Slovakia Maturita Biology flashcards
Slovakia Maturita Biology · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Cell theory
- All living organisms are composed of one or more cells, the cell is the basic unit of life, and all cells arise from pre-existing cells by division.
- Homeostasis
- The maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment within an organism despite external changes, achieved mainly through negative feedback mechanisms that reverse deviations.
- Prokaryotic cell
- A cell lacking a membrane-bound nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, with circular DNA in a nucleoid, 70S ribosomes and a peptidoglycan cell wall in bacteria.
- Osmosis
- The passive movement of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration, requiring no ATP.
- Semiconservative replication
- DNA replication in which each new double helix consists of one original parental strand and one newly synthesised complementary strand, preserving half of the original molecule.
- Meiosis
- A reduction division consisting of two successive divisions that produces four haploid genetically distinct cells, with crossing-over and independent assortment generating variation.
- Mendel's law of segregation
- The two alleles of a gene separate during gamete formation so that each gamete receives only one allele, restoring pairs at fertilisation.
- Testcross
- A cross between an individual showing a dominant phenotype and a homozygous recessive individual, used to determine whether the dominant phenotype is homozygous or heterozygous.
- Codominance
- A relationship in which both alleles in a heterozygote are fully expressed in the phenotype, as with alleles IA and IB giving blood group AB.
- Sex-linked inheritance
- Inheritance of genes located on a sex chromosome, usually the X chromosome, causing males to express recessive traits from a single allele.
- Bacteriophage
- A virus that infects bacteria, typically with a protein head containing DNA, a tail and tail fibres used for attachment and genome injection.
- Lysogenic cycle
- A viral cycle in which the viral genome is integrated into the host chromosome as a prophage and replicated with the host DNA without immediate lysis.
- Binary fission
- Asexual reproduction of prokaryotes in which the cell duplicates its DNA and divides into two genetically identical daughter cells.
- Mycorrhiza
- A mutualistic association between fungal hyphae and plant roots in which the fungus supplies water and minerals while receiving organic nutrients from the plant.
- Stomata
- Pores in the leaf epidermis bounded by guard cells that open and close to regulate gas exchange and transpiration.
- Xylem
- Vascular tissue of dead, lignified cells that conducts water and dissolved mineral ions from the roots upward to the rest of the plant.
- Double fertilisation
- A process unique to angiosperms in which one sperm fuses with the egg to form the zygote and another fuses with polar nuclei to form triploid endosperm.
- Monocotyledons
- A group of angiosperms with one cotyledon, parallel leaf venation, scattered vascular bundles in the stem and floral parts usually in threes.
- Coelom
- A true body cavity completely lined by mesoderm, found in annelids, molluscs, arthropods and chordates, separating the gut from the body wall.
- Water vascular system
- A network of canals and tube feet unique to echinoderms, used for locomotion, feeding and gas exchange.
- Chordate features
- A notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits and post-anal tail present at least during embryonic development.
- Endothermy
- The ability of an animal to maintain a relatively constant body temperature by generating metabolic heat, characteristic of birds and mammals.
- Nephron
- The functional unit of the kidney, consisting of a glomerulus and tubule, where blood is filtered and useful substances are reabsorbed to form urine.
- Action potential
- A rapid reversal of membrane potential that travels along a neurone when depolarisation reaches threshold, transmitting the nerve impulse.
- Insulin
- A hormone secreted by pancreatic beta cells that lowers blood glucose concentration by promoting cellular uptake and glycogen formation.
- Carrying capacity
- The maximum population size of a species that a given environment can sustain indefinitely, marked by the plateau of a logistic growth curve.
- Eutrophication
- Nutrient enrichment of water by nitrates and phosphates that causes algal blooms, oxygen depletion and death of aquatic organisms.
- Food chain
- A linear sequence of organisms in which each is eaten by the next, transferring energy and matter from producers through consumers to decomposers.
- Natural selection
- The process by which individuals with heritable traits that improve survival and reproduction leave more offspring, changing allele frequencies in a population over generations.
- Homologous structures
- Body parts of different species that share a common evolutionary origin and similar underlying anatomy, although their functions may differ.
- Binomial nomenclature
- The two-part Latin naming system for species, consisting of the genus name followed by the specific epithet, both italicised or underlined.
- Benedict's test
- A laboratory test for reducing sugars in which a brick-red precipitate forms after the sample is heated with Benedict's reagent.