BIOLOGY DEFINITIONS
Characteristics of Living Orgranisms
Movement: Action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of
place or position.
Respiration: Chemical reaction in cells that break down nutrient molecules
and release energy for metabolism
Sensitivity: Ability to detect or sense stimuli in the external or internal
environment and make appropriate responses
Growth: Permanent increase in size or dry mass by an increase in cell size or
cell number or both
Reproduction: Process that makes more of the same kind of organism
Excretion: Removal of waste products of metabolism and substances in
excess of requirements.
Nutrition: The taking in of substances for energy, growth and development.
Species: Group of organisms that can interbreed with each other and produce
fertile offspring
Binomial system: The internationally agreed system in which the scientific
name of an organism is made up of 2 parts showing the genus and species.
Organisation Of The Organism
Tissue: Group of cells of similar structure working together to perform the
same function
Organ: Collection of different tissues working together to perform specific
function
Organ system: Group of organs with related functions working together to
perform body functions
Movement Into and Out of Cells
Diffusion: Random movement of particles from a region or higher
concentration to a region or lower concentration, down the concentration
gradient.
Osmosis: Movement of particles from region of higher water potential (dilute
solution) to a region of lower water potential (concentrated solution), through
a partially permeable membrane.
Active transport: Movement of particles from a region of lower concentration
to a region of higher concentration using energy from respiration through the
semi permeable membrane.
Enzymes
Catalyst: Substances that increase the rate of chemical reaction without
being changed by the reaction.
Enzymes: Proteins that are biological catalyst that speed up chemical
reactions
Plant Nutrition
Photosynthesis: Process by which plants manufacture carbohydrates from
raw materials using energy from sunlight
Limiting factor: Something present in the environment in such a short supply
that it restricts life process
Animal Nutrition
Ingestion: Taking substances (food and drink) into the body through the
mouth
Mechanical digestion: Breakdown of food into smaller pieces without
chemical change in food molecules.
Chemical digestion: Breakdown of large, insoluble molecules into small
soluble molecules.
Assimilation: Uptake and use of nutrients by cells
Egestion: Removal of undigested food in the body as faeces
Transport in Plants
Transpiration: Loss of water vapour from plant leaves
Translocation: Movement of sucrose and amino acids in phloem from
sources to sinks
Transport in Animals
Circulatory System: System of blood vessels with a pump and valves to
ensure one-way flow of blood
Coronary Heart Disease: Heart disease caused by blockage of coronary
arteries
Diseases and Immunity
Pathogen: A disease causing organism
Transmissible disease: Disease in which the pathogen can be passed from
one host to another
Antibodies: Proteins that bind with antigens on pathogen membrane leading
to the direct destruction of pathogens or marking of pathogens for
destruction by phagocytosis
Active immunity: Defence against a pathogen by antibody production in the
body
Passive immunity: Short term defence against a pathogen by antibodies
acquired from another individual (mother to infant)
Respiration
Aerobic respiration: Chemical reaction in cell that use oxygen to break down
nutrient molecules to release energy
Anaerobic respiration: Chemical reaction in cells that break down nutrient
molecules to release energy without using oxygen
Excretion
Deamination: Removal of nitrogen containing part of amino acids to form
urea
Coordination and Response
Synapse: Junction between two neurons
Sense organ: Group of receptor cells responding to specific stimuli : light,
sound, touch, temperature and chemicals
Hormones: Chemical substance, produced by a gland and carried by the
blood, which alters the activity of one or more specific target organs
Homeostasis: Maintenance of a constant internal environment
Gravitropism: Response in which parts of a plant grow towards or away from
the direction of the light source
Phototropism: Response in which parts of a plant grow towards or away from
the direction of light source
Drugs
Drug: Any substance taken into the body that modifies of affects chemical
reactions in the body
Reproduction
Asexual reproduction: Process resulting in the production of genetically
identical offspring from one parent
Sexual reproduction: Process involving the fusion of the nuclei of two games
(sex cells) to form zygote and the production of offspring that are genetically
different from each other.
Fertilization: The fusion of two gamete nuclei
Pollination: Transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma
Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to
the stigma of the same flower or different flower on the same plant
Cross pollination: Transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the
stigma of a flower on a different plant of the same species
Sexually transmitted diseases: The infection that is transmitted via body
fluids through sexual contact
Inheritance
Inheritance: The transmission of genetic information from generation to
generation
Chromosomes: Thread like structure in DNA carrying genetic information in
the form of genes
Gene: A length of DNA that codes for a protein
Allele: A version of a gene
Haploid nucleus: A nucleus containing single set of unpaired chromosomes
Diploid nucleus: Nucleus containing two sets of chromosomes
Mitosis: The nuclear division giving rise to genetically identical cell
Meiosis: The nuclear division giving rise to cells that are genetically different
Meiosis: Reduction division in which the chromosome number is halved from
the diploid to haploid resulting in genetically different cell
Genotype: The genetic make- up of an organism in terms of alleles present
Phenotype: As the observable features of an organism
Homozygous: Having two identical allele of a particular gene
Heterozygous: Having two different alleles of a particular gene
Dominant: An allele that is expressed if it is present
Recessive allele: An allele that is only expressed when there is no dominant
allele of the gene present
Sex- linked characteristics: Characteristics in which a gene responsible Is
located on a sex chromosome and that this makes it more common in one
sex than in the other
Variation and Selection
Variation: Difference between individuals of the same species
Mutation: Genetic change
Gene mutation: A change in the base sequence of DNA
Adaptive feature: An inherited feature that helps an organism to survive and
reproduce in the environment Adaptive feature : inherited functional features
of an organism that increase its fitness
Fitness: The probability of an organism surviving and reproducing in the
environment in which it found
Organisms and Their Environment
Food chain: It shows the transfer of energy from one organism to the next,
beginning with a producer
Trophic level: The position of an organism in a food chain, food web, pyramid
of number or biomass
Food web: The network of interconnected food chains
Producer: Organism that makes their own food, usually using energy from
sunlight, through photosynthesis
Consumer: Organism that gets its energy by feeing on other organisms
Herbivore: Organism that gets its energy by feeing on plants
Carnivore: Organism that gets its energy by feeding on other animals
Omnivore: Organisms that gets its energy by feeing on both animals and
plants
Decomposers: Organisms that gets its energy by breaking down dead or
organic waste material of plants and animals
Population: Group of organism of the same species living in the same area at
the same time
Community: All the population of different species in an ecosystem
Ecosystem: Unit containing the community of organisms and their
environment interacting together
Human Influences on Ecosystems
Biodiversity: Number of different species that live in an area
Genetic Modification: Changing of genetic material of an organism by
removing changing or inserting individual genes
Sustainable resources: Resources which is produced as rapidly as it is
removed from the environment so it doesn’t not run out
Sustainable development: Development proving the needs of an increasing
population without harming the environment
