Biology Syllabus 2003-2004
FIRST SIX WEEKS:
Lab safety and procedure
Scientific Process
Experiment Formation
Basic Biology Terms

SECOND SIX WEEKS:
Elements of Life
Cells, Bacteria, Viruses
Mitosis & Meiosis
Basic Homeostasis and Metabolic Processes
Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis

THIRD SIX WEEKS:
Genetics = Everything from the history to present day advances and techniques.

FOURTH SIX WEEKS:
Evolution = Includes the importance of genetic theories in evolution.
Taxonomy: classification of living organisms.

FIFTH SIX WEEKS:
Plant and Animal anatomy and physiology
COmpare and contrast structure, reproduction and metabolic prosesses.

SIXTH SIX WEEKS:
Ecology, how organisms live and interact within the environment. Includes abiotic and biotic factors.

BASIC BIOLOGY TERMS: Second six weeks
Action potential – reversal of charges across the cell membrane of a neuron.

Activation energy – energy needed to get a reaction started.

Active immunity – immunity produced by a vaccine; so-called because the body has the ability to mount an active immune response against the pathogen.

Adenosine triphosphate – one of the principle chemical compounds that living organisms use to store energy.

Amino acid – compound with an amino group (-NH2) on one end and a carboxyl group (-COOH) on the other end.

Anal pore – region of the cell membrane of a ciliate where waste –containing food vacuoles fuse and are emptied into the environment.

Anaphase – the third phase of mitosis, during which the chromosome pairs separate and move towards opposite ends.

Antibiotic – compound that blocks the growth and reproduction of bacteria.

Archaea – domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls that do not contain peptidoglycan.

Archaebacteria – kingdom of unicellular prokaryotes whose cell walls do not contain peptidoglycan.

ATP synthase – large protein that uses energy from H+ atoms to bind ADP and a phosphate group together to produce ATP.

Bacillus – rod-shaped prokaryote.

Bacteria – domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycan.
Bacteriophage – virus that infects bacteria.

Calvin cycle – reactions of photosynthesis in which energy from ATP and NADPH is used to build high –energy compounds such as sugars.

Carbohydrate – compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body.

Catalyst – substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction.

Cell – collection of living matter enclosed by a barrier that separates the cell from its surroundings; basic unit of all life forms.

Cell body – largest part of a typical neuron; contains the nucleus and much of the cytoplasm.

Cell culture - group of cells grown in a nutrient solution from a single organism.

Cell cycle – series of events that cells go through as they grow and divide.

Cell division – process by which cells divide into two new daughter cells.

Cell fractionation – technique in which cells are broken into pieces and the different cell parts are separated.

Cell membrane – thin, flexible barrier around a cell; regulates what enters and leaves the cell.

Cell specialization – separate roles for each type of cell in multicellular organisms.

Cell theory – idea that all living things are composed of cells, cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things, and new cells are produced from existing cells.

Cellular respiration – process that releases energy by breaking down food molecules in the presence of oxygen; made up of Glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain.

Cell wall – strong layer around the cell membrane in plants algae, and some bacteria.

Centriole – one of two tiny structures located in the cytoplasm of animal cells near the nuclear envelope.

Chlorophyll – principle pigment of plants and other photosynthetic organisms; captures light energy.

Chloroplast – organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms that uses energy from sunlight to make energy-rich food molecules by photosynthesis.

Cilium – short hair-like projection similar to a flagellum; produces movement in many cells.

Coccus – spherical prokaryote.

Cohesion – attraction between molecules of the same substance.

Compound – substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions.

Concentration – the mass of a solute in a given volume of solution, or mass/volume.

Conjugation – form of sexual reproduction in which paramecia and some prokaryotes exchange genetic information.

Covalent bond – bond formed by sharing of electrons between atoms.

Cytokinesis – division of cytoplasm during cell division.

Cytoplasm – material inside the cell membrane – but not including the nucleus or organelles.

Cytoskeleton – network of protein filaments within some cells that helps the cell maintain its shape and is involved in may forms of cell movement.

Diffusion – process by which molecules tend to move from an area where they are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated.

DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid – nucleic acid that contains the sugar deoxyribose.

Eubacteria – kingdom of unicellular prokaryotes whose cell walls are made up of peptidoglycan.

Eukarya – domain of all living organisms whose cells have nuclei, including protests, plants, fungi, and animals.

Eukaryote – organism whose cells contain nuclei.

Facilitated diffusion – movement of specific molecules across cell membrane through protein channels.

Fat – lipid; made up of fatty acids and glycerol.

Fermentation – process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen.

Gamete – specialized cell involved in reproduction.

Gametophyte – haploid, or gamete producing, phase of an organism.

Glycolysis – first step in releasing the energy of glucose, in which a molecule of glucose is broken into two molecules of pyruvic acid.

Golgi Apparatus – stack of membranes in the cell in which enzymes attach carbohydrates and lipids to proteins.

Haploid – term used for to refer to a cell that contains only a single set of chromosomes and therefore only a single set of genes.

Hormone – substance produced in one part of an organism that affects another part of the same individual. There are also artificially made hormones.

Host – Organism that provides a source of nutritional needs for a parasite.
Interferon – one of a group of proteins that help cells resist viral infection.

Interphase – period of the cell cycle between cell divisions.

Intracellular digestion – process in which food is digested inside cells.

Kreb’s cycle – second stage of cellular respiration, in which pyruvic acid is broken down into carbon dioxide in a series of energy-extracting reactions.

Lipid – macromolecules made mainly from carbon and hydrogen atoms; including fats, oils, and waxes.

Lipid bilayer – double-layered sheet that forms the core of nearly all cell membranes.

Lysosome – cell organelle filled with enzymes needed to break down certain materials in the cell.

