All Terminology (3rd, 4th and 5th Form)

A physical or chemical factor affecting an ecosystem e.g. light intensity or temperature.

The movement of digested food molecules through the wall of the intestine into the blood.

How close the result is to the 'true value'.

Rain that is more acidic than normal because various gases (such as sulphur dioxide) have dissolved in it.

A process which requires energy to occur.

The part of an enzyme into which a substrate fits during a reaction.

Active movement of molecules from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration, against a concentration gradient, using carrier proteins.

A feature of an organism that is well suited to its function and helps the organism survive.

A hormone produced by the pituitary gland which is involved in control of water levels in the body, makes the collecting duct more permeable to water.

A hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stressful situations. Affects the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems.

Respiration that requires the presence of oxygen.

The rapid growth of algae resulting from an increased nutrient supply.

The air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange takes place, site of gas exchange in the lungs.

The monomer from which proteins are made, contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen (some have sulphur).

An enzyme that digests starch into maltose. Produced in the mouth and pancreas.

Respiration that takes place in the absence of oxygen.

Multicellular organisms that have no cell walls, form zygotes after fertilisation and ingest their food.

A reading which falls outside the normal, expected, range of measurements.

Proteins secreted by lymphocytes in response to pathogens, attach to pathogens and destroy them.

A chemical 'marker' on the surface of a cell that identifies it.

The passage through which faeces are egested.

The artery which leaves the left ventricle of the heart.

A small artery.

A blood vessel which takes blood away from the heart towards the capillaries.

A chemical produced in respiration and used in processes that require energy.

A chamber in the heart which receives blood returning to the heart, smaller than a ventricle.

Single celled organisms that do not contain any membrane bound organelles and possess circular DNA in chromosomes and plasmids.

The large loop of DNA found within bacterial cells.

A diet that contains all the basic nutrients in the proportions necessary to maintain health.

Used to test for sugar in the Benedict's test.

Valve in the heart between the left atrium and ventricle.

Produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. Bile emulsifies fats to increase the surface area for lipase to act on.

Build up of pollutants in an organism.

The amount of variation shown by organisms in an ecosystem; it takes into account the number of species and abundance (number) of each species.

The increase in concentration of bioaccumulated substances (e.g. pollutants) along a food chain.

The measure of mass of living material present of a species, measured in g per meter squared.

A biological factor affecting an ecosystem e.g. predation.

The organ where urine is stored before being lost through the urethra.

Area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye.

Biological Oxygen Demand; the amount of oxygen in water used up by organisms, measured in mg per litre.

The first part of the nephron, site of ultrafiltration.

One of the smaller airways of the respiratory system, connects the main airways (bronchi) to the alveoli.

One of the main airways of the respiratory system, connects the trachea to the bronchioles.

An important mineral ion used in the formation of bones and teeth. Found in dairy products, fish and vegetables.

The smallest of the blood vessels and the site of substance exchange.

An layer found outside the cell wall of in some bacterial species.

Enzyme that digests carbohydrates.

Starches and sugars; biological molecules containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen only.

Toxic gas present in car exhaust and cigarette smoke.

An organism which feeds on other organisms.

A protein found in the membrane which helps transport substances into and out of the cell; involved in active transport.

A substance that speeds up the rate of reaction and is not used up in the process.

The basic unit of living organisms.

A thin layer that marks the boundary between the cell and the outside. Is selectively permeable and controls what gets into and out of the cell.

Found in the vacuole, a store of sugars, mineral ions, other solutes and water.

A layer outside of the cell membrane that supports cells and helps them to keep their shape. They are made of cellulose in plants, chitin in fungi and a carbohydrate-protein mixture in bacteria.

A carbohydrate found in plants, the main component of cell walls in plants.

Disease caused by blockage of the coronary arteries due to build up of fatty material, which can lead to a heart attack.

Chemical that makes up the cell wall of fungi.

A green, magnesium containing pigment involved in photosynthesis.

The site of photosynthesis in plant cells, contains the pigment chlorophyll.

Lipid substance present in the blood that can lead to CHD.

Microscopic hair-like projections on the surface of cells lining the trachea and bronchi that can move mucus and trapped particles out of the lungs.

The final part of the nephron, the site of ADH and where urine forms.

First part of the large intestine, where water is absorbed from the food into the blood.

All of the living organisms within an ecosystem.

The interaction between organisms which require the same resource.

A difference in concentration of a substance between two areas.

If repeated readings are identical, or close to each other, then they are described as concordant and are likely to be reliable.

Organism that eats other organisms.

The use of homeostasis to maintain constant conditions within an organism.

Variables that are kept constant to ensure a valid investigation and to allow a comparison to be made.

Arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle.

The contents of a cell outside its nucleus, it contains the cells enzymes and is the site of chemical reactions within a cell.

Saprobiotic organisms (such as bacteria or fungi) that break down dead organic tissue and releases carbon dioxide and simple compound and ions.

To destroy an enzyme with excessive heat or extreme non-optimum pH.

The variable that is being measured by the experimenter.

Disease where blood glucose concentration cannot be controlled properly.

A thin sheet of muscle near the base of the lungs, contracts when a person breathes in.

Passive movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration, down a concentration gradient.

The process by which large insoluble molecules are broken down into smaller, soluble molecules.

A tubule of the nephron where water and mineral ions are reabsorbed.

A substance which results in the production of large amounts of dilute urine.

First part of the small intestine where digestion occurs.

All of the living organisms in an area along with all the abiotic features of the environment.

An organism that uses the environment to control its body temperature ('cold-blooded' organisms).

The removal of food waste from the anus in the form of faeces.

A lung disease associated with smoking where the walls of the alveoli break down.

A gland which secretes a hormone into the blood.

An animal which maintains its body temperature using physiological mechanisms.

The trapping of heat by gases in the atmosphere resulting a warming up of the environment.

A membrane surrounding some viruses.

The conditions surrounding an organism. Divided into abiotic features (e.g. temperature, water availability) and biotic factors (e.g. competition and predation).

A protein that catalyses chemical reactions.

Formed when a substrate binds to the active site of an enzyme.

Cell that has a nucleus.

A sudden increase in the quantity of plant nutrients in lakes or rivers, often as a result of leaching of inorganic fertiliser or from sewage pollution.

Removal of metabolic waste from the body.

A gland which secretes a hormone into a duct which leaves the body e.g. salivary gland.

The waste products of digestion removed from the body during egestion.