Organic Molecules and Cell Organelles

Movement of substances across the plasma membrane that requires energy from the cell. It moves substances from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration, going against the concentration gradient.

Large particles are brought into the cell. This process involves the plasma membrane folding around the particle and engulfing it.

Large particles are released from the cell. This process involves the plasma membrane fusing with a vesicle containing the particle and releasing it outside the cell.

The ability of a cell to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment. It involves regulating what enters and leaves the cell through the selectively permeable plasma membrane.

A state where the concentration of a substance is the same both inside and outside the cell. No net movement of water occurs.

Division of the cytoplasm during cell division, resulting in two daughter cells with identical genetic information.

A long, whip-like tail that helps some cells move.

Sex cells that combine during sexual reproduction to produce a new organism.

A cell that has two sets of chromosomes (one from each parent).

A cell that has one set of chromosomes.

The branch of biology that studies heredity, how traits are passed from parents to offspring.

A characteristic that an individual inherits from its parents, like eye color or height.

A segment of DNA that carries instructions for a specific trait, such as eye color.

Alternative forms of a gene, responsible for variations in a trait. Each parent contributes one allele for a trait.

When two alleles for a trait are identical, like having two blue eye alleles.

When two alleles for a trait are different, like having one blue and one brown eye allele.

The allele that controls the expression of a trait, even when paired with a different allele. It's represented with a capital letter.

The allele that is masked by a dominant allele, only expressed when paired with another recessive allele. Represented with a lowercase letter.

The genetic makeup of an organism, represented by the letters of the alleles an individual possesses.

The physical appearance of an organism, determined by its genotype.

The dominant allele, or gene, will prevent the recessive allele from being expressed. The recessive allele will only appear when paired with another recessive allele in the offspring.

The 23rd pair of chromosomes determines an individual's sex. Males have one X and one Y chromosome (XY), while females have two X chromosomes (XX).

Traits associated with particular sexes, often inherited on the X chromosome from the mother. Examples include color blindness, baldness, and hemophilia.

Genes located on the same chromosome tend to be inherited together because they are physically linked. One example: red hair and freckles.

When a trait is controlled by multiple genes, it results in a wider spectrum of possible outcomes. Examples: hair color, skin color, and eye color.

Enzymes act as catalysts, speeding up chemical reactions without being consumed or altered in the process. They are essential for various cellular processes like providing energy, building new cells, and aiding digestion.

Enzymes are affected by factors such as pH, temperature, and quantity. Optimal conditions exist for each enzyme, where it functions most effectively. Changes in these factors can either activate or deactivate enzymes.

A polar molecule has opposite charges at different ends. Water is a polar molecule because the oxygen end is slightly negative and the hydrogen ends are slightly positive.

Cohesion refers to water molecules sticking together due to hydrogen bonds. Adhesion refers to water molecules sticking to other surfaces.

Surface tension is a measure of the force needed to break the surface of a liquid. Cohesion between water molecules creates a strong surface tension, allowing some creatures to walk on water.

Evaporative cooling occurs when a liquid evaporates, taking heat with it. This process helps regulate temperature in organisms and the environment.

Water is a universal solvent because it dissolves many substances due to its polarity. A solution is a mixture of a solute (dissolved substance) and a solvent (dissolving substance).

Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA and RNA. Each nucleotide consists of a phosphate group, a sugar, and a nitrogenous base.

DNA's sugar is deoxyribose, while RNA's sugar is ribose. DNA has nitrogenous bases adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine, while RNA replaces thymine with uracil.

DNA replication is the process of creating an exact copy of DNA before cell division. Each strand of DNA serves as a template to create a new complementary strand.

Transcription is the process of creating RNA from a DNA template. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries the genetic information from DNA to ribosomes.

Translation is the process of converting the message carried by mRNA into a protein. Transfer RNA (tRNA) carries amino acids to ribosomes, where they are linked together to form a protein.

Asexual reproduction involves a single parent producing identical offspring. This occurs through processes like binary fission, budding, and mitosis, leading to rapid offspring production.

Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of haploid sex cells (sperm and egg) to create a diploid zygote. This process leads to genetic variation among offspring.

Mitosis is a type of cell division that produces two identical daughter cells from a single parent cell. It involves four stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

Meiosis is a type of cell division that produces four haploid sex cells (gametes) from a single diploid parent cell. It involves two divisions: Meiosis I and Meiosis II.

A variable that is intentionally changed in an experiment to observe its effects on another variable.

A variable that is measured or observed in an experiment to see how it responds to changes in the independent variable.

Variables kept constant during an experiment to isolate the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.

A flaw or systematic error in the design or execution of an experiment that can lead to incorrect conclusions.

Beliefs or practices presented as scientific but lacking evidence or relying on flawed methodology, often used to promote a specific agenda.

The least specialized plant cells, they have thin and flexible cell walls, are living at maturity, and carry out most metabolic functions. They also have a large central vacuole and can differentiate into other cell types under special conditions.

These cells have thicker primary cell walls with uneven thickness and are living at maturity. They play a role in supporting herbaceous plants.

These cells have thick secondary cell walls, are dead at functional maturity, and cannot increase in length. They occur in parts of the plant that have stopped growing in length.

These cells have thick secondary cell walls that can stretch, are dead at functional maturity, and are involved in conducting water and ions throughout the plant.

These cells are involved in the transport of sucrose, other organic compounds, and some ions. They are living at functional maturity and have endwalls connected via sieve-plates. There are two types of cells: sieve-tube members and companion cells.

These areas in plants contain rapidly dividing, undifferentiated cells that remain throughout the plant's life, constantly producing new cells that can differentiate into various tissue types.

These cells can differentiate into a variety of cell types, allowing plants to repair and replace damaged tissues.

Unlike animals, plants do not have a pre-programmed body plan. While there are patterns like leaf shape and branching, the exact location of new growth is unpredictable.