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General Biology Key Concepts

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Terms in this set (29)

  • Cell
    The basic structural and functional unit of all living organisms.
  • Tissues
    Groups of similar cells working together to perform a specific function.
  • Organs
    Structures composed of two or more tissue types working together for a common task.
  • Organ systems
    Groups of organs working together to perform broad body functions.
  • Population
    A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.
  • Community
    All the different populations of living organisms interacting in a given area.
  • Ecosystem
    A community of living organisms interacting with their non-living physical environment.
  • Producer
    An organism that creates its own food from non-living resources like light energy.
  • Consumer
    An organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms.
  • Homeostasis
    The process by which an organism maintains a stable internal environment despite external changes.
  • Prokaryote
    A single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
  • Eukaryote
    An organism whose cells contain a distinct nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
  • Hypothesis
    A testable, tentative explanation for an observation.
  • Experiment
    A structured test designed to support or refute a hypothesis under controlled conditions.
  • Control group
    The group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment, used for comparison.
  • Independent variable
    The factor in an experiment deliberately manipulated by the researcher.
  • Dependent variable
    The factor measured to observe the effect of the independent variable.
  • Atom
    The fundamental unit of matter, composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
  • Ionic bond
    A chemical bond formed by the transfer of electrons between atoms, resulting in electrostatic attraction.
  • Covalent bond
    A chemical bond formed when atoms share one or more pairs of electrons.
  • pH
    A scale measuring the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution.
  • Acids
    Substances with a pH below 7 that release hydrogen ions in solution.
  • Bases
    Substances with a pH above 7 that accept hydrogen ions or release hydroxide ions.
  • Carbohydrates
    Biological macromolecules made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, used for energy and structure.
  • Monosaccharides
    Simple single-sugar molecules like glucose.
  • Lipids
    Nonpolar, hydrophobic biological molecules including fats, oils, and steroids.
  • Proteins
    Functional biological molecules made up of one or more folded chains of amino acids.
  • Peptide bond
    The covalent bond linking amino acids together in a chain.
  • Secondary structure of proteins
    Localized coiling (\(\alpha\)-helix) or folding (\(\beta\)-sheet) of a polypeptide chain stabilized by hydrogen bonds.