| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Homeostasis | The maintenance of a constant internal state in a changing environment |
| Hypothermia | the condition of having an abnormally low body temperature, typically one that is dangerously low |
| Stimulus | Anything that causes a reaction or change in an organism or any part of an organism |
| Metabolism | The sum of all chemical processes that occur in an organism |
| Reproduction | the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parents" |
| Single-Celled organism | Made up of only one cell |
| Microscopic | so small as to be visible only with a microscope |
| Flagellum | a slender threadlike structure, especially a microscopic whiplike appendage that enables many protozoa, bacteria, spermatozoa to swim |
| Cilia | minute hairlike organelles |
| Prokaryotic | a microscopic single-celled organism that has neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other specialized organelles |
| Eukaryotic | an organism consisting of a cell or cells in which the genetic material is DNA in the form of chromosomes contained within a distinct nucleus |
| Photosynthesis | When green organisms convert the energy in sunlight to energy stored in food |
| Respiration | a process in living organisms involving the production of energy, typically with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the oxidation of complex organic substances |
| Excretion | the process of eliminating or expelling waste matter |
| Chlorophyll | a green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria, responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis |
| Cytoplasmic streaming | the liquid component of the cytoplasm and organelles around large fungal and plant cells through the mediation of actin |
| Pseudopod | a temporary protrusion of the protoplasm usually serving as an organ of locomotion |
| Protist | the highest scientific classification of a group of one-celled organisms |
| Cell wall | The rigid outermost cell layer found in plants and certain algae, bacteria, and fungi |
| Cell | The smallest unit that can perform all life processes |
| Cell membrane | the semipermeable membrane surrounding the cytoplasm of a cell |
| Nucleus | a dense organelle present in most eukaryotic cells containing the genetic material. |
| Cytoplasm | the material or protoplasm within a living cell, excluding the nucleus |
| Golgi body | cell organelle that helps make and package materials to be transported out of the cell |
| Vesicles | a fluid- or air-filled cavity or sac |
| Vacuoles | a space or vesicle within the cytoplasm of a cell, enclosed by a membrane and typically containing fluid |
| Mitochondria | an organelle found in large numbers in most cells, in which the biochemical processes of respiration and energy production occur |
| Ribosome | a minute particle consisting of RNA and associated proteins, found in large numbers in the cytoplasm of living cells |
| Lysosome | an organelle in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells containing degradative enzymes enclosed in a membrane |
| DNA | a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information |
| Proteins | Large molecules that are made up of smaller molecules called amino acids that is needed to build and repair body structures and to regulate processes in the body |
| Lipids | any of a class of organic compounds that are fatty acids or their derivatives and are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents |
| Microscope | an optical instrument used for viewing very small objects, such as mineral samples or animal or plant cells, typically magnified several hundred times |
| Chloroplast | in green plant cells, a plastid that contains chlorophyll and in which photosynthesis takes place. |
| Tissue | any of the distinct types of material of which animals or plants are made, consisting of specialized cells and their products |
| Organ | a part of an organism that is typically self-contained and has a specific vital function, such as the heart or liver in humans |
| Organisms | an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form |
| Ecosystem | a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment |
| Multicellular | having or consisting of many cells |
| Asexual reproduction | Reproduction that does not involve the union of sex cells and in which one parent produces offspring identical to itself |
| Sexual reproduction | Reproduction in which the sex cells from two parents unite, producing offspring that share traits from both parents |
| Mitosis | a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth |
| Meiosis | a type of cell division that results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell, as in the production of gametes and plant spores |
| Fertilization | the action or process of fertilizing an egg, female animal, or plant, involving the fusion of male and female gametes to form a zygote |
| Sperm | the male impregnating fluid |
| Egg | a sex cell produced by a female |
| Zygote | a fertilized egg |
| Gametes | a mature male or female germ cell that is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote |
| Chromosome | a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes |
| Phenotype | the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment |
| Genotype | the genetic constitution of an individual organism |
| Heredity | The passing of genetic traits from parent to offspring |
| Metabolism | The sum of all chemical processes that occur in an organism |
| Producer | An organism that can make its own food by using energy from its surroundings |
| Consumer | An organism that eats other organisms or organic matter |
| Decomposer | An organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or animal wastes |
| Protein | a molecule that is made up of amino acids and is needed to build and repair body structures and to regulate processes in the body |
| Carbohydrates | Molecules made of sugar |
| Simple carbohydrates | Made up of one sugar molecule. Ex. Sugar in fruit |
| Amino acids | the building blocks of proteins |
| Molecule | A substance made when two or more atoms combine |
| Compounds | Molecules made of different kinds of atoms |
| Complex carbohydrates | Made up of hundreds of sugar molecules. Ex. Potato |
| Nucleotides | a compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group |
| Phospholipids | A lipid that contains phosphorus and is a structural component in cell membranes |
| Lipids | A type of biochemical that does not dissolve in water. Ex. Fats |
| ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate | A molecule that acts as the main energy source for cell processes |
| Nucleic acids | Blueprints of life that have all the information needed for a cell to make proteins |
| ER or endoplasmic reticulum | a network of membranous tubules within the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell, continuous with the nuclear membrane |
| Hydrophilic | Water loving |
| Hydrophobic | Water fearing |
| Cellulose | A complex sugar that most animals can't digest |
| Cytoskeleton | a microscopic network of protein filaments and tubules in the cytoplasm of many living cells, giving them shape and coherence |
| Nucleolus | a small dense spherical structure in the nucleus of a cell during interphase |
| euglena | a large genus of unicellular protists, which have both plant and animal characteristics. All are motile by means of a flagellum (animal characteristic). |
| paramecium | one of the best-known protists, often taught in school biology courses. It is a ciliate genus. Ciliates are a clade of protists which move by synchronous waves of tiny projections from their cuticle. These projections are called cilia. |
| volvox | a polyphyletic genus of chlorophyte green algae in the family Volvocaceae. It forms spherical colonies of up to 50,000 cells. They live in a variety of freshwater habitats, and were first reported by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1700. |
| ameoba | a type of cell or organism which has the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and retracting pseudopods. |
