Ecosystems & Energy
This fundamental process is summarized by the equation 6CO2 + 6H2O + light --> C6H12O6 + 6O2.
What is photosynthesis?
This is the phase of mitosis where chromosomes align along the equator of the cell.
What is metaphase?
This is the number of chromosomes present in a normal human haploid gamete.
What is 23?
These blood vessels contain valves and rely on surrounding skeletal muscle contractions to return blood to the heart.
What are veins?
He is considered the father of modern evolutionary theory after his observations aboard the HMS Beagle.
Who is Charles Darwin?
This biogeochemical cycle relies heavily on soil bacteria to fix atmospheric gas into usable forms for plants.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
These unspecialized animal cells have the ability to differentiate into a wide variety of specialized cell types.
What are stem cells?
This physical exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes occurs during Prophase I and increases genetic variation.
What is crossing over?
These tiny, grape-like air sacs in the lungs are the primary sites of gas exchange with the circulatory system.
What are alveoli?
This two-part Latin naming system, developed by Carl Linnaeus, identifies organisms by their genus and species.
What is binomial nomenclature?
This organelle is the primary site of cellular respiration, breaking down glucose to synthesize ATP.
What is the mitochondrion?
This highly regulated process is often referred to as programmed cell death, preventing the survival of damaged cells.
What is apoptosis?
This term describes an individual who possesses two different alleles for a specific trait, such as Aa.
What is heterozygous?
This rhythmic, wave-like contraction of smooth muscle propels a bolus of food down the esophagus and through the digestive tract.
What is peristalsis?
These infectious agents are considered non-living because they require a host cell to reproduce and do not perform metabolic functions.
What are viruses?
This term describes the maximum population size of a biological species that a specific environment can sustain indefinitely.
What is carrying capacity?
During this specific sub-phase of Interphase, the cell replicates its genetic material.
What is the S phase (Synthesis phase)?
This error in cell division occurs when homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids fail to separate properly, potentially leading to trisomy conditions.
What is nondisjunction?
This accessory organ produces bile to emulsify fats and detoxifies chemicals absorbed from the digestive tract.
What is the liver?
A change in the allele frequency of a small population over time strictly due to chance events, not environmental pressures.
What is genetic drift?
This process describes the accumulation of persistent, non-biodegradable toxins (like DDT or microplastics) at increasingly higher concentrations in organisms at successive trophic levels.
What is biomagnification (or bioamplification)?
Plant cells divide their cytoplasm by forming this structure down the middle of the cell, while animal cells form a cleavage furrow.
What is a cell plate?
This is a genetic cross performed between an individual with an unknown genotype and a homozygous recessive individual to determine the unknown genotype.
What is a test cross?
The mammalian circulatory system is divided into these two main circuits—one sending blood to the lungs and the other to the rest of the body.
What are the pulmonary and systemic circuits?
Anatomical structures in different species that share a common evolutionary origin but may have different functions, such as a human arm and a bat wing.
What are homologous structures?