Meiosis – process by which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half through a separation of homologous chromosomes in a diploid cell.

Metaphase – second phase of mitosis, during which the chromosomes line up across the center of the cell.

Microfilament – long, thin fiber that functions in the movement and support of the cell.

Microtubule – hollow tube of protein that maintains cell shape and can also serve as a “track” along which organelles are moved.

Mineral – inorganic nutrient the body needs, usually small in amounts.

Mitochondria – Cell organelle that releases energy from stored food molecules.

Mitosis – part of the eukaryotic cell division during which the cell nucleus divides.

Mixture – material composed if two or more compounds that are physically mixed together but not chemically combined.
Molecule – smallest unit of most compounds.

Nuclear envelope – double-membrane layer that surround the nucleus of a cell.

Nucleolus – small, dense region within most nuclei in which the assembly of ribosomes begins.

Nucleus – the center of the atom which contains the protons and neutrons; in cells, large structure inside some cells that contains the cell’s genetic material (DNA) and controls the cells activities.

Organelle – specialized structure that performs important cellular functions within the eukaryotic cell.

Osmosis – diffusion of water through selectively permeable membrane.

Pathogen – disease-causing agent, such as a bacterium or fungus.

Parasite – organism that lives within or on another organism and harms the organism by feeding on it.

Photosynthesis – process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to power chemical reactions that convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches.

Plasmid – circular DNA molecule found in bacteria.

Polysaccharide – large macromolecules formed from monosaccharides.

Prophase – first and longest phase of mitosis, during which the chromosomes become visible and the centrioles separate and take up positions on the opposite sides of the nucleus.

Protein – macromolecules that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; needed by the body for growth and repair to make up enzymes.

Protist – any eukaryote that is not a plant, an animal or a fungus.

Resting potential – difference in electrical charge across the cell membrane of a resting neuron.

Retrovirus – virus that contains RNA as its genetic information.

Ribonucleic acid – single stranded nucleic acid that contains the sugar ribose.

Ribosome – small particle in the cell on which proteins assembled; made of RNA and protein.

Spindle – fanlike microtubule structure that helps separate the chromosomes during mitosis.

Spirillum – spiral or corkscrew-shaped prokaryote.

Substrate – reactant of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction.

Telophase – fourth and final phase of mitosis, during which the chromosomes begin to disperse into a tangle of dense material.

Vaccination – injection of a weakened or mild form of a pathogen to produce immunity.

Vacuole – cell organelle that stores materials such as water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Virus – particle made up of nucleic acid, protein, and in some cases lipids that can replicate only by infected living cells.



FIRST SIX WEEKS BIOLOGY TERMS

Abiotic factor – physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem.

Adaptation - inherited characteristic that increases an organism’s chance of survival.

Aerobic - process that requires oxygen.

Agriculture - the practice of farming.

Anaerobic - process that does not require oxygen.

Autotroph - organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer.

Biodiversity - biological diversity; the sum total of variety of organisms in the biosphere.

Biogeochemical cycle – process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another.

Biology – science that seeks to understand the living world.

Biome – group of ecosystems that have the same cliate and dominant communities.

Biosphere – part of Earth in which life exists including land, water and air or atmosphere.

Biotic factor – biological influence on organisms within an ecosystem.

Botany – The science that studies plants.

Cell – Basic unit of all forms of life.

Celsius – Unit of temperature used in science.

Classifying – Grouping organisms or non living matter into similar orders.

Compare-and-Contrast tables – a table that shows the similarities and or differences between two or more items.

Concept Map – A system of organizing subtopics.

Conservation – wise management of natural resource, including the preservation of habitats and wildlife.

Consumer – organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph.

Controlled experiment – a test of the effect of a single variable by changing it while keeping all other variables the same.

Controlled variable – factor in an experiment that a scientist purposely keeps the same.

Cycle diagram – A diagram that shows the sequence of events.

Data – evidence; information gathered from observations.

Dependant variable – factor in an environment that a scientist wants to observe, which may change because of the manipulated variable; also known as a responding variable.

Ecology – Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.

Ecosystem – Collection of all organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment.

Electron microscope – Microscope that forms an image by focusing beams of electrons onto a specimen.

Element – Substance consisting entirely of one type of atom. (Periodic Table of Elements)

Evolution – Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient ones.

Flow Chart – A chart that helps to represent the order in which a set of events have occurred.

Gene – Sequence of DNA that codes for protein and thus determines a trait.

Genetics – Scientific study of heredity.

Gram – Metric unit of measurement for mass.

Habitat – the area where an organism lives including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect the organism.

Homeostasis – Process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment.

Hypothesis – Possibkle explanation for a set of observations or possible answer to a scientific question.

Inference – Logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience.

Liter – Metric unit of measurement for volume.

Macroevolution – Large-scale evolutionary changes that take place over a long period of time.

Medicine – An area of science that deals with maintaining, and strengthening health. This area of science also seeks to explore anatomy and physiology as well as treatments for disease, illness and genetic defects.

Meter – the metric unit of measurement for length.

Metric system – System of measurement based on the units of ten. Standard measurement system of science.

Model – A scientific representation of an object, process or event.

Observation – use of one or more of the senses- sight, hearing, touch, smell, and sometimes taste, to gather- information.

Operational definition – Description of how a particular variable is to be measured of how a term is to be defined.

Predicting – Making an inference about the future based on current evidence, past experience, or knowledge.

Producer – Organism that can capture energy from sunlight of chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds, also called an autotroph.
Resource – any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space.

Taxonomy – Discipline of classifying organisms and assigning each organism a universally accepted name.

Theory – well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.

Venn Diagram – A way to show similarities and differences.

Zoology – The science that studies the animal kingdom.

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