
Vesicle that holds secretion products so that the can be transported to the plasma membrane and released.
Golgi bodies
The organelles where proteins and lipids are stored and then modified to suit the needs of the cell.
Microtubules
Spiral strands of protein molecules that form a tubelike structure.
Nuclear membrane
A highly-porous membrane that separates the nucleus from the cytoplasm.
Chromatin
Clusters of DNA, RNA, and proteins in the nucleus of a cell.
Cytoskeleton
A network of fibers that holds the cell together, helps the cell to keep its shape, and aids in movement.
Microfilaments
Fine, threadlike proteins found in a cell’s cytoskeleton.
Intermediate filaments
Threadlike proteins in the cell’s cytoskeleton that are roughly twice as thick as microfilaments.
Phospholipid
A lipid in which one of the fatty acid molecules has been replaced by a molecule that contains a phosphate group.
Passive transport
Movement of molecules through the plasma membrane according to the dictates of osmosis or diffusion.
Active transport
Movement of molecules through the plasma membrane (typically opposite the dictates of osmosis or diffusion) aided by a process that requires energy.
Isotonic solution
A solution in which the concentration of solutes is essentially equal to that of the cell which resides in a solution.
Hypertonic solution
A solution in which the concentration of solutes is greater than that of the cell that resides in the solution.
Plasmolysis
Collapse of a walled cell’s cytoplasm due to a lack of water.
Cytolysis
The rupturing of a cell due to excess internal pressure.
Hypotonic solution
A solution in which the concentration of solutes is less than that of the cell that resides in the solution.
Activation energy
Energy necessary to get a chemical reaction going.
Genetics
The science that studies how characteristics get passed from parent to offspring.
Genetic factors
The general guideline of traits determined by a person’s DNA.
Environmental factors
Those “nonbiological” factors that are involved in a person’s surroundings such as the nature of the person’s parents, the person’s friends, and the person’s behavioral choices.
Spiritual factors
The factors in a person’s life that are determined by the quality of his or her relationship with God.
Gene
A section of DNA that codes for the production of a protein of a portion of protein, thereby causing a trait.
Messenger RNA
The RNA that performs transcription.
Anticodon
A three-nucleotide base sequence on tRNA.
Codon
A sequence of three nucleotide bases on mRNA that refers to a specific amino acid.
Chromosome
DNA coiled around and supported by proteins, found in the nucleus of the cell.
Mitosis
A process of asexual reproduction in eukaryotic cells.
Interphase
The time interval between cellular reproduction.
Mother cell
A cell ready to begin reproduction, containing duplicated DNA and centrioles.
Centromere
The region that joins two sister chromatids.
Karyotype
The figure produced when the chomosomes of species during metaphase are arranged according to their homologous pairs.
Diploid cell
A cell with chromosomes that come in homologous pairs.
Haploid cell
A cell that has only one representative of each chromosome pair.
Diploid number (2n)
The total number of chromosomes in a diploid cell.
Haploid number (n)
the number of homologous pairs in a diploid cell.
Meiosis
The process by which a diploid (2n) cell forms gametes (n).
Gametes
Haploid cells (n) produced by diploid cells (2n) for the purpose of sexual reproduction.
Virus
A non-cellular infectious agent that has two characteristics: (1) It has genetic material (RNA or DNA) inside a protective protein coat. (2) It cannot reproduce on its own.
Antibodies
Specialized proteins that aid in destroying infectious agents.
Vaccine
A weakened or inactive version of a pathogen that stimulates the body’s production of antibodies which can aid in destroying the pathogen.
DNA
Deoxyriboneucleic acid found mainly in the nucleus
replication
double the chromosomes
nucleotides
neuclic acid base pairs
RNA
receives instructions from DNA
Transcription
process of forming a neucleic acid using a template
Translation
uses the codons in mRNA to make a specific amino acid
proteins
monomers of amino acid chains
mitosis, meiosis
body cell reproduction and sex cell reproduction
sexual reproduction
2 parents male and female
asexual reproduction
1 parent
genes
segment of dna that codes for a specific trait
Chromosomes
made up of DNA and proteins